Why Has My Family Stopped Protesting and Chanting?
We had planned to go on a hike over Memorial Day with some friends. It was optimistic of us: not just because all six of the kids might run in deeply different directions, but because the weather just...
View ArticleThe Moment I Forgot My Great-Grandparents’ Names
This year, for the first time, I blanked. I totally and completely blanked. I couldn’t for the life of me remember the names of all my great grandparents. Which meant that I could properly insert the...
View ArticleWhen My Daughter Learned the Word “Sex” — But Not The Way You Think
So. It turns out that my oldest knows all about reproduction, but she doesn’t actually know the word sex. Or, at least, she knows one meaning of the word. Not the one you might expect. About a month...
View ArticleI’m Dusting Off My Jewish Star Necklace
I had to search for it. It had been so long since I’d even looked at my Magen David necklace. It’s funny that I even had one at all; I’d just never been all that in to the idea of using these kinds of...
View ArticleI Told My Kid How Babies Get Made and Whoops! Her Little Sister Heard.
“Abba, when I grow up and have a baby, I’m going to need a little piece of your penis, OK?” Having uttered this statement, casually and matter-of-factly, our then two and half year old went back to...
View ArticleSorry, I’m Not Going to Pledge to Greet Hate With Love
A “Rally Against Hate.” What a lovely idea. I mean, we all hate hate, right? And it was, in fact, a really lovely event, organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia but designed to be...
View ArticleI’m Furious About the Proposed Budget—And You Should Be, Too
I admit it. I shirked. I spent yesterday in willful blindness, refusing to look at the details of Trump’s proposed budget. I knew it would be bad. Monstrous, even. I decided, for just a few hours, to...
View ArticleWhat We Really Needed to Hear from Mayim: “It’s Not Your Fault.”
It’s not your fault. You weren’t asking for it. You could not have protected yourself. It’s not because of what you were wearing. It’s not because of how you look. It’s not because of what you did....
View ArticleWhy Do Moms Get All the Birthday Party Evites?
We’re well into our third year of full-time school, and only now has it occurred to me to ask: why am I the one who gets all the birthday party Evite (or Paperless Posts or whatever)? I mean, let’s be...
View ArticleI Just Became a U.S. Citizen. Here’s Why
There are 11 passports in my immediate family of 5. My kids are American, British, and Canadian. I moved to the United States from Canada 18 years ago — one Ph.D., one British husband, three cities,...
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When Your Kid Gets Molluscum Contagiousum & You Lose Your Mind
If you’ve been through it as a parent, the words Molluscum Contagiosum strike fear in your heart. If not, you’ve probably never heard of it, and you likely don’t care. Good for you. Enjoy it while it...
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This Is What Happened When My 3-Year-Old Got Jet Lag
Jetlag. Turns out that my youngest kid gets sustained and very real jet lag. And that was never more clear than at 4:10 a.m. yesterday morning. We’d just returned from London. It had been the smoothest...
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We Need to Talk About Huma Abedin Differently
It was only a matter of time. And that time, predictably, was about five seconds. It took about five seconds for the latest iteration of an Anthony Weiner sexting scandal to turn into a referendum on...
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This Is the Best Way to Deal with Lice (Seriously)
Lice. Just one syllable, a simple little word, that strikes fear in the heart of every parent. Instantly. Are you scratching yet? As our kids head back to school and we heave a collective sigh of...
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How I Shocked Myself By Taking A Knee During The National Anthem
I took a knee yesterday. It wasn’t the result of a coordinated protest, or a detailed plan, or even, frankly, much thought. It was the opening night of the symphony season, and in its honor, the...
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Is It OK To Punch A Nazi?
First of all: hell yes. It’s absolutely fucking fine to punch an actual Nazi in the actual face if you happen to be a Jew (or a prostitute or gay or black or mentally or physically challenged) and the...
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As an Immigrant, I Question If I Should Keep My Family in the U.S.
When is the writing on the wall? Today, now, in the United States of America, this is not an idle question. My family, like so many others, has been joking about moving to Canada. And our kids listen...
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Talking to My Daughter About Her Friend’s Transgender Parent
Will she go by Ms. Lynne or Mrs. Lynne? That was my oldest daughter’s first question when I told her that her friend’s parent was transitioning from a man to a woman, and transitioning from being...
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Why I Couldn’t Stay Quiet About the Muslim Ban During My Kid’s Kindergarten...
Well. This is going to be awkward. That was my first thought when all the prospective parents gathered in the synagogue space during my middle daughter’s visit to kindergarten for next year. We got the...
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We Thought Reading Roald Dahl Was Safe, But…
In our defense, we had no idea. I mean, Roald Dahl. ROALD DAHL. Beloved storyteller and author of our childhoods. The man who gave us the fantasy of sailing away on oceans of chocolate and riding off...
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