There are some pretty nice perks to living in Jewish Brooklyn. For one, there's the convenience of having practically any product you'd need available in Kosher or Jewish form, not to mention dozens of restaurants and cafes to choose from for any occasion. And while there’s what to say about its lack of green spaces… Continue reading Trust Part I: Trusting Nature
Category: Children
When It Comes Down to Trust
It’s been a little while since my last post. The main reason for that is the obvious: time. My job has been extra intense recently, and life with five kids is busier than with four. Bedtime now takes longer, depriving me of that precious post-bedtime quiet time I used to depend on. I also haven’t… Continue reading When It Comes Down to Trust
Aren’t five children enough?
I was surprised at my reaction. I mean, it may have sounded casual enough, but boy, was I taking this to heart.
Postpartum Reflections
If you aren't following me on social media, you may not have heard - Baruch Hashem we had a beautiful baby boy on 12 Av, about two months ago. Thankfully we are both doing well, and I hope to be posting here more frequently now that I'm back to myself! xx Chaya *** I wrote… Continue reading Postpartum Reflections
Good News!
It’s been eleven months – almost a year – since I created this blog. In the first three months, I wrote about ten posts. There was momentum, I was working hard, and I felt I was making real progress. Then, in the eight months that followed, I posted about five times in total. That’s a… Continue reading Good News!
Deciding to Be a Parent
Having a child is a huge responsibility. It is not like any other relationship, where, should things go wrong, one can usually walk away. Once a child is born, there is no going back. The choice that we made to have them is a permanent one, with lifelong consequences. It is up to us, the parents,… Continue reading Deciding to Be a Parent
Silencing the Bells
Hi friends, I'm back! It’s been a busy few weeks, with four little ones home between camp and school on top of high-pressure deadlines at work. Basically, the kind of situation that calls for the blog to take a back seat. As for now, we are back in business. When I began this project, I… Continue reading Silencing the Bells
The Big Picture
There’s nothing like a Chassidic explanation to give some perspective. So, this first mitzvah in the Torah. It’s a big deal, I know. It really is a big deal, not just because it’s important but because it’s actually a big deal to fulfill. My kids are sure to remind me of that, every day, and… Continue reading The Big Picture
The First Source
Last Sunday, we went on a family trip to the park. This time, for a change, it was to the big and beautiful Prospect Park, rather than the local playground. Upshernish for Child #2 is coming up and we needed a photo for the invitation. We parked the car, and piled out: little five-month-old and… Continue reading The First Source
On Parents, Gratitude, and Children
Every day that I work on this project, my appreciation for my children grows. It’s a wonderful thing, and yet I worried that I was losing sight of an issue I had set out to address: namely, the attitude of the American society today towards family size and children. So, I decided to get back… Continue reading On Parents, Gratitude, and Children
A Question of Worth
Let’s talk a little more about these people. Those little people we call our kids, who are not really kids, but extraordinary people we have been blessed to help raise. Forgive me while I ask another basic question. What is a person, really? I mean, there’s over seven BILLION people in the world. That’s a… Continue reading A Question of Worth
Back to Basics
There is something powerful about taking an idea and breaking it down to its core. So, before we get into any deep spiritual or psychological ideas, I’m going to begin with this simple question: What is a child? The term “child” has two main definitions: a son or daughter, or a young person. Meaning, a… Continue reading Back to Basics