Avinu Malkeinu: A Prayer-Inspired Essay on Parenthood
Parented by G-d, and Parenting G-d’s Children One of the most challenging, if unoriginal, theological struggles for me personally has...
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Elisheva Liss
- Aug 9
- 6 min
Can my daughter be my best friend?
Dear Elisheva, I’m a 43 year old wife, mom, and professional. I have a happy marriage, amazing kids, and a satisfying job. My oldest...
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Elisheva Liss
- Jul 10
- 6 min
Will my kids be spoiled?
Dear Elisheva, My husband and I were raised very differently, in a lot of ways. One way that comes up deeply for us, in our parenting, is...
1,073 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- May 13
- 7 min
Prepping Kids for Summer Sexual Safety
*This appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, We are sending our son to sleepaway camp this summer for the...
1,012 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Apr 4
- 6 min
10 Tips for Preempting/ Avoiding Family Drama over the Holidays/Yom Tov
The yomim tovim / Jewish holidays are often “busy season” for Orthodox therapists. In our communities, where there’s a profound emphasis...
714 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Apr 3
- 7 min
Why are they doing this to me?"
*This was originally a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My problem comes up mostly around Shabbos and Yom Tov family...
864 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Mar 8
- 5 min
"Why Won't My In-laws Support Us?"
*This was originally a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times* Dear Elisheva, My wife and I have been married for almost three years, and...
1,065 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jan 4
- 7 min
How do I make friends as a grown up?
*This originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times State of Mind column* Dear Elisheva, What I’m struggling with feels more...
901 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Oct 7, 2022
- 3 min
10 Ideas of What Not to Comment on when Spending Time with Extended Family (or Other Humans):
When families get together in clans, for holidays, celebrations, or other occasions, sometimes interactions that are well-meaning can...
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Elisheva Liss
- Aug 30, 2022
- 3 min
A Total Eclipse of my Son
*This essay was written five years ago* Will the two-dimensional cardboard and plastic “glasses” we borrowed from our friends really be...
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Elisheva Liss
- Jul 20, 2022
- 7 min
Was My Kid Brainwashed in Seminary?
*This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times Dear Elisheva, Our oldest daughter just returned home from her year...
528 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jun 15, 2022
- 5 min
Fireworks and Fireflies
“He’s smarter than I am now…” The thought darts through my mind from time to time, punctuating our evolving conversations. My almost 17...
680 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- May 19, 2022
- 6 min
Relationship Uncertainty
*This originally appeared in the Five Towns Jewish Times State of Mind column* Dear Elisheva, I would imagine my problem is not unique,...
1,242 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jan 18, 2022
- 3 min
Sacrificing Souls on the Altar of Modesty
In my work as a therapist serving an almost completely religiously affiliated population, one issue that arises very, very often, is the...
597 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jan 13, 2022
- 6 min
Problem with my Kid's Rebbe
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...
327 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jan 4, 2022
- 4 min
The Problem with Labeling Pedophilia as a "Sickness"
*Trigger warning, sexual abuse described:* Yitzi’s parents really thought they’d taught him enough: “No one is allowed to touch you in...
1,889 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Oct 1, 2021
- 4 min
Don’t even TOUCH it… How making fake rules can lead to disaster: A Chinuch Message
“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...
1,033 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 15, 2021
- 7 min
My Teen Discovered Pornography- What Should I Do??
This originally appeared as a column in the Five Towns Jewish Times: Dear Elisheva, I honestly never thought I would be writing a letter...
2,581 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 4, 2021
- 4 min
B'sha'ah Tova Faux Pas
Adina’s eyes darted around my office, then closed and watered with unsuccessfully repressed shame. She was trying to explain the freshly...
1,013 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 15, 2021
- 3 min
Hey, Teachers- Your Students Have Issues
A local teacher once called me to talk about some frustrating feedback she had gotten at work. Apparently, a parent had called the...
2,554 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jun 4, 2021
- 4 min
Fighting about Whether to Have a Baby
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...
1,312 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Mar 14, 2021
- 3 min
"I Was Molested by my Brother but neither of us Knew It."
Trigger Warning: This post contains sensitive content about child sexual abuse. *Like all vignettes featured in this blog, it reflects...
6,792 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Sep 9, 2020
- 3 min
Coping with Back to School Season Overwhelm
It’s September, and children everywhere are yanking out their uniforms, knapsacks, paperwork, and supplies, packing up lunches and...
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Elisheva Liss
- Aug 19, 2020
- 2 min
Thinking about Homeschooling in the 11th Hour?
Hey, parents! How are you holding up?? With schools scrambling to formulate and convey their plans to reopen, many parents find...
187 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jun 20, 2020
- 2 min
No Camp? What Are We Supposed to Do??
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...
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Elisheva Liss
- Apr 20, 2020
- 3 min
This Is Not Homeschooling
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....
143 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Mar 22, 2020
- 1 min
What to Teach Kids Right Now (And Always)
What if we covered a little less math, and instead teach kids what really counts. Less social studies, and more social skills. Less...
78 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Mar 21, 2020
- 3 min
How to Run Family Meetings
So we find ourselves suddenly spending more time at home with our families than we ever have before. Trying to juggle parenting,...
214 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Feb 3, 2020
- 3 min
Totally Grossed Out By Private Parts
Please Note: This post contains explicit content, is for mature readers only, and may be triggering for survivors of trauma. Fay and her...
2,683 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Dec 5, 2019
- 4 min
Why It's Important to Teach Kids Accurate Names of Body Parts
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...
2,130 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 28, 2019
- 3 min
Hey Teachers Your Students Have Issues
A teacher in my neighborhood once called me to talk about some frustrating feedback she had gotten at work. Apparently, a parent had...
124 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jun 19, 2019
- 3 min
More Attempts To Reduce Abuse This Summer
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...
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Elisheva Liss
- May 21, 2019
- 7 min
"My High School Principal Nearly Destroyed Me"
“My Principal Wouldn’t Let the Other Girls Talk to Me” A courageous letter from a girl who was deliberately ostracized, to the principal...
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Elisheva Liss
- Apr 14, 2019
- 4 min
Hang In There Young Mamas, It Gets Easier
“Little kids, little problems, big kids, big problems. Just you wait!” warned the more experienced moms; their condescending tones...
491 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Nov 26, 2018
- 2 min
Could We Please Stop Telling Girls that Marrying a Yeshiva Guy Is the Only Way to Get a Good Husband
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...
394 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Aug 8, 2018
- 7 min
Parental Plane Letter to My Child Going Off to Israel
In preparation for Rosh Chodesh Elul, I am deviating from my usual blogging style to share something a bit more personal. The following...
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Elisheva Liss
- Jun 6, 2018
- 7 min
My Kid “Frummed out” in Israel:Should We be Glad or Concerned?Seven Talking Points for Parents
“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....
249 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Jul 27, 2017
- 4 min
Teaching Children about “The Birds and the Bees”
There are, essentially, only two ways for kids to hear about sex: their parents, and Someplace Else. While that “someplace else” may be...
1,177 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Apr 12, 2016
- 7 min
The Perfect In-Laws
Dan and Liz were fighting about their families again. Both educated professional thirty-somethings, they do an impressive job juggling...
220 views0 comments
Elisheva Liss
- Mar 28, 2016
- 6 min
Help! My Wife Won't Go Back to Work
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...
97 views0 comments
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