Things are a Changing! Thank God!

Posted on May 30, 2011 in Celebrities in the News, Sex

I was talking with a friend the other day and we were laughing and horrified that her father still uses the term Orientals when describing anyone of Asian descent. I told her that my father in law learned many years ago not to speak like that in front of me for fear of having his head ripped off! My kids play with finger traps, and I remember when we used to call them “Chinese finger prisons”. I remember telling my dad not to “Jew” me when he...

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Oy, Donald Trump.

Posted on May 23, 2011 in Celebrities in the News

On a recent episode of the Celebrity Apprentice, Meatloaf was fired because he was “too emotional”. The iconic rocker later went on to support Marlee Matlin in her bid to win the final competition, but was under orders “not to cry”. The fact that emotionality was used as an indictment in this situation makes my blood boil. As a psychologist, as a mom, as a human being, I feel fiercely protective of our right to express feeling and not have that...

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Romantic Love? Closeness? Intimacy?

Posted on May 16, 2011 in Marriage, Relationships

This time of year in Los Angeles the roses in my garden are in full bloom, the air looks lavender and the world smells amazing and new. It’s the perfect time for a long walk or a picnic in a park. With family or friend, lover or spouse (or both), it’s time to be outside, savor the warmth of the spring weather and closeness with people you love. Watching Asher and Tova scooter up and down the block with the other kids that live on our street I...

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No Roses Today

Posted on May 9, 2011 in Family, Holidays, Parenting, Relationships

My sister, Kelly, reminded me through her own tears that today, on Mother’s Day, it will be the first time since our children were born that we wouldn’t be receiving our yearly delivery of roses from our dad. You see every year Mother’s day was a big deal in our home, even growing up, we went to dinner or brunch or something with all of us kids and often my grandparents as well. I remember many brunches at The Velvet Turtle or some Mexican...

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Perfectly Good Enough

Posted on May 2, 2011 in Children, Domestic Violence, Parenting

When my kids were in Nursery School and in those tender transitional moments when we had such difficulty separating for even ten minutes, the teacher in her infinite wisdom instructed the panicked group of parents that we had become to “be excited about separating so you can be excited to come back together”. She went on to suggest that we don’t make the all too easy declaration that “mommy doesn’t want to go to work”, because while that might...

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