Back when I decided to convert to Judaism, I knew that the transition would be difficult for my family. But I had no idea that the real war would begin over holiday gifts. As I recall, the wrapping-paper war began in the early-morning hours. I had just gotten out of the shower and poured my second cup of coffee when my phone rang. Before I even picked up the receiver, I knew it was my mom (probably on her second cup of coffee, too). She most...

When thinking about going to your family’s Thanksgiving dinner, does the fear of seeing certain relatives put a feeling of dread in the pit of your stomach? You know the ones: the close talker, the nonstop talker, the massager, the bully, Debbie Downer and Mrs. Right About Everything! This is just a sampling from my family, anyway. (I hope they don’t read this!) There are others, of course, but what is key is learning how to deal...

What would you say to your mom or dad if you were told they would be dead in a matter of months? How would you spend your remaining time with them? Do you wonder what they would want from you at the end of their life? Are there things you would want to express to them before they passed away? As a mother, I sit here writing this with one part of my brain thinking, “What would I want from my kids if, say, they were in their 40s and I had...

Charlie Sheen and his entourage are playing a deadly game with women’s lives. While reading about his latest drunken, violent episode, I couldn’t help but think of Phil Spector, who was convicted of murdering Lana Clarkson in a drunken haze. During the court proceedings in Spector’s case, numerous women reported having been threatened and treated violently by Phil Spector. Spector’s entourage had done him no service by...

As moms, we know life is filled with big and little moments of joy and comparable moments of pain. We experience this with our children often. When people ask me how my two kids get along, my response is always the same: “It is heaven and hell.” I love my kids, but day to day (and even from one minute to the next), I do feel like I move from heaven to hell and back again. What keeps my hopes up during the hellish times is the...