“It’s not fair.” I’m sure we all hear it (too) often. Our children’s sense of right and wrong is definitive and categorical, with little room for nuance or consideration.  In my house, there is nothing cuter than an indignant 7-year-old arguing for moral or ethical...

“I can’t find my iPod,” said my daughter just minutes after Havdalah one Saturday night. “Where did you leave it?” I asked. “On the kitchen table,” she replied. “Well, it has not been on the kitchen table all of Shabbat, so when did you last use it?” I asked....

“Can you buy crackers,” my daughter asks. “Sure,” I answer. “After Passover.” “But that’s in like three weeks,” she moans. “Yes,” I reply.  “You will survive.” “Do we have any cookies?” she asks. “They’re finished.” “And you’re not buying more until after Passover?”...

We have this new game we’ve been playing called Snake Oil.  One person is the customer and chooses a card that provides this player with an identification or an occupation.  For example, she might be a tourist or a rock climber, a nurse, a camp counsellor, or a...

At about two or three-weeks-old, my daughter developed a hemangioma on her head.  This benign swelling of blood vessels grew over the course of her first year into a significant and noticeable bump at the very top of her forehead.  No matter how big and sparkling were...

They were 2 1/2 and 1 years old. The younger of the two was of more solid build, stronger, and not much smaller in size than the older. And she loved her big sister fiercely. One day, in this spirit of love and fun, she climbed onto her older sister and hugged her...

Deborah Abecassis Director of Jewish Life and Learning The story of Purim has all the components of a great fairy tale or Disney movie – a silly king and an evil villain, the beautiful Queen heroine and the wise old man. The kingdom’s wealth and the months-long...

When my daughter was 3-years-old, she chose to wear only skirts and dresses. It fit with her definition of pretty, princess, and fashionable. One Sunday afternoon, my husband asked her if she'd like to join him on an errand to the hardware store. "Yes!" She replied....

Deborah Abecassis Warshawsky.  Carb-free, fat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, meat-free.  Many of us, at some point, have resolved to drastically change the way we eat from one day to the next. Each Monday morning, people everywhere are cutting out...