Parenting Challenges Archives

How to Talk to Your Kids About Not Celebrating Christmas

By Lindsey Silken

If you’re raising your kids Jewish but you or your partner are from a different faith (even if neither of...

Hanukkah, Hanukkah & Christmas, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Tips and Advice

Welcoming New Life with a Virtual Bris

By Nicole Wasilus

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

Truth: Motherhood is Lonely

By Anna Keller

When Helen was born, she was the first and I feared I would never leave the house again. I remember Adrian leaving...

Babies, High Holy Days for Parents, Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories

Finding My Place in the Preschool Jew Crew: Parenting with Interfaith Blinders

By Emily Silberman

I’d like to say that my Jewish husband, Ryan, and I had a plan when we started our family—Jewish preschool for...

Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Religious Education

Why Can’t We Have a Christmas Tree?

By Alina Adams

“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

By Anna Keller

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

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

By Aliza Walker

When I married my spouse who isn’t Jewish, I wanted nothing more to do with being Jewish. That was 21...

Dating, Parenting, Parenting Challenges

Why am I Jewish and Daddy Isn’t?

By Rachel Ross

Rachel and her son celebrating Hanukkah My son, who is now two, doesn’t notice when his...

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, I’m reminded of...

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Religious Education, Young Kids

The Miracle of Light

By Anna Keller

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 JCC. We took art,...

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

Does Spirituality Have to Mean God?

By Rabbi Mychal Copeland

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

By Amy Beth Starr

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

By Susan Goldberg

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

By Jessie Boatright

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.

By Deb Morandi

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

By Jane Larkin

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

By Emily Mace

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

By Jessie Boatright

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

Parenting Challenges, Parenting Christmas, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories

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

By Wendy Armon

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?

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

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

How Two Baby Naming Ceremonies Helped a Jew-By-Choice Come to Terms With Her Catholic Parents

By Marina Williams

656 June 27, 2011 I am a Jew-by-choice. I always felt drawn to Judaism and it was no surprise to anyone...

Baby Naming, Baby Planning, Birth Ceremony, Conversion, Family, Grandparents, New Parents, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories, Pregnancy Stories

Can We Talk?

By Ruth Abrams

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

How Do I Explain the Religious Spectrum to My 7-Year-Old?

By Felice Indinoli Bochman

702 We were watching Fiddler on the Roof, my daughter’s favorite musical. During the scene in which...

Divorce, Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories

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