I became a mother almost four years ago in the second half of my 30s. This was long after I had crafted an identity for myself as a newspaperwoman devoted to her career. I wasn’t prepared for how profoundly it would change how I feel about myself and how much I would love it. Like [...]

On Wednesday night, we saw “The Little Mermaid” in New York. It was the Pumpkin’s first-ever Broadway play and it couldn’t have been a better introduction to the experience. Not only does she know the movie very well—having seen it, oh, a dozen times—but the colorful spectacle and cheerful songs were literally dazzling. There was [...]

Consumer Reports has rounded up an array of back-to-school tips on its health blog. Everything from “eat your veggies” to “wash your hands” gets covered. While you’re there, check out the rest of Consumer Reports’ blogs, which include money, safety and cars. The nonprofit organization, which happens to be in our backyard in Yonkers, is [...]

When we went to see “Wall-E” last summer, my daughter, then 3, cried piteously when Wall-E’s cockroach buddy was left behind as the spaceship blasted off. She was so sensitive—and she loves bugs—that the emotional impact hit her hard. “Wall-E” was rated G. Being big movie fans, we’ve since taken the Pumpkin to many kids’ [...]

Watching “Coraline” on DVD this past weekend, I cringed and even paused the movie to turn to my husband and say: “I hope that’s not how the Pumpkin sees me.” If you’ve watched the movie, you are familiar with the scene in the beginning when Coraline fails to wrest her mother’s attention from her computer [...]

I think every parent and child should do one crazy, ridiculous gigantic project that will be so outrageous that for years and decades later the memory and story will be a family topic. Great for first dates! Q: So what was your family like growing up? A: Well, let me tell you about the time [...]

Tonight was my daughter’s dance recital. This is an event we’ve been looking forward to for nine months. She’s taken lessons nearly every Saturday since mid-September, with a few exceptions for holidays and vacations. It’s been a journey of growth for her and for me. There was even a time early on when there was [...]

Sometimes people just don’t get it, do they? Check out this report on Consumerist about a Sam’s Club in Maryland that is putting candy like Dots and Tootsie Rolls in prescription bottles labeled with an advertising message touting the pharmacy. Here is a link to the original blog post. And here is a photo of [...]

Chances are, you have a parenting philosophy even if you’ve never articulated it. You might be against spanking, for instance. (And hopefully.) You might limit TV. You might attend church or temple every week and talk about the lessons afterward. You might have a rule that there is no shouting inside the house. In conversations [...]

I love Junk Food T-shirts. They are fun and hip without being too edgy. That makes them perfect for Father’s Day for guys who are more comfortable in jeans and a T-shirt than a dress shirt and tie. (And, let’s face it, a 40-year-old man in an Affliction T-shirt is just kind of sad.) For [...]

Worry. This is a catch-all word for emotions that can range from mild to heart-pounding, depending on whether your child is merely testing her skills on the playground or pulling out of your hand to run toward traffic. I’m what an earlier generation liked to call a “worrywart.” I worry about almost everything, but usually [...]

I received this list today in a press release, and I thought it was pretty neat. It came from a company called Priceless Legacy that sells “life story” books. I’m not advocating the company by any means, but I thought this list of questions to ask your dad at Father’s Day was worth sharing. The [...]

Does a stay-at-home parent work? Or do they sit around all day watching TV? That seems to be the opinion of a superintendent of schools in Alabama who refused to allow a stay-at-home mom and her daughter to participate in Take Our Daughters And Sons To Work Day. He said that if stay-at-home parents participated, [...]

Last summer, one of my husband’s college friends, Steve, came to visit with his wife and two children, a little boy a bit older than my daughter and a baby. They stayed with us for a couple of days and we all had a nice time, visiting the Long Island Sound and just relaxing. It [...]

When did you teach your children about the dangers of “strangers”? We started earlier this year and have approached the topic in a measured fashion, trying not to freak her out but also hoping to instill caution. This is on my mind this morning thanks to my colleague Janie Rosman’s article about a seminar on [...]