“He’s smarter than I am now…” The thought darts through my mind from time to time, punctuating our evolving conversations. My almost 17...

*This originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times State of Mind column* Dear Elisheva, I would imagine my problem is not unique,...

In my work as a therapist serving an almost completely religiously affiliated population, one issue that arises very, very often, is the...

This post originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times: Dear Elisheva, We think we may have an issue with our son and...

*Trigger warning, sexual abuse described:* Yitzi’s parents really thought they’d taught him enough: “No one is allowed to touch you in...

“I think it was the earrings that were the final straw for me.” The young woman is explaining to me how she went from being a...

This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times: Dear Elisheva, I honestly never thought I would be writing a letter...

Adina’s eyes darted around my office, then closed and watered with unsuccessfully repressed shame. She was trying to explain the freshly...

A local teacher once called me to talk about some frustrating feedback she had gotten at work. Apparently, a parent had called the...

How do you decide when to start a family? How many kids to have? When to stop having kids? Even if we knew exactly how many kids we hoped...

Trigger Warning: This post contains sensitive content about child sexual abuse. *Like all vignettes featured in this blog, it reflects...

It’s September, and children everywhere are yanking out their uniforms, knapsacks, paperwork, and supplies, packing up lunches and...

Hey, parents! How are you holding up?? With schools scrambling to formulate and convey their plans to reopen, many parents find...

Are you one of the many parents who thought they were finally going to get a much-needed break from 24/7 parenting by sending your kids...

Parents keep commenting to me: “Wow- this is so hard! I don’t know how you do this all the time.” And I answer: “We don’t. We homeschool....

What if we covered a little less math, and instead teach kids what really counts. Less social studies, and more social skills. Less...

So we find ourselves suddenly spending more time at home with our families than we ever have before. Trying to juggle parenting,...

Please Note: This post contains explicit content, is for mature readers only, and may be triggering for survivors of trauma. Fay and her...

Tzivi came home from preschool and told her mom that her Morah had gotten upset at her that day. “Morah said I used a bad word. But I...

A teacher in my neighborhood once called me to talk about some frustrating feedback she had gotten at work. Apparently, a parent had...

Trying to Reduce Abuse this Summer As we wind down the scholastic year, label the socks, and pack up the duffels, we scan the emails...

“My Principal Wouldn’t Let the Other Girls Talk to Me” A courageous letter from a girl who was deliberately ostracized, to the principal...

“Little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems. Just you wait!” warned the more experienced moms; their condescending tones...

This will be a short, not-so-sweet, but to-the-point post (bordering on rant). To some, what I’m about to say might be obvious, but to...

In preparation for Rosh Chodesh Elul, I am deviating from my usual blogging style to share something a bit more personal. The following...

“It’s not that I mind Rachel becoming more religious; we expected that to a degree, when we allowed her to go to Israel for the year....

There are, essentially, only two ways for kids to hear about sex: their parents, and Someplace Else. While that “someplace else” may be...

Dan and Liz were fighting about their families again. Both educated professional thirty-somethings, they do an impressive job juggling...

Anna was a 28 year old CPA, well respected in her company, and on track for eventual promotions. She married Josh, a 29 year old rising...