Joys and Challenges

Why do we focus on the bad and not on the good aspects of motherhood? It is the same reason, I realized later, that we complain about a splinter in our pinky toe rather than give thanks for our whole healthy bodies...

What works for one mother may not work for another, and mothers get themselves into trouble when they try to conform to an overly narrow and constricting definition of what makes a "good" mother.

As a child of divorce whose father was awarded custody, my dad basically raised me. As a result, I felt well prepared to be a father, but not as prepared to be a mother...

Already at age five, I had moved much further beyond my own mother's boundaries than my daughter could ever imagine, and by age eleven, I had broken out of those boundaries entirely...

For the first time I realized, "Elana, this is spending quality time with your child. Instead of seeing it as a struggle and dreadful event, see it as a precious moment and enjoy it...

As they dance breathlessly and tell their stories with tulle and tiaras, I am struck by how free they are in their expression...

It's been two years. Two years of holding my son close to my heart and feeding him from the milk that flowed forth from my body. Two years of sleepless nights and exhausted days...

Burn-out is a wake-up call that we have lost touch with the inner reality and meaning of what we are doing...

My daughter got married a little over a month ago, and for the first time, we are trying to learn a new way to relate. Let me rephrase that. I am trying to learn a new way to relate...

For the first time in my life, there is no visible record of my accomplishments. In fact, when done well, it is impossible to perceive parenting being done at all...

There is no question that American business expects you to be 100% focused on your work. Working from home therefore has its unique challenges, on numerous levels...

There are days in my life when I think, "I am a great Mom. These kids are lucky to have me…I should give classes." And then there are other days...

I remembered back to when Dina was a confident, upbeat, and thriving single woman. In contrast, during our conversation she seemed so tense, so exhausted, so distressed by her frequent power-struggles...

I am disgusted by the things my mother has done. She is old now and needs me, but there is nothing in her life that deserves respect. How can I respect her without losing my dignity?

Through my daughter's persistent and insightful questioning, I was able to move beyond my confusion, and experience my own excitement...

My spiritual mentor drinks heavily, straight from the bottle. Most of his wisdom is culled from the works of Dr. Seuss and of a certain purple dinosaur

I I wouldn’t exactly say I look “cool.” It’s 12:30 in the afternoon and I’m still in my pajamas. I’m carrying my bald headed beauty in utero, which definitely has a certain mystique, but only when I wear maternity clothes, otherwise I just look like I need to do some sit-ups...

Every day we travel down the highway of life. Yet there are times that we are tuned in and the reception is perfect and other times that we are so far away that all we hear is static...

As we sit together, laughing about anything and everything, savoring the meal and reviewing the day's events, I gaze at my children...

It is true that I spend the vast majority of my life in my house and I am a devoted wife. With that said, I am still very far from being the domestic goddess the term "housewife" evokes....