One of the highlights of my 7-year-old son’s winter break was getting to visit his summer camp counselor. Cynthia, who directed the arts day camp that Nate attended in Cushing, Maine, is one of the kindest and most intuitive educators I have ever met. Some teachers just “get” your kid, and she is one of…
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Parenting
Parenting
I couldn’t have done it without my fellow moms
There’s been a group of us who have been walking together since our girls began kindergarten. They became fast friends, and so did we. And 15 years later,…
Parenting
Lessons learned when I was pregnant and fate dealt me a scary hand
I was home when the contractions began. It was early evening. I was 26 weeks pregnant. I thought it was nothing and told my hubby it was nothing, but took…
Parenting
Why I don’t force my kids into a million extracurriculars
My 3-year-old son Harvey took a weekly soccer class this fall, and it was the cutest. He raced down the field after his ball, listened quietly and…
Parenting
My kids are almost all grown-up, but my love for them still blooms in the kitchen
Our daughter came home from college during her midterm break — her first year at college, her first time home in six weeks. Anticipating her arrival, I…
Parenting
Why I let my 7-year-old run to the store on his own
I was baking cookies with my kids on a recent Saturday afternoon, and realized we were low on butter. I handed my 7-year-old son, Nate, a five-dollar…
Parenting
My grandpa’s story of survival in Ukraine is our story, too
Even though my grandfather Jacob died when I was 24 and it would be another 10 years before I had children, he’s helped me raise our kids. Throughout his…
Parenting
My kids do well in public. But at home? That’s another story
We had a good 20 minutes in Yom Kippur services this year. My 3-year-old, Harvey, napped on my husband, then woke up and gazed around with a tired,…
Kids & Family
A working parent’s Yom Kippur apology
Like so many of you, I’m a working mom trying to juggle it all — my kid, my job and, you know, my life. For the High Holidays, I was inspired to write a…