I believe there are steps to getting off the rat wheel of parental stress, but we all have to join together and stop trying to out perform each other. Rest. Relax. Take a Deep Breath. The world is still spinning. The sun is probably going to come up tomorrow. And everything is going to be OK.

Do you feel shut out by your teens? (What parents of teens DON'T?!) Are you anxious about what's really going on as they sweep past you to go hole up in their rooms? Are you angry at their hostile rejection of your concerned questions?

Have you really seen anything positive result from this type of punishment? This type of punishment just drives a wedge between the parents and teens.

Unless you've been hiding from technology for the last few weeks, you're probably aware of the Harlem Shake phenomenon. As of today, over 125,000 videos came back when I searched Harlem Shake on YouTube. It seems everywhere I turn, there's another version popping up.

Even at 2, my daughter is wary of risk. I'm constantly encouraging her to jump, leap and tip over all she can. I want her to push her limits, to ride the edge, even if that means falling and failing. Yes, I want my daughter to fail.

Perfect parenting is a painful and elusive goal. Great parenting is within all of our grasps. Here are some of the things that great parents do.

Sometimes, I wonder if we protect our kids so much from a sense of failure, we never really give them opportunities to do GREAT things. Has your kid ever climbed a mountain? Have they ever rafted a difficult stretch of river? Have they worked and trained for something where THEY can get the accolade and not just you?

I can't get my children to listen. No matter how many times I repeat something, they tune me out. Is there some secret to getting my kids to do what I ask without nagging?

You need to have The Talk with your kid. And not just once but many times, slowly, over many years.

Gone are the days when I was chasing my three active boys around the playground or wiping their chocolatey mouths. There are times when I long for the days when I could pick them up and kiss their pudgy cheeks. Yet, I've recently discovered that being a mom to teen boys has its benefits.

At some point down the road, there will be a girl they love more than me. Or maybe just differently. And over the next few years, my job as a parent is to shepherd them through that process, all the while with my heart tethered to theirs.

Students are afraid to fail. Parents are afraid to discipline. Students are becoming more apathetic. Parents are trying to push them to do more. Students are trying to find places where they can be in control.

It's not too early to have "The Talk." You know, the one about the birds and the bees, alcohol, drugs, parties, the buddy system at parties, boys, boys and safety, safety in numbers, safety in general, grades, classes, friends, roommates and laundry.