In 2008 my then-husband and I moved our four boys from the wealthy suburb of Carmel, Indiana, to downtown Indianapolis. Despite my parents and many of our friends thinking we were crazy, there were several reasons for our decision to move, many of which you can read in the archives of this blog.

Fast forward a decade and the husband is no longer with us in our urban home. What was once a beautiful marriage ended in heartbreaking divorce. The day we sat down to tell our kids about our split was — hands-down — the worst day of my life, and theirs I’m sure. But these boys of ours continued to push through life with bravery and grace, and the five of us managed to carve out a sacred space in this little corner of the world, in this house in the ‘hood.

Getting here included a lot of twists and turns and hills and valleys. Single parenting, like any parenting, is freaking hard! Fortunately, I had a ton of resources at my fingertips to guide me when my boys were infants and toddlers and tweens, and even young teenagers. In addition to reading just about every parenting book, there were play groups and organized Mommy and Me classes and support from other school moms, coaches, youth leaders and teachers. But as we have entered the late teen years into adulthood, the resources have drastically declined. There is no “Girlfriends’ Guide to Parenting Young Adults” or “What to Expect the 21st Year,” and the days of meeting your child’s classmates’ or teammates’ parents are over, for the most part. This chapter of parenting can feel quite lonely.

So I write here to share the struggle and joy of parenting young adults, with some random stories of adventure mixed in, along with… well, nothing in particular so those of you who also struggle with ADD can feel better about yourselves. Mostly, however, I hope this blog serves as a place of community for those of you in this weird stage of life. While we may have kissed play groups goodbye years ago, my goal is to alleviate some of the loneliness and let you know that you are always welcome at the "House in the “hood.”