Lena, having a snack at the counter after school, asked me what my favorite possession was. I mentally sifted through my stuff. I don’t really think of myself as a “thing” person. I rely on my computer. My noise-cancelling headphones are like a parachute: although I hardly ever use them, they offer me the reassurance… Continue reading Sourdough Resolution
Category: Parenting
A Christmas “Miracle”
With thanks to The Friendly Atheist, which published this essay here. I found one! I found one! I found an atheist mom on TV! Yes, I am one of those minority types hungry for representation in mainstream entertainment, watching avidly to see how, say, Dr. House does or doesn’t ring true as an atheist. And… Continue reading A Christmas “Miracle”
What God Can Learn from Santa, or How to Lose Belief But Keep the Gifts
Click below for the recorded version of my first PechaKucha night, at the Opalka Gallery, Albany, New York. PechaKucha is a presentation format with strict parameters: 20 slides, 20 seconds of narration for each. So if I seem to be speaking extra slowly or suspiciously quickly at certain points, that’s why. Thank you, Jesse, for the musical assist. And… Continue reading What God Can Learn from Santa, or How to Lose Belief But Keep the Gifts
Grace for an Atheist Table
As an atheist, I have always loved Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect holiday: national but not nationalistic, it celebrates consumption but not consumerism. And it provides all the benefits of a religious holiday (food! family! fellowship!) without reference to a Supreme Being. Or so I thought. Until, curious, I looked up the facts — a terrible… Continue reading Grace for an Atheist Table
Four Criteria for Thank-You Notes (or why Lena isn’t done yet)
“You’re not going to like this,” says Lena, handing me a thank-you note fresh from the printer. It is 7 already; bedtime is 8. This is the final task standing between her and TV. I read it. “You’re right,” I say. She waits. I tell her what to do. “That’s it?” “Yep.” “OK,” she says,… Continue reading Four Criteria for Thank-You Notes (or why Lena isn’t done yet)
Wishing You a Truly New Year
Every year in the synagogue of my childhood, we started our Hebrew lessons over again. There were too few of us to divide into two classes, so every fall, to accommodate the (doubtless) one new student, we’d begin back at the beginning with the alphabet, pronouns, a few basic nouns, and an article or two. Needless… Continue reading Wishing You a Truly New Year
The Truth About Lying
You’ve tried to teach your children that it’s wrong to lie. That honesty is the best policy. That you won’t be mad about the juice pooling around your iPhone as long as someone tells you the truth. Here’s the truth: your children are going to lie to you. Don’t get too upset. After all, let’s… Continue reading The Truth About Lying
Facing Summer Vacation, 2003
My son Noah is down the road at the horse farm unloading hay with his dad and two hired hands in their early twenties. At thirteen, Noah doesn’t have quite the heft or height of Caleb and Grant, but he tosses a hay bale smoothly and hoists himself into the barn with the same loping confidence in his muscled body.… Continue reading Facing Summer Vacation, 2003
Adventure Saturdays & Other Traditions
Years ago I instituted a family tradition called Adventure Saturdays. Every Saturday during the summer, the kids and I had to do something new: go to a new park or museum, try a new watersport or pool, and so on. When I was in a particularly orthodox mood, we couldn’t even stop along the way… Continue reading Adventure Saturdays & Other Traditions
Process This
The season of scratch-foodie bliss has begun! This morning Adam planted more tomatoes, more cucumbers, and some lacinato kale. Tomorrow morning, after I start some focaccia dough, I’m going to take my daughter to a local farm to pick strawberries. Or maybe we’ll go to a farmer’s market, where someone’s beautiful display of homegrown strawberries… Continue reading Process This