Uprooted
My mother’s behavior was not unique. To be a child of a survivor means being hyper-vigilant, as though this act of vigilance could keep the wolves from their prey . . .
View ArticleThe Fragility of Life
On a night intended to commemorate our eleventh anniversary, and our treasured connection to each other, we celebrate instead the kindness of strangers, and the delicate and fragile strands of life's...
View ArticleMarriage: A Relationship Between Real People
Over time, all spouses come to possess an intimate understanding of each other's imperfections. The question is how to prevent this familiarity from tarnishing the esteem and love a couple feels for...
View ArticleAll Talked Out
Sometimes it seems like my husband and I can talk for hours – about literature, politics, or Jewish ideas we are studying. Yet other times, the simplest exchange, like who should've bought milk or who...
View ArticleThe Self-Esteem Equation
Terror seized Sharon's heart as she imagined the damage that the bar could do if it accidentally connected with another child's head, perhaps even the swinger's own head. Sharon quickly called out to...
View ArticleOut of Bounds
I tell the psychiatrist that in our family we are all a bit weird. She seems taken aback by my openness. Perhaps she does not remember as clearly as I do what it means to be a child...
View ArticleMy Child Self-Injures
My son came home from kindergarten with scratches on his neck. When I called the teacher to ask what happened, she explained that he did it to himself . . .
View ArticleReal Life Happens Here
I want to treat both my children equally, drawing from the same deep pool of bottomless devotion. But their differences make that impossible . . .
View ArticleRelating to My Son on His Terms
This type of parenting requires walking a tightrope. It requires perfect self-control and vigilance against the small slips of anger and impatience that accompany even the best parenting. It requires...
View ArticleA Single Father’s Love
Each year I struggle to make my father’s memory relevant to my children’s lives. I fight against time itself, which threatens to eradicate the deep connection I shared with my father.
View ArticleEmpty Nest
At a crowded family table, nobody will notice if Mom and Dad don't have much to say to each other. Yet at a table set for two, there is nobody else's noise to hide behind...
View ArticleFamily Vacation
My in-laws think we should take the kids away over the summer and have offered to pay for it. But we really don't enjoy family vacations with young children. I'd love to use the money to send the kids...
View ArticleFeeling Shortchanged
I find that my husband gives to me in a way that would probably satisfy his emotional needs, but leaves me feeling frustrated. How can I explain to him that my needs for intimacy and closeness are...
View ArticleEmpty Nest
At a crowded family table, nobody will notice if Mom and Dad don't have much to say to each other. Yet at a table set for two, there is nobody else's noise to hide behind...
View ArticleFamily Vacation
My in-laws think we should take the kids away over the summer and have offered to pay for it. But we really don't enjoy family vacations with young children. I'd love to use the money to send the kids...
View ArticleFeeling Shortchanged
I find that my husband gives to me in a way that would probably satisfy his emotional needs, but leaves me feeling frustrated. How can I explain to him that my needs for intimacy and closeness are...
View ArticleUprooted - Rebuilding After the Holocaust
My mother’s behavior was not unique. To be a child of a survivor means being hyper-vigilant, as though this act of vigilance could keep the wolves from their prey . . .
View ArticleThe Fragility of Life - Escaping a Fire
On a night intended to commemorate our eleventh anniversary, and our treasured connection to each other, we celebrate instead the kindness of strangers, and the delicate and fragile strands of life's...
View ArticleMarriage: A Relationship Between Real People
Over time, all spouses come to possess an intimate understanding of each other's imperfections. The question is how to prevent this familiarity from tarnishing the esteem and love a couple feels for...
View ArticleAll Talked Out
Sometimes it seems like my husband and I can talk for hours – about literature, politics, or Jewish ideas we are studying. Yet other times, the simplest exchange, like who should've bought milk or who...
View Article
