Kimberly Witt

Your Teen Magazine • 9th August 2022

5 Important Life Skills to Teach Your Teen on School Vacation

My whole family enjoys the leisurely pace of vacations and days off from school. During my years as a high school English teacher, I took advantage of the long stretch of summer vacation to grab some extra sleep. I read books for hours in the backyard and caught up on daytime TV. My teens love trading their harried school schedules filled with basketball practice, late-night homework, and other extracurriculars for some downtime and to work part-time jobs.

Your Teen Magazine • 5th August 2022

Teens and Sex: How The Talk Has Changed for the Better Over the Years

I grew up in the conservative Christian purity culture of the 1990s in a small Midwestern town. My parents modeled a healthy marriage with strong communication, regular date nights, and long-term commitment, even through challenging times. Our conversations centered on boundaries and expectations. We didn’t talk much about feelings or relationships. And we never talked about sex.

Your Teen Magazine • 26th July 2022

My Teenage Summers? Filled with Fun, Sun, and Risky Behavior

I’m a sucker for nostalgia. Many of my most magical teenage memories—real or imagined—happened in the summer. When my sons are grown, I want them to remember magical teenage summers, too. I see the stretch of summer days ahead of us and envision them enjoying days at the beach with friends and random road trips where laughter and loud music spill out their car windows, which are open wide.

Your Teen Magazine • 13th June 2022

Road Trip! 9 Great Podcasts for Teens and Families

It’s summer road trip time. What does that mean? Time for some Forced Family Fun! If your teenagers are usually in the backseat with their noses buried in their phones, maybe you can grab their attention with some teen-friendly podcasts. Here are some suggestions that might be worth a listen. **Some of these podcasts contain language you might not love to hear from your teens. If language is a concern, check for those warnings in the online podcast descriptions and listen to “beeped” versions w

Your Teen Magazine • 25th May 2022

How to Get Ready For Your First Job: Tips From People Who Know—Your Teen Mag

When I was in high school and living in small-town Iowa, the job prospects for 16-year-olds were limited. I opted for babysitting while some of my friends worked for local farmers or became certified nursing aides so they could work at the local nursing home. Now that my family lives in an urban environment, my sons have an overwhelming number of job prospects, and navigating them can be tricky.

Your Teen Magazine • 27th April 2022

Widening My Lens for Mother’s Day—Your Teen Mag

When I was a child, Mother’s Day meant Mom wore a corsage to church, and later we gathered for a special lunch with both of my grandmas and great-aunts who lived in our same small town. Around our oak farm table, we’d share a meal with constant conversation followed by plenty of dessert and coffee. These women taught me to bake and crochet, wiped my tears, and listened knowingly to my complaints about boys. Whether it was a safe place to land at the end of a school day with the promise of my favorite sugar cookies or a warm cup of tea at the kitchen table, the women in our family made sure I knew I was loved, and I was lucky to have them around me.

Your Teen Magazine • 21st April 2022

I Want My Teens To Be Kind With Intention, Not for Attention

When I was little, a teacher gave me cookies, and that simple act of kindness turned my day around. I first learned about kindness by seeing it in action while I was in elementary school. The experience taught me that sometimes the biggest acts of kindness are stuffed into the tiniest of packages, made even better when that tiny package is stuffed with cream filling.

Your Teen Magazine • 4th April 2022

Prom Stories: The Power of Nostalgia

Dressed in a sea of pink taffeta, softly lit by the dimmed overhead lights of our high school gym, I swayed to the beat of a popular ballad with my date’s strong hands expertly placed upon my slender hips. From the cloud of hairspray on my French twist updo to his soft lips on mine as we said goodbye, I remember my prom night as perfect, start to finish.

Your Teen Magazine • 28th March 2022

Silly April Holidays To Celebrate With Your Teens

April is a month of many significant religious holidays. It’s also time for some purely fun, unique and quirky secular holidays. Here are some things to celebrate in April with your teens.

Your Teen Magazine • 21st March 2022

Mom Advice: Helpful Ways to Talk With Teens About the News

After news broke of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, my 17-year-old son texted our family chat with a three-word question: World War 3? My husband and I quickly responded with texted reassurances, and we’ve had several follow-up conversations with both of our sons. Because of smartphones and social media, our teens often know breaking news before we do, which led me to wonder how my wise mom friends were handling these tough conversations with their teens.

