A friend recently posted a video of a popular motivational speaker discussing why some children struggle to make friends. He concluded that it was a parent’s job to “maximize the social attractiveness of your children — because they need friends...

Can you afford to send your child to camp next summer? Can you afford not to? Winter is almost upon us. Most kids have moved most of their after-school activities into gymnasiums, indoor soccer parks or perhaps the living room with a musical instrument....

As a certified mikvah mentor, I hear married Jewish women hesitate about going to the mikvah for a variety of reasons.  Many of these reasons are actually based on misconceptions about the mitzvah of mikvah, and I think it is time to publicly clear...

Shabbat has long been an occasion to reconnect with ourselves, our families and our community. And nothing embodies the Shabbat table more than delicious fresh baked challah. Baking challah can be an occasion as well. And that's exactly the premise...

A baby’s name is the first gift we give them, so it’s important to be thoughtful about it. Sometimes, the perfect name is a short and sweet one — and it’s surprising how much meaning a one-syllable name can pack. (In fact, one of the Hebrew words...

Now that I am a grandparent, I really look forward to having one of my grandchildren spend the night. Each of them enjoy the opportunity for some one-on-one time. When they were little, the evening was spent reading books and playing with age-appropriate...

As a certified sleep coach, most of my consultations start something like this: I ask parents to tell me a bit more about what’s going on with their child’s sleep issue. More often than not, I get a response that includes one of these sentiments: “Well,...

Congratulations! I hear you are pregnant. These are words many are eager to hear, and friends and family enjoy saying it. But after hearing the words out loud, it is time to get down to business and get ready. And task No. 1, if you haven’t already...

PJ Library, the flagship program of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation (HGF), is celebrating the delivery of its 50 millionth free book to Jewish families this summer. What started out in 2005 as a small project in Western Massachusetts has now grown to...

As a child, everything I knew about shiva came from “The Facts of Life” (“TFOL” for those in the know). In case your recall for 1980s television shows is not as ridiculous as mine, I will set the scene: Natalie Green’s father has unexpectedly...

Summer is drawing to a close, and children soon will return to school. I recommend that parents dedicate some time to discussing their child’s sleep schedule now and not wait until problems occur. Studies confirm that a lack of adequate sleep has measurable...

Confident of the positive impact Jewish early childhood centers (ECC) can have on children, their parents and the St. Louis Jewish community, Jewish Federation invested $125,000 last August into a collaborative initiative for all 10 of the community’s...