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. 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 likely had already...

Is Michael Lohan despicable for trying to sell the recorded conversations he had with his daughter and ex-wife? Yes. He is also a desperate dad with apparently very few options. We all can see the downward spiral of Lindsay Lohan, and many people, including her mother, father, and assistant, fear she will not recover from what appears to be a life ofchaos and addiction. To what lengths would any of us go to save our grown daughter from herself?...

Have you been looking at that other mom’s Range Rover at the PTA meeting? Maternal jealousy is a common, corrosive emotion. Jealousy denotes a feeling of resentment that another has gained something that one feels they rightfully deserve. Jealousy also refers to anguish caused by fear of losing someone or something to a rival. Envy is an urge to spoil or devalue what is good in others. Envy and jealousy are born out of the pain of...

If what is said is true, there is clear evidence of emotional abuse and neglect. Many people think that Child Protective Services only gets involved in cases of physical and sexual abuse, but there are also categories of neglect and emotional abuse. Although it varies from state to state, emotional abuse or maltreatment is defined as a pattern of behavior by parents or caregivers that can seriously interfere with a child’s cognitive,...

Today is the Yartzeit (Hebrew word for anniversary of a death) of our second child, Ozzie. He died October 18, 2002. Our son died while in utero at 26 weeks. I still remember that cold day because my then 20-month-old son was bundled up with blankets in the stroller watching our family cry and say goodbye to a child we had never really even properly said hello to. I believed or hoped that Asher would escape the pain of the death of his little...

In this expert’s opinion, leaving an inflated balloon in the yard is no different than keeping a loaded unlocked gun in the house. Totally irresponsible parenting! Dr. Michelle Golland: I remember the Heene family from “Wife Swap.” I admit, it is one of the trashy reality shows I TiVo and watch when I can’t sleep. And watching the Heene family’s story was one of the times that I became concerned about the children...