“Mommy, those people were just staring at me. They’re probably wondering why such a giant girl is in a booster seat.” We are driving in my car, and my almost-10-year-old daughter is once again launching into her speech as to why she should not be in a booster seat. It’s likely that they were notstaring at her, because our

“Who can give me an example of a protein?” I quizzed the kids. It was the beginning of the school year, and they decided they’d like to be on the school’s hot-lunch program, which meant that they’d be responsible for making healthy food choices and eating well-balanced meals. I figured I should educate them first, and so we made a

In my last article, I addressed how parents can assist young children confront scary information. We discussed a particular case where a child came home after hearing information about the Holocaust on the school playground.

Adolescents, as they struggle through issues of identity and finding their

Pizza is supposed to be a universally loved food. On any given day, 13 percent of Americans are consuming it. It would probably be higher, if not for the sauce haters out there. Every family has one, a child so averse to sauce that he eats most meals with napkins by his side, blotting out anything red that might provide moisture or flavor

I spent many of my elementary school years trying to be viewed as the favorite student in the eyes of my teachers, however, the feeling of wanting to be favorite has completely escaped me as an adult. I’m always excited to learn I am not the preferred parent. Each of my kids has gone through a “Daddy!” phase in the early years

“Can we play Risk?” my son asks me on a Shabbat afternoon. I quickly glance at the wall, unsure of what excuse I can give this time. Usually, I say that I have to take care of our toddler; most games are impossible to play with him around because he generally tries to be included in the activity and ends up ruining it

With a loud thud, the cardboard carton fell over on the kitchen table. My son was pouring himself milk in his bowl of cereal, and while I was proud that he was doing it himself, he accidentally dropped the nearly full container. It lurched out of his grasp, overflowing his bowl, spilling milk on the table, and onto his lap.

I am not a fan of television, iPads, computers, or any other screen-device. I hate all electronics, which directly translates into how much my kids hate me, because I forbid them to use all of these things. We are not Amish in our home; we do own technology, but we severely try to limit its use as it seems to suck the life out of

There is something miraculous about the longevity of carnival fish. Either the fish dies within a few hours of bringing it home and having just purchased food and a bowl, or it lasts forever and ever. It’s always a gamble; the pallid, slow swimmers can burst with life when you bring them home, and the really gold and shiny ones

Around once per year I indulge my kids and take them to a painting-pottery venue. I have always enjoyed these excursions because of the creativity it elicits, but don’t always enjoy bringing the creations home. We have a lot of pointless statues—ornaments that sit, collecting dust, one eye accidentally painted to look shut,

A story is told of a young man who approached his rosh yeshiva hoping for a bit of the empathic advice he was known to offer young marrieds. His anguish was clearly visible as he described in detail the transformation of his sweet, loving wife, into a “witch.” After only four years of marriage and three children, her exemplary midot of

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As a family therapist, I often have the impulse to tell families to go home and have dinner