“Statistically my time was up at least a year ago. But I’m still here,” wrote my childhood friend Marisa at the top of her Facebook note “25 Random Things About Me.” I had read and re-read her list so many times I’d nearly committed it to memory.

I’m a sucker for Mr. Rogers — always have been and always will be. In honor of his birthday this month (3/20/28), I wanted to share a few of the many ways he spoke to our highest aspirations as parents and as human beings. 1. Fred Rogers cut us some slack, acknowledging how hard parenting […]

My son turned fourteen last week, and his birthday promised to be one enormous letdown. The year before we had celebrated his Bar Mitzvah, marking this 13th birthday, in grand style.  He surprised the congregation with a hilarious yet meaningful speech about the commandment “Though shalt not covet,” complete with him riffing off the Bruno […]

“You did not talk to her,” my 9-year-old said incredulously. “Not only did I talk to her,” I retorted, “I asked if I could videotape her.” I had just run into the woman my son refers to as “Goooo Vegan.”  Our local post office has incomprehensibly long lines, and those of us waiting our turn […]

While walking with my 8-year-old son near our home in Manhattan, he spotted a purple swastika scrawled across a billboard advertisement. As I took in the complexities of the situation, my son uttered words that made my heart break… Across the nation, anti-Semitic bias cases have been capturing news headlines.  Last month, two men from […]

It was a very risky idea, given how much he wanted Beats headphones ($200 headphones for a kid?) and a Wii.  But this past week I gave my tween-age son his holiday present, choosing to surprise him with the gift of an experience over a thing. Here’s what came out of his 5-day art class […]

Ah, Black Friday.  The most ironic holiday of the year! Shopping list in hand, sharp elbows at the ready — this is the day we beat back our fellow man in the quest for that perfect holiday gift for our loved ones.  Coming at the heels of Thanksgiving, it’s hard to imagine a faster way […]

I realize this title might sound a bit provocative, like the outcome of a game of Truth or Dare gone terribly awry. But this month I participated in museum-sanctioned nakedness and submerged myself in a one-of-a-kind exhibit dubbed the Giant Psycho Tank — a sensory deprivation pool of heavily salinated, skin temperature water. If you’ve […]