Anshel's wife (blog taken over by spam) had a hard day. She asks, "What do you do when your kids don't act the way you want them to act?" A very good question, although I might rephrase it, "How do you get your kids to want to act the way you want them to act?" The short answer is that it's not … [Read more...]
Leaving Children Alone
October 11, 2006 by
Apparently a six-year-old boy suffocated from smoke inhalation after being locked inside the house by his mother, who had taken the little brother to gan. In the US, all locks must be openable from the inside. Here in Israel, most locks are designed so a key is needed to unlock the door from either … [Read more...]
Does Israel Support Family Values?
September 9, 2006 by 4 Comments
Saul Singer, in his column in Friday's Jerusalem Post Magazine, maintains that Israel is a family-friendly country. His proof is that the birth-rate among upper-middle-class Israelis, including secular Jews, is much higher than in any other developed country. THERE IS little point in lecturing … [Read more...]
Women’s Hospital Center Devalues Mothers
September 5, 2006 by
My friend, visiting a relative in Beilinson hospital in Petach Tikva, saw a series of posters promoting the women's center there. Each poster contained a photo of a patient along with a quote from a staff member. Under the photo of a newborn baby, with an adult's hand placing a pacifier in its … [Read more...]
Raising Other People’s Children
August 30, 2006 by
At Orthonomics today Sephardi Lady quotes a rabbi/doctor on the halacha of disciplining other people's children. They come to the conclusion that it's okay to reprimand other people's children when the action is assur deoraita (biblically prohibited). I looked up the Mishna Berurah that is quoted … [Read more...]
Spirit of Motherhood by Masha Faygel Tokayer
August 27, 2006 by
This book, subtitled Insights into Nurturing, is a revision of Tokayer's earlier book Created in Wisdom. As a mother of seven, grandmother, contributor to Natural Jewish Parenting magazine and an experienced La Leche League Leader (breastfeeding counselor), the author has a lot to say to new mothers … [Read more...]
Eccentric Children
August 21, 2006 by
In the discussion of skyrocketing tuition costs on Orthonomics, a poster writes that homeschooled kids are easily identified as such and implies that they are tagged as "different" by their peers. The commenter obviously sees this as a bad thing. I don't homeschool (yet) but I happily embrace my … [Read more...]
Another Rumble at the Local Park
July 4, 2006 by
At the local park, an 8-year-old accidentally kicked his ball into a toddler. The man supervising the toddler, presumably the grandfather, began screaming at the soccer player's father. He "got in his face" and told him, among other things, that he wouldn't be safe in his bed because the angel of … [Read more...]
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