Parenting Challenges Archives

Welcoming New Life with a Virtual Bris

Life doesn’t stop for a global pandemic. For couples who are expecting a baby, this is certainly true....

Babies, Birth Ceremony, Bris, Circumcision, Mohel, Parenting Challenges

Why Can’t We Have a Christmas Tree?

“We can’t have one,” I replied, full of the weary knowledge that only the mother of a...

Hanukkah, Hanukkah & Christmas, Jewish Holidays, Jews of Color, Multiracial, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories

How to Be a Kosher Vegan in an Interfaith Family

Almost two months ago I became a vegan. It’s a long story. I saw some crazy movies about meat and dairy, I...

Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories

1 Family, 4 New Year Celebrations, 0 Resolutions

By Jessica Melwani Today, my family is ringing in the New Year for the fourth time in 2017. In January, we...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Young Kids

We’re Interfaith: Now What Do I Tell My Sons about Dating?

1395 When I married my spouse who is not Jewish, I wanted nothing more to do with being Jewish. That...

Dating, Parenting, Parenting Challenges

Why am I Jewish and Daddy Isn’t?

1375 August 1, 2013 Rachel and her son celebrating Hanukkah My son, who is now two, doesn’t notice when...

Parenting, Parenting Challenges

My Kid’s Love/Hate Relationship with Hebrew School

By Melissa Henriquez Every Sunday morning as I practically drag my 6-year old out of bed to go to Hebrew School,...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Religious Education, Young Kids

Two Sons (One Circumcised and One Not), a Scottish Presbyterian Husband, and Me (the Jewish Mother)

124 March, 2000 I hoped that I wouldn’t have a boy. A girl would be so much easier — no brit. “But...

Bris, Circumcision, Parenting Challenges, Pregnancy

The Miracle of Light

This interfaith holiday season has been trickier than I thought. If there is a lot of planning, cooking and...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Christmas, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories

This Is What I’ll Miss Doing with My Daughter When I Go Back to Work

By Samantha Taylor For the past two years, my daughter and I have been taking Mommy and Me classes at the local...

Motherhood, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Shabbat, Parenting Stories, Young Kids

Does Spirituality Have to Mean God?

Last week, my son started wondering about the edge of the universe. What is at the end? Is there an end? What...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Religious Education, Young Kids

When Your Kids Ask About Your Boyfriend’s Faith

Everett, Amy & Roxy If you’re a parent, there’s always those questions you know your kids are going to ask...

Divorce, Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories

Christmas Day, One Year Later

As I write this, it’s just before nine in the morning on Friday, December 25. I’m sure that my children have...

Divorce, Hanukkah, Hanukkah & Christmas, Parenting Challenges

Reflections on Hanukkah

Eight nights of wax have hardened on the little menorah that has traveled with me for more 25 years of Hanukkah...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Christmas, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories

We tried Hebrew school. It didn’t work.

There has been a lot of discussion in my Interfaith home this holiday season, but not about what you would think....

Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Religious Education

There is Something You Should Know, We Have a Christmas Tree

This is about a different kind of December dilemma. It is not about whether my family should have a tree–we...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Christmas, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories

The Unintended Consequences of Blintzes for Blitzen

My Jewish husband and I (a Unitarian Universalist) might not have known what we were getting into when we decided...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Christmas, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories

Take the Dilemma out of December

Last year, Hanukkah came early (remember that once in every 77,000 years Thanksgivukkah Celebration?). Back...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Christmas, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories

How will You Celebrate Simchat Torah?

The following is a guest blog post by Dina Mann, National Marketing and Outreach Coordinator for Reboot, an...

Anti Semitism, Holocaust, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Simchat Torah, Young Kids

The Struggle to Tolerate the Intolerant… One Parent’s View

I heard someone say, “I hate the xxxx people. They are so intolerant.” I thought this was a very...

Identity, Parenting Challenges

How Can a Religious School Teacher Respond?

I recently spent an hour with religious school teachers in a Reform synagogue, talking about the children from...

Marriage, Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Religion, Young Kids

Can We Talk?

I was very happy to see a report on Beliefnet that the US Council of Catholic Bishops apologized to Jewish leaders...

Books, Motherhood, Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Christmas, Parenting Hanukkah, Young Kids

Flexibility Is Key

361 My parents were relieved when I finally married a nice Jewish man. My adult life had been jump-started...

Identity, Parenting Challenges, Relationships

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