Your Teen Magazine • 15th March 2022

6 Sitcoms Your Teen Will Watch with You

While our family media consumption also includes movies and dramatic TV shows, the fraught early days of COVID necessitated comedy, inspiring us to watch our way through several classic sitcoms. Now, thankfully, life feels a bit more normal. Still, on nights when we’re all home together, we watch an episode of mindless TV for belly laughs and harmless escapism.

Your Teen Magazine • 7th March 2022

Five Animated Films Your Teens Might Enjoy—Your Teen Mag

My husband and I were fans of animated movies long before we were parents. He still laughs until he cries during the final fight scene of Kung Fu Panda. I know every word to every song from every Disney movie of the late 80s and early 90s. Lucky for us, our teenage sons still get excited for family movie night—and while we’ve added more superhero blockbusters and irreverent comedies to the queue, my husband and I are glad to say some recent animated movies have become big hits within our family.

Your Teen Magazine • 9th February 2022

When I Need to Take My Own Advice—Your Teen Mag

Like most parents, I have a treasure trove of favorite sayings. My sons have heard them so many times they can now recite them as readily as they sing their favorite rap lyrics. These adages fit every needed occasion, and I know they’ve made an impact because my sons often parrot these truths back to me. That’s a good thing, because clearly I’m still a work in progress.

Your Teen Magazine • 8th February 2022

Connecting Through Quadratics

I graduated high school limping through calculus. My plans for college included a humanities-related major and a college schedule that allowed for the easiest math class available. Since then, other than balancing a checkbook, converting fractions in recipes, and using percentages to find sale prices when I rummage through clearance racks at Banana Republic, I haven’t needed math skills that much as an adult. But then, a pandemic shifted everything off course.

Your Teen Magazine • 17th January 2022

To the Teachers of Teenagers: I See You—Your Teen Mag

First of all, I see you. Not in a creepy, “Every breath you take I’m watching you” kind of way, but in a, “While I don’t know exactly what you’re going through, I know it’s super-hard” kind of way. I see your panicked Sunday night stories on Instagram, your tongue-in-cheek tweets about the obnoxious kids in your class, your frantic Facebook post about the COVID numbers in your classroom. I was a high school English teacher a few years ago, and it was difficult back then. There was the angry st

Your Teen Magazine • 5th January 2022

Basketball Season Turned Toxic, But My Son Showed Up—Your Teen Mag

After a season-ending broken wrist in February 2020, my 16-year-old son took last basketball season off and focused on surviving online school. This year, though, like the good mom I try to be, I encouraged (pushed?) him to play in a season that has started to feel like an episode from a reality show called Adults Behaving Badly.

Your Teen Magazine • 3rd January 2022

The Positive Side of Teens and Tech—Your Teen Mag

In early November, a teenage girl was rescued from her abductor by using a hand signal she learned on TikTok. “See, Mom. TikTok isn’t just dumb videos,” my 16-year-old son was quick to point out. He was tired of hearing me ask, “How many hours a day do you spend scrolling through this nonsense? And what’s a duet again?”

Your Teen Magazine • 1st December 2021

How I Took the Stress Out of the Holidays-Your Teen Mag

When I was in the fourth grade, our school Christmas concert featured a select choir with the best singers performing “The Christmas Song.” I confidently signed up to audition, all the while picturing myself on the stage in a sparkly Christmas dress, the spotlight beaming on me as I sang my heart out to a crowd of beloved grandparents and teachers. The audition came, and I nailed it. And then the list of performers was released.

Your Teen Magazine • 17th November 2021

Teaching My Sons the Power of Gratitude-Your Teen Mag

During my college years, I spent three summers working at camp. The days were long, the tasks often unglamorous. It was there I learned the proper way to put on toilet paper rolls and make a bed with hospital corners. But I learned some life-altering lessons there, too, including a mantra I still repeat: Gratitude evaporates frustration.

Your Teen Magazine • 27th October 2021

Love My Mom Group: How Mom Friendships Save My Sanity —Your Teen Mag

When Facebook was down, I rejoiced. There really wasn’t much I would miss. I’m frustrated by the targeted ads (I’m looking at you, Wish), I’m salty about the immutable arguments on the neighborhood Facebook page, and I’m embarrassed by the time-suck my scrolling habit can become. However, there’s one part of Facebook I’m not sure I’m ready to part with: my mom Facebook group. I know some love to hate them, but I’ve actually found a safe sense of community in mine.