In this column, I usually write about my kids and my experiences as a parent, but this month I decided to interview my own father, David Himmelstein. He’s a screenwriter, and his latest film, “My Name Is Sara,” is the first one he’s written on a Jewish theme. It tells the true story of a…
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Parenting
Parenting
My kids want to know: Are fairies real? Are Jedi? What about bats?
We’ve been watching a lot of family movies over our extended winter break, and my children have questions. Regarding “Home Alone”: Do the robbers really…
Parenting
As I exit J., here is what I’ve learned about everything
Our youngest, now in his senior year of high school, recently turned 18. He’s spending his year thinking about his next chapter, and, in many ways, I am,…
Parenting
Since when are the Berenstain Bears evangelical Christians?
At our local library, they have stowed away all the toys in the children’s section and ended in-person story time. But they still let you in for half an…
Parenting
My much-needed, spontaneous pandemic chill-out
I was never a fan of giving the kids timeouts when they were little. I didn’t think putting them in a room by themselves taught them anything about their…
Parenting
Parenting through this pandemic Thanksgiving
There will be four people at my Thanksgiving table: my husband, my two children and me. They’re the same people I sit down to dinner with every night. And…
Parenting
It all turned out fine, so it looks like my worrying worked
When our kids were younger, there were a lot of things that I used to worry about. I called the pediatrician in a panic many times — would our daughter…
Parenting
Even my 4-year-old knows more than our leaders
We have a family tradition of doing tashlich on the afternoon of Rosh Hashanah, and then taking a family photograph near whatever natural body of water we…
Parenting
The new normal is not normal, but the kids seem all right
In some ways, the start of school this fall and the preparation leading up to it were similar to most other years: We did some school shopping, cleaned…