Parenting Stories Archives

A Jewish Ukrainian Catholic Family’s Pandemic Bris

By Renata Breytman Kersus

An interfaith brit milah (bris) in a pandemic… sounds doable, right? Except for...

Babies, Baby Planning, Birth Ceremony, Bris, Jewish Catholic Relationships, Parenting, Parenting Stories

As Our World Implodes, I Bake Challah

By Anna Keller

Last week I had 6 dollars and 97 cents in my checking account. And I’m not so worried. To me, money isn’t...

Parenting, Parenting Stories

Our Hanukkah Fight Wasn’t Really About What We Teach Our Kids

By Anna Keller

I took a seat at my computer while the girls were doing crafts in the kitchen and the baby was toddling around...

Hanukkah, Parenting, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories, Relationship Challenges, Relationships

What The Jewish New Year Looks Like In Brooklyn

By Anna Keller

While my family passed those first few lonely months in quarantine together in Brooklyn, the pandemic’s...

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

Quarantined in Brooklyn, Surrounded by Faith

By Anna Keller

I dress for Whole Foods like someone dressing for war, or like someone with an acute fear of dying. Maybe I’m...

Parenting, Parenting Stories

My Daughter’s Best Friend is the Best Gift

By Anna Keller

I grew up 1.6 miles away from my Grandma Rosie in the Midwood section of Brooklyn. We lived in Midwood, and...

Grandparents, Parenting, Parenting Stories

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, Parenting, Parenting Challenges, Parenting Stories

I Started Doing Shabbat and I Can’t Stop

By Anna Keller

My apartment has become a secret cave of imagination. Sometimes it is the park where Peppa Pig plays with her...

Parenting, Parenting Shabbat, Parenting Stories, Shabbat

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

I Want My Kids to Feel “Jewish Enough”

By Anna Keller

How did this happen? How did almost three-and-a-half years go by? Wasn’t I just in the delivery room waiting...

Parenting, Parenting Stories

Motherhood: Am I Doing it Right?

By Anna Keller

I’m not sure how I’m doing as a mother. I mean, all self-criticism aside, I’m trying to take a step back, have...

Parenting, Parenting Stories

Why My Jewish Kids Love Their Advent Calendars

By Melissa Anne Cohen

I was at Trader Joe’s the other day and bought an advent calendar. For my dog. While this does make...

Parenting Christmas, Parenting Hanukkah, Parenting Stories

How Will Our Kids Understand the Past?

By Anna Keller

In the fifth grade, after I got thrown out of Yeshiva (a Jewish school), I went to a private school in Brooklyn...

Holocaust, Parenting, 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

Can We Be Happier Parents?

By Lindsey Silken

Author KJ Dell’Antonia with her daughter. Photo credit: Jessica Lahey I didn’t read any parenting books...

Camp, Parenting, Parenting Stories

Talking to Children About Events in Pittsburgh and Anti-Semitism

By Dr. Ruth Nemzoff

We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor,...

Anti Semitism, Identity, News, Parenting Stories, Young Kids

What Does My Jewish Community Say About Women?

By Anna Keller

What does my Jewish community say about women? I can’t remember. For all of my time in Yeshiva, all of my holidays...

High Holy Days for Parents, Parenting Stories, Simchat Torah, Yom Kippur

Why We’ll Be the Family in Midwood Without a Sukkah

By Anna Keller

I think my family never celebrated Sukkot (the Jewish harvest festival that comes after Yom Kippur) because...

Parenting Stories, Parenting Sukkot

3 Alternatives for Tashlich with Kids

By Amy Deutsch

You can’t forget about performing tashlich for kids. When I was little, my favorite part of the High Holidays...

High Holy Days for Parents, Parenting Stories, Parenting Tashlich

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

Is it Time to Leave Our Orthodox Neighborhood?

By Anna Keller

My neighborhood of Midwood, Brooklyn, is changing and so is my family. It’s not just that new stores have popped...

Motherhood, Parenting Stories, Young Kids

When Faith Reaches the Border

By Anna Keller

There is a photo taken by photojournalist John Moore going around the internet of a child watching her mother...

Anti Semitism, Holocaust, Motherhood, News, Parenting Stories, Young Kids

Why Do I Worry My Daughter Won’t Fit In?

By Anna Keller

I was never a princess. In my favorite childhood photo I have short brown hair and a leather jacket covered...

Parenting Stories, Young Kids

We Aren’t as Different as My Neighbors Think

By Anna Keller

I grew up in an Orthodox community in Midwood, Brooklyn. My mother still lives there and I live three blocks...

Babies, New Parents, Parenting Stories, Young Kids

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