I Feel Like I Walk on Eggshells with My Own Daughter & I Don’t Know What to Do

Meredith Ginsberg for Kveller

I rode a roller coaster today. Actually, I ride one everyday. I hate these kinds of roller coasters. They’re anxiety-inducing, nausea-causing misery. I ride them with my 5-year-old, my first baby, these “behavior coasters” as I like to call them. Today it was about shoes in Target, yesterday it was about choosing the wrong underwear. Everyday, it’s about nursing her brother.

My first baby, this smart, witty, and sweet girl, is what you might refer to as a “difficult child.” Trying to guess what her reaction will be to a question, command, or suggestion is simply futile, and it sure is a tough way to live. The ladies in the grocery store say, “Doesn’t she have quite the personality…” Others remind me, like I need to be reminded, that I have my hands full.  “Strong-willed,” most people tell me.

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Explaining Yom Kippur to Children

From bje.org

What is Yom Kippur?

‘Yom Kippur’ means the ‘Day of Atonement’. That is, the day when we try to make up for any wrong things we have done. It is a day of fasting which starts at sunset on the 10th of Tishrei and finishes when night falls on the 11th Tishrei.

Yom Kippur is also called ‘The Sabbath of Sabbaths’. It is the most holy day in the Jewish year. It is the day when God decides what will happen to every Jewish person in the year ahead.
Asking forgiveness and making up for our sins

Yom Kippur is not like other special Jewish days. It does not remind us about something that happened to the Jewish people in our long history. Instead, it is all about each individual Jewish person’s behaviour

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Survive Yom Kippur with Kids!

Pediatric Occupational Therapy Services

How on earth you are going to fast, pray and reflect while feeding and entertaining your children? GOOD QUESTION. It is hard, but with some preparation it can be survivable. Here are our best tips:

At Home:

1. Set the table the night before
2. Create snacks and meals that kids can manage themselves
3. For breakfast, pour cereal in bowls, cover with a napkin and leave it on the table. Put cups with the right amount of milk for cereal in the fridge
4. For snacks, have cut up fruits and vegetables in transparent, easy to open containers or baggies
5. Buy a new game, puzzle or book
6. Have quiet games that your child enjoys and can play with independently within sight, reachable, and organized enticingly

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 For more information and ideas visit our High Holidays Spotlight Kit

High Holiday Services with Kids

Engaging your children at synagogue.

By Sarah Gershman for MyJewishLearning.com

High Holiday services have the potential to be the spiritual climax of the year–an opportunity for communal and personal reflection and growth. Yet, for many adults, the long hours in synagogue feel overwhelming and foreign. It can be difficult to understand what is happening, let alone to find meaning.

These challenges are complicated further when you bring children into the picture. Parents are often faced with some difficult choices about High Holiday services:

If I bring my young children into synagogue with me, will it be disruptive to others and stressful to keep them quiet?

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Check out Jvillage’s High Holiday+    page.

For more information and ideas visit our High Holidays Spotlight Kit