We’re All Stretch Armstrong Dolls: A Conversation with Jessica Grose
I was compelled to read Jessica Grose’s Screaming on the Inside: The Unsustainability of American Motherhood (Mariner, 2022) based on the title alone. As an American mother who raised young children in the United Kingdom for four years, I couldn’t put my finger on the...
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 Growth is in the Fear: A Conversation with Julia Haart
Julia Haart is the CEO, co-owner, and chief creative officer of the talent media agency Elite World Group. She was the creative director for La Perla and started her own shoe brand a week after escaping from her ultra-Orthodox sect of Judaism, known as “Yeshivishe” or...
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...
Face the Monster: A Conversation with Tiffanie Drayton
Why Are Teens So Tired? How to Amp Up Sleep and Fight Exhaustion (Your Teen for Parents) WD Award Winner
Last school year, my 16-year-old kept super late study hours. When I popped into her room to say goodnight, I’d find her analyzing class notes with her friend over FaceTime. I’ve long accepted that her high school study habits differ from mine, so I allowed this...
Connecting to Find Her Voice: A Review of Zibby Owen’s Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature
Zibby Owens’s memoir, Bookends: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Literature, is the tale of an award-winning podcaster, publisher, and media company CEO weathering hardships that many of us have faced — the loss of loved ones, suffering through depression, and navigating a...
On Being a Teen Sleep Advocate: A Conversation with Lisa L. Lewis
In 2016, Lisa L. Lewis, a parenting journalist and mom, wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times called, “Why School Should Start Later in the Day.” It struck a chord with readers so much that it caught the attention of California State Senator Anthony Portantino....
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...
I’m not ready for my Jewish child to stop believing in Santa
“Don’t believe everything you read on the internet,” I said. “There’s misinformation out there.” I typed Loch Ness Monster into her iPad search bar and flaunted the results. “See? Supporting evidence about Nessie’s existence either way.” She wiped her tears. “Is Santa...
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...
How to Apologize to Your Kids the Right Way—And Why It’s Important
My first-grader had a recent school vacation that, in normal years, would have been a welcomed respite. But thanks to COVID-19, it meant five unstructured days with my seven-year-old while I worked. One afternoon, I suggested she start a pastel portrait as I snagged a...
