Authors

Meet the RealiTeen bloggers!

Bill Mercer

Click here to read Bill’s posts

My name is Bill Mercer and I am the newest edition to Realiteen!  The team was looking for a different perspective, literally and figuratively, so I came aboard!

I am the father of three teenagers. Two sons, John and Drew, age 15, are in the middle of teenagedom and Molly is fast approaching the next decade of her life. They are great children and I am very proud of them.  I am also a single (in a relationship) dad of five years this July.  I am a widower. I have gone into some detail in a subsequent “blog” so you can get up to speed there if you’d like.

I am an insurance representative with Mass Mutual Financial Group in the offices of Bartley Insurance Services here in Jacksonville, N.C.  I have lived in Jacksonville since 1986. I am a native of Richlands, where I was raised. I am a graduate of Richlands High School and East Carolina University. I attend Trinity United Methodist church here, along with my children.

I love sports and music and books, not necessarily in that order. I enjoy playing the piano.  Raising and providing for my family is the most important function of my life. Duh! Being with my family and watching them grow and evolve into the people I see them becoming is the most fun I have ever had. Believe me, I have had some fun in my life.
All four grandparent’s live close by and that is real nice.  I have been in a relationship with my girlfriend Betsy for over two years now and she is great! Betsy has a beautiful son Will who is a 10 year old ballplayer and excellent student.  My children are crazy about Betsy and Will. It’s very good and I am very thankful. I am grateful  for my family, my friends and the road ahead. Some very important people have played major roles in the lives of my children.

I look forward to sharing this adventure with the readers of Realiteen. We are shaped by our experiences. Hope you enjoy. Talk with you soon.

Karen Holder

Click here to read Karen’s posts

I’m Karen, the newest member of the blogging team.

I am a stay-at-home mom of two teen girls.  My oldest is 17, a high school junior, into art and music.  My youngest is almost 15, a high school freshman and into cheerleading and all things social.  I think they’re both smart and beautiful and full of promise.  (Doesn’t that sound so like a mom?!  They’d roll their eyes if they read that!)  My two girls are so different from each other that I sometimes marvel that they were born into the same family.

I’ve been married for almost nineteen years now.  Back when I got married, I was a school teacher.  After a year teaching 2nd grade and one teaching 4th grade, I cut my career short to start raising a family.  At the time, I thought I was prepared to be a parent…after all, I had a college degree that trained me to deal with kids.  Boy, was I naïve!

I’ve learned a lot along the way…mostly that it’s a huge job to be a mom and the answers aren’t always clear.  The stakes are so high as a mom.  I have the responsibility to keep my kids safe and mold them into good people, after all.  And I want so much to do it well.  So I’ve also had to learn to forgive myself when I fall short.  And I’ve learned that I’d better savor those moments when it’s all going right!  (Yes, I am so sappy that I get misty at chorus concerts and school plays or any time kids are doing something well!)

I’ve also learned the importance of a network of other mothers who can boost me up when I need it, and offer suggestions to me, and just tell me it will all work out okay.  And that’s why I think this blog is an exciting opportunity for all of us to share the struggles and the triumphs; to confirm that there’s no one right way to parent; to warn each other of the dangers and share with each other the opportunities our kids have in this community.

In addition to being a mom, I like crafty things, reading, photos, spicy food, diet soda, my computer, volunteering at the school (you know my teens love that one!), laughing, and beach vacations.  I hate meetings, bland food, cleaning, and cold weather.  At any given moment you might find me driving around town in my “mom van,” running errands or providing taxi service for my girls and their friends.  I’m way more likely to be wearing a t-shirt and jeans than anything “girly.”

In short, I’m your average mom, trying to get through each day.  I’m looking forward to spending time here on the RealiTeen blog, giving and getting support as we face the challenges of parenting teens.

Paula Patselas

Click here to read Paula’s posts

Hi, I’m Paula, one of the two newest bloggers with the RealiTeen.

Although quite new to the whole concept of blogging, I am well seasoned with the teen scene. I am blessed to be the very proud mom of three teens: Kassiane, 16; Austin, 15; and Lydia, 14. Yes, you read correctly – stair step teens. They were once 1, 2 and 3, if you can only imagine. That part seems like a blur now – thank goodness for photos and video.

It has all happened so quickly and now they are in 8th, 9th and 10th grades. One of the first thoughts that now come to mind when I tell someone their ages is that they will graduate from high school three years running; and of course, that means beginning college three years running, too. That means three cars,  three more insurance policies, oh the horrors. We will cross those bridges soon enough.
For now, the household is bustling; even teaming with activity and commotion and that is putting it politely. The “we” I mention includes my husband, Doctor Tim, who is a general surgeon, and practices with Onslow Surgical Clinic. It goes almost without saying, he is a very busy husband/dad. The great news is that he is a very involved, hands-on kind of dad and always has been. He comes home, rolls up his sleeves and pitches in with whatever needs to be done to manage the group.

Early on we realized that we would have our hands full and being that there are three of “them” and two of “us”, the odds were against us.  It has been a challenge keeping our ship afloat and keeping the kids steered, but always a joy and we would have never had it any other way.

I am a real multi-tasking mom, too, with quite a few irons in the fire. I am a registered nurse, since 1982, with a clinical background in trauma and critical care nursing. In recent years, my focus has been in nursing education at Onslow Memorial Hospital; however, during the past two years, I have also been working PRN(filling in as needed), in out-patient clinics at the Naval Hospital and MCAS.
The flexibility of PRN works great with managing the busy schedules of the teens, yet allows me to keep connected with my profession. I also volunteer in their schools and for the past three years have been helping to re-invent the Onslow County Medical Society Alliance, a physician spouses’ organization. I’ve also been a long standing soccer mom, an avid gardener and love to cook.

When I say, never a dull moment – it truly means, NEVER a dull moment.

I look forward to blogging and sharing about life with the stair step teens. More to come!

Tawana Humphrey

Click here to read Tawana’s posts

I consider myself the most electrifying woman to ever grace the tobacco fields and cucumber patches of Richlands, North Carolina. My birth name is Tawana Humphrey, but because I am from a small town, no one knows anyone by their “real name.”

A few of the names given to me are,  Hot Hen, Hen Stren, Squirrel, and the most famous known by all of the town’s people, Puddin.  As you can see Puddin seemed to offer the least amount of embarrassment, so there we have it. I have three children of my own,  Soraya (Ray-Ray) 15, Shayvon (Scootie) 10, and Sikia (Kiki) 7.  Also, I helped raise a cousin of mine that came to live with me when he was 12 years old. Even though there is only an eight year difference between us two, I still feel like he is my child. My children considers him as their big brother which help keep those motherly feelings stirred up.

Being a mother of three and living here in Richlands, we stay very busy participating in the Onslow County Recreational programs. Almost year round,  my life is consumed with baseball/ softball jersey’s, basketball uniforms, and football pads. My daughter Kiki is the only girl in the entire flag football league! I was a little weary about her playing at first. I was just hoping that she would get on a team that look past the fact that she was a girl. Much to my surprise, she did! Our season is almost up, so I will definitely keep you all posted on how the season ends!