The babysitter continues to appear at gan without the baby in tow. Today I mentioned to her that it was against the law to leave a child under six alone in the house. "What, for five minutes, asleep in the crib?" She said that the mother knows about it (that makes it all right then, no?) I said that … [Read more...]
“Don’t You Have More Love for a Child than That?”
December 24, 2006 by
I just received the following anonymous comment on my post What's Your Excuse? Leaving children alone, revisited: Hi. I just came across your blog by accident, but then again maybe it wasn't an accident. I just returned from a 12 day trip to Israel with a tour group. I love Israel and the Israeli … [Read more...]
Gananot on little brothers and sisters
December 14, 2006 by
Another truth known to all Israeli gananot (preschool teachers) is that younger siblings should never be brought to a party in the gan. One ganenet actually sent home a poem with a story about a boy who was so upset because instead of watching him sing and dance, the mother was occupied with the … [Read more...]
What’s your excuse? Leaving children alone, revisited
December 12, 2006 by
A few weeks ago I had a lovely conversation with a friendly babysitter in the park. She was telling me and another babysitter how she so much enjoyed working for this family and how close she was to all their four children that she had practically raised herself. The youngest, a baby, is with her … [Read more...]
Why I made a career out of motherhood–The Early Years
December 8, 2006 by
You can find the introduction to this series here.I'll spare you the gory details of the mistakes I inflicted on my oldest through my inexperience, particularly the destruction of a particularly excellent breastfeeding relationship thanks to the ignorant advice of my pediatrician and others. Truth … [Read more...]
Why I made a career out of motherhood–Introduction
December 5, 2006 by
In this series, I want to explore issues regarding home and career from a very personal perspective. I know that all mothers work, and perhaps I work harder than many--as one friend said I don't always make things easy for myself. While challenging at times, staying at home is definitely the easier … [Read more...]
Telemarketing in Israel
November 27, 2006 by
Just about every day we get unsolicited calls falling into three categories: telemarketers, surveys, and charitable organizations. I have found that the best way to get rid of telemarketers is not to give them a chance to talk. One of my children once asked me, "Why do you always say, 'Lo … [Read more...]
Thinking Outside the Misgeret
November 13, 2006 by
In the park today, I was discussing the sleep habits of a particular todder with his caretaker. One of the other babysitters said that toddlers gradually move from a morning to an afternoon nap. I pointed out that my daughter, age two and a half, still sleeps in the morning. The babysitter replied, … [Read more...]
Home Alone
November 8, 2006 by
Vacations in Europe and to more exotic destinations are fashionable in Israel these days. Even when both parents work at demanding full-time jobs, they use their precious vacation days to travel abroad without the children. So who is watching the children? Besides their regular child-care … [Read more...]
Unsafe Suggestions?
October 19, 2006 by
A commenter on Orthonomics, which linked to my post on frugal babies, posted this to me: . . .some of the things you suggested in your blog are known to pose a health risk to your child and family, such as co-sleeping in the same bed (lowest SIDS risk is same room /different bed), or washing cloth … [Read more...]
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