MJ Vieweg | RealiTeen

Tia Bandavanis

My name is Tia and I'm very excited to join the Realteen team. I am a fun-loving, caring, and colorful person. I begin and end everyday with a smile. There is only one man in my life and that is my 15 yr. old son John. It's been my job to raise my son from a young age through his teen years. I am a single mom and I feel as though I have done my best to help my son become a responsible young man. I was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in the Maryland and D.C. area. I moved to Jacksonville, North Carolina in 1992. I now consider myself to be a native. I miss family dearly but find ways to visit often. My home and heart is here in Onslow County. This is pretty much due to the fact that I have raised my son here and found it to be a great place to live. I currently teach preschool at a local preschool. I have been teaching for over 20 years. I love children of all ages and could not imagine myself doing any other profession. I enjoy outings with my son to the movies, watching football, visiting local spots such as the Lynwood Park Zoo, going to the beach, and canoeing along our local rivers. I look forward to writing and reading the blogs. I feel this is a great opportunity to explore my parenting role and others. Parenting my teen son has been very rewarding and challenging. However, I have learned that being an effective parent is about learning and growing along with my son!

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I’m MJ Vieweg, one of the original MomTalk Bloggers. Other than a 6-month hiatus, I have been sharing my thoughts on the trials and joys (yes, there are some) of raising teenagers for over two years. I have two teen sons; Max who is nearly 14 and Gus, who is 16. Max is still with me at home, Gus got a chance to fly the coop early and is finishing his high school years at the North Carolina School of Math and Science in Durham. Like any mom, I’d like to have a good relationship with my sons. In addition, I try to parent with a purpose - I want to raise confident, optimistic, and resilient kids. Maybe not so easy to do for a single parent, and not something you can assume will happen even when you think you are doing your best, but certainly worth striving for. Much of what I share on this blog are my experiences trying to secure that good relationship with my boys and encouraging those three traits in them. I believe whole-heartedly in this quote attributed to Jackie Onassis: "If you bungle raising your children, nothing else in life you do really matters." Stop by often, read my posts and share your thoughts!

Who Are Your Kids Hanging Out With?

February 4th, 2010 MJ Vieweg

It is probably not a bad idea to talk with our teens about what kind of friends they have. When my kids mention a name that is not one I’ve heard before ,I do ask about that …
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A Healthy Relationship Doesn’t Hurt

February 2nd, 2010 MJ Vieweg

Our focus this month at RealiTeen is healthy relationships. It can be a tough topic to talk with our kids about. How do you bring it up? Teens are not likely to “dish” about their friends and girl/boyfriends with their parents. Because …
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Veggie Teens

January 30th, 2010 MJ Vieweg

Would they eat their veggies served this way?

I had to stand watch over Max last night to ensure he ate four, only four was all I asked, brussels sprouts. Things got a …
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Start With What They Like

January 28th, 2010 MJ Vieweg

Trying to get our teens to eat better seems a little familiar to me. It is almost déjà vu all over again – back when they were toddlers. Toddlers like routine and predictability. I think Gus ate …
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Get To The Next Level – Eat an Apple!

January 26th, 2010 MJ Vieweg

Ever heard of boron? Apples have this trace element, which seems to have the effect of boosting alertness as well as increasing eye-hand coordination and attention span. If you suspect your teens won’t reach for the …
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