Portfolio
Essays & Columns
Room for Debate: We’re Teaching Our Kids to Be Dependent
More kids may be learning Mandarin, but fewer know how to look an adult in the eye, write a thank-you note, empty the dishwasher, handle a snow shovel – or cope with disappointment and grow stronger after failure.
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When a Book Lover’s Son Won’t Read
New York Times
I'm not raising a reader. And it's bringing up a painful truth: I didn't get the child I expected. But who does?
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Don’t Be a Judge-y Parent
I spend $240 a month on piano lessons for my sons. A lot for some parents, but of value to me. What non-essential parental spending do you most value?
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Why I Walk
Better Homes and Gardens
A brief meditation on why I walk (and hint: it's not to exercise!). It's contemplation, navigation, observation, relaxation.
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Don’t Get Me Started on Sippy Cups
Babble.com
If I had to do it over again with a baby? No more sippy cups! Or snacks. Or diaper bags. Or...
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Losing Friends, In One Way or Another
Washington Post
I went to my 20-year high school reunion last year -- reluctantly. Not for the reasons one might expect; high school was actually pretty kind to me....I dreaded showing up in that hotel ballroom and scanning the crowd of classmates for the two faces that I already knew would not be there...
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Mom Advice
American Baby
In my July 2011 column, playdates go awry when one mother ignores her unruly child. Plus, dad wants baby out of the master bedroom, mom isn't so sure...
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Did I Really Need to Have a C-Section?
Babble.com
The way most women who've had C-sections feel about their surgery fall somewhere on the spectrum between neutral and ecstatic. I am not one of those women. I am angry.
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Op Ed: Bad Mom? You Know It!
Newsday
Did you hear the whoop of joy coming from a humble home in South Huntington? That was me. Turns out, "bad" parenting is back in style...
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Girl of My Dreams
American Baby
I may never stop grieving for the daughter I'll never have.
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Can You Stomach This?
Literary Mama
I'm admitting it here, folks: I bucked the Back to Sleep campaign and put my babies, both of 'em, to sleep on their tummies. And we were all happier.
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Strong Bones: All in the Family
Woman's Day
What osteoporosis means to a still young-ish woman (me!) whose grandmother died as a result of complications of the disease, and whose mother works hard to avoid the same fate.
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The Big Lie
American Baby
Why don't we tell each other the truth about how hard motherhood is in the first six weeks?
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