b'Matters heart of thematter Thingsthat Matter Since 1990 Taking Care of BusinessFeaturing Local People, Places and PUBLISHER My kids learn to carry their insurance cards and talk to humans& EDITOR IN CHIEF BY ELLEN DONKEREllen DonkerASSOCIATEEDITORCheryl SilverADVERTISING CONSULTANTS O ofthechallengesofraisingtant information for himself. gettingthekidstomake Rene ConlonH. Leslie Gilman ne Dina Roskin childrenisknowingwhentoEquallysatisfyinghasbeen Audrey Schaeferlet go so they can function ontheir own doctor and dentist appointments. This is espe-MARKETING ASSOCIATE their own. Its a gradual releasecially challenging because it requires making a phone call Rachael King as they learn over time to be self- using the very piece of technology that they cant live with-sufficient. Our three children areout. In the fall, Tim needed to see a dentist for a toothache COPY EDITORS now almost 20 years old and liv- while at school in Charleston. Not only did he have to lo-Nick Humez ing apart from us at college. Gone are the days when I laidcate a good dentist (he consulted with his track coach), but Tia Swanson out their clothes, read them a bedtime story or made surehe had to make the appointment, get himself there and fill CONTRIBUTORS they brushed their teeth. out insurance forms. I gave Melanie Finnern, Malia Rulon Herman,Iknowitcanbesadhim an A+ for doing so and Carla Labianca, Carol Petrallia, whenitseemsasthoughI think he felt like he had Abby Sher yourkidsnolongerneedachieved a milestone.you. But trust me: This isMadelineisntquiteon what you were waiting for.boardwiththis,wishing Raising kids is exhausting.that she had a personal assis-Thats why Ive tried to seetant, or better yet, an app to eachsteptowardsadult- arrangeherappointments. hood as a small victory. AtShe insists its weird to have this stage of life, our kids areto use the phone. Somehow learning how to solve theirsaying, Hi, Id like to make ownproblemsandtacklean appointment could pos-the day-to-day tasks that weMy husband Rob with Tim, Christian and Madeline siblygetyoulaughedout adults routinely face.of town unless Im the one Please address all correspondence to: Although it may seem inconsequential, I am feeling lib- making the call for her.Visual Impact Advertising, Inc. erated by no longer being the one to fill out their forms.And then theres Customer Service. Im the first one P.O Box 198 Havingspenthoursonthischoreovertimewheneverto try to take care of business online or on a chat rather Maplewood, NJ 07040 our kids started a new school year, registered for camp orthan navigating phone prompts to secure a live agent. But 973-763-4900 signed up for sports, I consider myself an expert on howsometimes you just need to talk to a human. mattersmagazine.comto access all those annoying details of life. It was, there- Recently, Madeline asked for a new iPhone. Since she info@mattersmagazine.com fore, quite satisfying when Madeline called asking me howcouldnt get the color she wanted at the store and needed Matters Magazine is owned and publishedto complete a registration form for her study abroad. Al- the phone shipped to our home during her very short col-by Visual Impact Advertising, Inc., P.O.though she needed me to talk her through some of thelege break, I suggested she call Verizon. Instead she ordered Box 198 Maplewood, NJ 07040. Matters Magazine is free, with editions direct mailedtrickier information that was needed, she was the one whoit online. Long story short, the order got botched and this seven times a year to the residents of Maple- had to look up her insurance plan number, find her doc- time Madeline had to have some very long conversations wood and South Orange and distributed totors contact information and decide who to appoint as herwith Verizonseveral times. I have found that when you businesses and surrounding communities totaling 16,000. Subscriptions are availableemergency contact.dangle before your offspring the promise of a new iPhone, to non-residents for $30 (U.S.) $40 (Foreign)Christian has also shown leadership in taking care ofhe or she will manage to get over their fear of calling. And annually. No part of the publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced withouthis business. But it was often combined with him askingthe bonus? Verizon waived an activation feesomething writtenpermissionfromVisualImpactme to produce the information he needed. Even though Iyou cant ask an app to do. Advertising, Inc. had given all three children a copy of their insurance cards,Its been 20 years of baby steps but Im starting to see our CIRCULATION VERIFIED BY suggesting they carry it in their wallets for a host of rea- kids as adults. Almost. After all, theyre still on the family U.S. POSTAL RECEIPTS. sons, they didnt understand why. When Christian askedpayroll. As self-sufficient as they may be, I believe they will READ & RECYCLE me for the sixth time to email him a scan of his insurancealways need their mom. And for me that will always be a card, he finally realized it was time for him to store impor- privilege. 8/ matters magazine / hearth & home 2020'