“If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not taken our ancestors from Egypt, behold we and our children and our children’s children would [all still] be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.” This text from the Haggadah begs the famous question, “Really?” That is to say, ancient Egypt is long defunct. Had we really not been taken out by G-d at that time, probably we would have eventually gotten out of that jam when Egypt was conquered by the next up-and-coming world power. So what is the

Guest post by Dr. Judith Greenberg If you are a parent of a special needs child, you may feel like you need some help but may not be sure who or what to ask. I always suggest that the best approach is to follow a map of the people you think may really want to help you, such as: your friends and family, pediatrician, psychologist, your shul, Rabbi, your child’s school, specific organizations, and most importantly, your own intuition. Age and the diagnosis of your child’s spec

Here’s another post from me on Kveller.com which I wrote after reflecting on my kindergartener’s brilliantly produced end-of-year production. Writing this was a reminder to me as much as to any of my readers what we’re doing when we do this whole parenting thing. Hope it resonates with you too! https://www.kveller.com/recitals-seem-silly-but-heres-why-they-matter/ This week I attended my 6-year-old daughter’s end-of-the-year kindergarten presentation. Her class was up on sta

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I’ve recently been thinking about the adage familiar to many marriage counselors that “The best gift you can give your children is shalom bayis.”  There are many reasons this is true – it is neither some crazy therapist thing nor a mystical idea.  Check out a quick run-down I wrote for Aish.com here, or a longer series of posts at my Baltimore Therapy Center blog, starting here. #family #marriage #parenting

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http://www.kveller.com/how-i-became-an-accidental-childrens-book-author/ #parenting

#childsexualabuse #parenting #sexualabuse #sexuality

Dear Readers, I am most pleased to announce the publication of my latest book, The Very Special Gift.  It is designed to help parents educate and discuss with their daughters the issue of tznius.  It is targeted to early grade-school-age girls, but it probably has a good degree of flexibility in terms of getting the message across.  I hope that this will be helpful to many people in addressing this vital and challenging subject with your daughters. If you buy a copy, please d

My recent Kveller article entitled “I’m an Orthodox Jewish Father and I’m Exhausted” got a lot of sympathetic comments from people in the same metaphorical boat of parenthood and exhaustion. Folks shared with me their low moments, their parenting fails, their misgivings, and so on, often with more than a tinge of shame. And I responded to them, guess what? You’re just like the rest of us! Thus did I embark upon my second article on the subject, with the intent of reassuring a

Check out my latest article on the front page of Kveller.com! I’m an Orthodox Jewish Father & I Am Exhausted #family #parenting

Check out the Baltimore Jewish Times for my article on modern parenting: http://jewishtimes.com/31779/parenting-in-the-iphone-age/ #family #internet #parenting #relationships

The latest in my children’s book series is now available, dealing with the favorite childhood refrain, “it’s not fair!”  No doubt this will be a valuable addition to everyone’s home library and parenting toolbox! It’s Not Fair #parenting

Here is another column from the BJH in which I answer the classic question: How do I get my kids to eat their dinner??? Dear BJH, My kids are really great overall, but the one area that never seems to work out is dinnertime.  They simply don’t want to eat!  It always seems to be a fight getting some food into them.  How can I get them to eat their dinner properly? Thanks, GS Dinnertime is a common flashpoint between parents and kids.  You are not alone!  Let’s take a look

One of the kinds of issues I am frequently called upon to help with involves relationships among parents/in-laws/grandparents.  Here is a column I wrote recently in the Baltimore Jewish Home addressing such an issue.  This doesn’t necessarily sound like a candidate for family therapy, but it could certainly help.  These situations can be thorny, no doubt about it. #family #parenting #relationships

I thought this was a powerful article about effect we as parents have on our children.  Check it out: Even when the same or another parent expressed plenty of affection, researchers found the apparent harmful effects of having a verbally aggressive mother or father persisted   . . . http://news.yahoo.com/positive-parenting-wont-yelling-insulting-212707632.html #family #parenting #relationships

I felt a little bit like dirt. That is really not how I want my kids to think we look at them. We so easily overlook how perceptive our kids are from the youngest ages, and how they pick up everything we say, whether we think they are listening or not. No doubt we have used the phrase “dealing with the kids” numerous times before – look, there’s no question, they can be tough to manage. They take a ton of energy – not just physically but mentally and emotionally as well. The

The following is a true story. What would you have done? Some people might have tried reasoning with the child, explaining why yelling is bad, or napping is good. This approach may be successful here and there, but the truth is that three-year-olds don’t have much of a sense of logic, and trying to reason with them often leads to frustration on the part of both parties.  In general I would not recommend reasoning as the method of choice at this age. Others might simply have

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I thought this article was excellent. It discusses the issue of talking about masturbation with Orthodox boys, which I think is tragically shied away from for obvious reasons, leaving our youth to struggle with it in silence.  As you are probably aware by now, I am not a fan of the head-in-the-sand approach. #community #parenting #pornography #sexuality