My grandparents’ basement is a magical place. Always cool in summer, it’s filled with piles of old movie posters from our family-owned movie theater, worn-out furniture, old games and photographs, a bust of Theodor Herzl and shelves full of books. There are stray books from my mom and aunt’s college courses alongside some YA paperbacks…
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Parenting
Parenting
As if Covid wasn’t enough, my new nightmare is ticks
The microscopic Covid-19 pathogen is often anthropomorphically illustrated as a fiendish ball with a destructive look on its face, studded all over with…
Parenting
‘Honor system’ on masks puts my young kids at peril
When it comes to medical choices about my kids, I couldn’t be more conventional. Mine got all their childhood vaccines right on schedule; the more, the…
Parenting
Stop packing lunches! It makes life better for everyone
When my oldest son started kindergarten four years ago, it was the first year that New York City implemented free universal lunch and breakfast for all…
Parenting
Another Covid summer, a whole new set of parenting questions
It’s a hopeful, confusing time to be a parent during a pandemic. On one hand, the vaccine rollout is picking up pace and public health experts have given…
Parenting
Is my birthday boy getting too used to being isolated?
My youngest son is turning 5 next month, and he’s never had a birthday party. For a long time, this was sort of a running joke about neglected second…
Parenting
A talk with my dad, screenwriter of ‘My Name Is Sara’
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…
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,…