Was I the Worst Mother Ever?
An article for Psycom.net. Summer camp had just begun, and it was the first hot day of the year. The air outside looked wavy. I strapped my baby daughter into her car seat and kissed her chubby cheeks. Chelsea was impish and just shy of one year. She looked up at me...
The Santa Scheme: How I Kept the Magic Alive for Another Year
“Mommy, the internet said Santa is fake,” my eight-year-old child cried over the phone as I drove back from my teenager’s soccer game late last year. Apparently, a quick Google search had yielded the answer: “As adults, we know Santa Claus isn't real, but many of us...
What Happens if Anxiety Goes Untreated
Chronic, untreated anxiety is linked to panic attacks, depression, substance abuse, brain fog and other serious issues. Don’t put off treatment. Here is what to know. Read the Entire Article on Psycom.net
An Interfaith Family Story: Feeling Left Out at My Daughter’s Bat Mitzvah (Your Teen Magazine)
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why this is happening,” I sobbed in front of the bat mitzvah tutor as we prepared for my daughter’s ritual transition into Jewish adulthood. My teenager’s eyes widened. “Mom, stop.” But I couldn’t stop crying. As an Italian Catholic, I felt...
Our Family’s Interfaith Break-Fast Features Bagels and Lasagna
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE ON KVELLER “Happy Yom Kippur!” my mom shouted on speakerphone to my fiancé and his family. “Thank you,” they said. “Mom, Yom Kippur isn’t really happy,” I explained. We were staying at my future in-laws’ Long Island home, and everyone...
Living in the Moment this Christmas Eve
Preparations for “The Eve” spanned days when I was a kid, as they had for generations. Grandpa Tony invited everyone to his Italian pre-Christmas feast. Born into a family of 12 during the Great Depression, he couldn’t afford much. But Tony Mascolo of Coney Island...
I’m a Mom and a Teacher, and I’m Struggling to Homeschool My Kids Just as Much as You Are
I'm the resident drama teacher at a local preschool, and my young students learn best when we're having fun. Whether we're pretending to be zoo animals or cleaning up, we make magic a few mornings a week. Then I go home and try to be a good mom, or at least that was...
WDC 2020 Award Winner – My 6-year-old has calmed me during quarantine
“This is the worst thing that will ever happen,” I cried. An atomic-sounding roar erupted from the World Trade Center’s south tower as it collapsed. I was a few blocks away, and I knew I had to escape from the real-life Godzilla movie in which I was an unwitting...
In Need of Joy – The Writer’s Circle Journal 10th Anniversary Edition
“No joy.” I slumped in my home office, groping outdated-school forms, Marie Kondo style, with tears of frustration in my eyes. I’d been playing catch-up this whole year instead of purging, and I’d amassed enough junk to fill every crevice in my home so I embraced the...
My Marinara Sauce Helps Bridge My Family’s Easter-Passover Gap
CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE ON RACHAEL RAY EVERY DAY Although I’m an Italian-Catholic, I’m very aware that Passover is just around the corner. Since I married my husband and we decided to raise our children in his religion, I’ve embraced celebrating the...
