Fear of needles

I’m not afraid of needles. Injections, blood tests, I don’t love ‘em, but I’m not scared of them. As long as I’m the patient, I’m okay. I could never have entered the medical field because I can’t bear to watch someone else being pricked and prodded. Shaina’s earliest symptoms- long before we had heard of

Passport Blues

Applying for a passport doesn’t rank too high on the fun scale. When your child defiantly sprawls herself on the floor while an official drawls on about the sluggishness of her computer, you need a stiff vodka. Hey, here’s an idea: Alcohol dispensers at government offices. Okay, that might be irresponsible. How about Xanax? We

Happiness is… imperfection

I’m a recovering perfectionist. Many of us are obsessive pedants, paralysed by the need to have things “just right”. We are often useless at delegation because we worry that nobody else can do the job as well as we can. And we don’t enjoy our successes because we’re too busy fretting that they’re not as

Stump the doctor

Shaina staggered out of bed last Friday. Over twenty-five years of parenting, we’ve guided our fair share of zombified children to their beds. We’ve never had to steer one from her bed. Had any of our other children lurched drunkenly into the living room, we might have chuckled. Not with Shaina.  My mind raced from zero to

Kindness Circle

Shaina knew something was afoot. Her older sisters entertained her in the living room as the special guests arrived. Shaina has sharp hearing, and she picked up our conspirational whispers from the other side of the house. To be fair, she had already cottoned on to the fact that something was up when we wouldn’t

Writer’s Block

I haven’t posted on the blog for a while. An author might call it writer’s block, but my block was not of the writing kind. Shaina has got her mischievous smile back in the last few days. The haze in my brain seems to be clearing as her personality reemerges. You know Shaina- in person

Shaina’s voice

On my right sat an inspiring young tennis champion and, next to him, a nervous young mother. Well over a hundred people had arrived to listen to us despite the chilly Sydney night. The event’s organiser welcomed the crowd and began to introduce me as the first speaker. My mind focused on one thought, “How

The barometer of a healthy society

I’ve recently returned from my first visit to Poland. Poland was home to vibrant Jewish communities for 1000 years. Over three million Jews lived there before the Holocaust; fewer than 20 000 remain there today. We explored the beautiful remnants of those ancient communities and visited the resting places of their spiritual leaders. We also

You’re always so positive

It happened again this week. Someone wanted to know, “How do you always stay so positive?”  I’m sorry to disappoint the fanbase, but I’m neither a saint nor superhuman. I don’t “always” “stay” positive. I actually think both of those words are barriers to positivity. If we expect to “always” be in a good space, we make it worse

Would you like fries with that?

Want to insult a Jewish mother? Turn down a second helping of dinner.While other moms fret if you don’t make your bed or fold your laundry, Yiddishe mamas only want to make sure you are well fed. A Jewish mother whose child won’t eat properly goes into anxiety overdrive. Food has become a big issue