Everybody Else’s Perfect Kids

By Zimra Vigoda for Raising Kvell

After nearly two and a half years of living in the San Francisco Bay area (a temporary break from our lives in Israel), I am trying to keep my head above water. It seems that in today’s middle class America, everybody else’s kids are no less than perfect.

Until 2012, my kids grew up in an Israeli suburb. I had an enormous social network comprised of mothers and children. Our house and yard were always filled with running, jumping, screeching, laughing, and the crying of not-perfect kids. With the exception of a couple of “hysterics,” my mommy friends had no illusions about their little angels. We freely exchanged accounts of parenting challenges including school struggles as well as developmental and behavioral setbacks. By and large, we were honest and supported one another.

Today, I also have a large social network of mothers. However, with the exception of a few “eccentrics,” my mommy friends are incredibly busy convincing each other and themselves about how wonderful their offspring are. It seems that everyone is a sports star, a rock star, and a genius.

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How I Taught My Son to Fail

By Lisa Manheim for Raising Kvell

This past summer, I taught my child to fail.

This must defy some canon of parenthood, which compels us to equip our children with all the things they need to succeed.

But by summer’s end, my husband and I had exhausted our bag of tricks (and our patience) trying to teach almost-6-year old Emmet to ride his two-wheel bike: the same bike from which he had begged us to remove the training wheels, after watching a younger neighbor zipping around on two wheels.

At first, we tried balancing him on the bike without pedaling, so that he could feel the sensation of instability.

“Wooooo!” he exclaimed, as he tilted over and planted his feet on the ground.

“That’s good!” Jeff affirmed. “When you ‘feel the woo,’ you know to balance yourself!”

Emmet wasn’t interested in the “woo.” In fact, the woo scared him off his bike for days. Turns out, Emmet was absolutely terrified of falling.

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Five Great Kids’ Books That Will Actually Help You Parent Your Preschooler

By Tamara Reese  for Raising Kvell

Parenting a preschooler can sometimes feel immense and impossible. The sheer fact that my kid might have lifelong memories of something I did or said haunts me at night. I’ve already trudged through the muddy waters of newborn and toddler stuff and came out (barely) on the other side with some sense of confidence and strategy. But with my firstborn, I wake up each day to unknowns and I’m often up at night Googling how to best connect with him.

I have found that if I’ve talked with my son about something, it helps tremendously if the concept is reinforced by some sort of media. For example, we’ve been talking a lot about wasting water. Money and worth, in general, are very hard concepts for small children to wrap their brains around. I initially tried with “water costs money” and that approach was a giant intangible fail. So now, when the water is running while he is watching his tongue dance in the mirror, I tell him that we don’t want to waste water because it is a precious resource and it might go away someday. Just like the trees in “The Lorax.” He seemed to get that.

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For more on Jewish books for children, check out our    page.

The Jewish Take on Halloween

While Jewish law may say no to trick-or-treating, plenty of Jewish families say yes

From Kveller

To many, if not most, American Jewish parents, participating in Halloween revelries is considered harmless fun. Increasingly, however, rabbis and educators have challenged Jewish participation in Halloween activities. To be fair, the holiday does have pagan origins and it was later adopted by the Catholic Church. So it is understandable why some Jews would be tepid about celebrating a religious holiday that was never their own.

Yet, plenty of Jewish parents doll up their kids in capes and wigs and send them off in search of the perfect candy collection. Whether or not you decide to celebrate Halloween with your family comes down to what feels right for you.

Here’s some background on the different Jewish approaches to Halloween.

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The ‘Save the Princess’ Message Hurts Boys, Too

By Zsofia McMullin for The Motherlode in the NYTimes

I have a 5-year-old little boy, a living room filled with boxes of soldiers, swords and Matchbox cars, and a complicated relationship with fairy tales and the princes and princesses who live in them.

A part of me loves it when my son decides to play princess. It does happen from time to time — when we break out the nail polish and the sparkly eye shadow; he brushes my hair, puts on my necklaces and we watch Sophia the First. I am excited when he wants to explore a different part of himself, and I secretly enjoy this kind of activity. He is an only child and will always be an only child, and playing princess is something I know how to do without thinking. (Go figure!)

But then there are days when we sit down to play with his Playmobil figures and he announces that my princess figurine is not allowed to have a sword. “Why not?” I ask as I rebelliously attach a tiny gold sword to her hand, only for it to be ripped out again. “Because princesses don’t know how to use swords.” “So what am I going to do when the enemy attacks?” “Well, you just stay in the castle and wait for me, O.K.?”

Oh, all right.

Because clearly that is what princesses do in many movies and books: They wait for their prince to rescue them. There are many things that are wrong with this if you are the mother of a girl, but I am starting to feel like mothers of boys should be just as wary of this princess-myth.

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Audio: Top Ten Best Sukkot and Simchat Torah Songs

A musical journey through Simchat Torah and Sukkot featuring hassidic music, metal, hip-hop, mizrachi, sephardic and more from Israel National Radio Podcast.

This week the Israel Beat Jewish Music Podcast takes you on a musical journey through the Jewish holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah featuring hassidic music, metal, hip-hop, mizrachi, sephardic and more.

Hear different versions of the haunting and poignant classic by Naomi Shemer "Shlomit Builds a Sukkah" sung by Dudu Zaccai, Mashina and the Latma comedy troupe.

Plus an acapella hip-hop succah song from Y-Love. Also, listen to the Simchas Torah classic Mipi El from Daklon, Zion Golan, Eli Dali's Metal Prayer, and more. Also, Avraham Fried sings that Hakafot. Don't miss this diverse and danceable show.

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Online Activities for the Kids for Sukkot

What are your kids doing to prepare for Sukkot? Check out fun and games, coloring pages, create greeting cards and more from TorahTots.com 

 

Check out Jvillage’s High Holiday+    page.



While you're at it, check out our High Holidays Holiday Spotlight Kit for more great ideas, recipes, and activities for kids.