By Emily Felt
Before We Held You in Our Arms is a recently released children’s picture book that draws on the love and desire of parenthood long before the baby cuddles and snuggles. Emily Feit, a Los Angeles native and licensed clinical social worker, wrote this book after her long personal journey with infertility. After having her twins through multiple rounds of IVF and her son through surrogacy, she was inspired to write this heartwarming story after she noticed that many children’s books about infertility did not touch on the emotions that go along with the infertility journey. Authoring this book is Emily’s way of helping to open the conversation between parent and child about how much the child was desired before they were born. Gentle and age appropriate, the book is a love story between parent and child. (more…)

I lost my father on August 28, 2022. This is my Father’s Day card to him in heaven.

By Shirin Yadegar

Dear Dad,
This is my second Father’s Day without your sweet smile, soft voice and strong embrace. The words for this card flow with the same rigor of my tears. There is so much lost in the past 22 months. The loss of hearing your genuine love, smelling your sweet scent and listening to your gentle voice. Camille, who you always called the “professor” hasn’t washed your sweatshirt she took from your closet so when she wears it she can hold on to your scent. (more…)

By Angela B.
We’re all familiar with finals season. Most teachers give you notice all year about their final exam. They tell you the things that might appear, give you a multitude of study guides, and yet the final exam always sneaks up on you when you’re least expecting it. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone. Everyone feels the antsy, jittery rush of May and June. (more…)

By Janis Adams

Whether your child is developmentally ready to make the move from preschool to kindergarten may depend on whether they are successfully mastering some very adult sounding competencies called “executive functioning.”

Executive functioning is a set of skills: the capacity to plan ahead and meet goals, display self-control, follow multiple-set directions even when interrupted, and stay focused despite distractions, among others.

In other words, executive functioning is the ability to prioritize tasks, filter distractions, and control impulses — lofty goals for a preschooler! (more…)

By Nathalie Kunin

What education during Covid has taught us, and how we are applying those lessons to how we educate our children today.

Looking back on schooling during Covid gives many of us PTSD, but we have learned many valuable and positive lessons from this experience. We learned how adaptive and resilient our children are. Most pivoted quickly to virtual learning which illustrates how flexible children can be and that there are many different methods of teaching. While an in-person school setting is ideal for most, we have learned that students can thrive in non-traditional environments.

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By Shirin Yadegar

As mothers, our hearts ache when we witness senseless acts of violence that claim innocent lives. The recent massacre at the Nova Festival in Israel on October 7, where terrorists attacked peaceful festival-goers, serves as a stark reminder that no corner of the world is immune to such atrocities. That could have been our children dancing at Coachella.

We must show our children by example how to be up standers. We must use our voices to stand up against the deafening silence of the international community. It is our duty, as mothers, to take charge of shaping the future generations. (more…)

By Daniella Emrani

First you’re stuck in traffic- driving to basketball games, karate lessons, and art classes, and before you know it, the whirlwind of college applications is looming over you. Whether your inbox is inundated with emails from college counselors or your Instagram feed starts suggesting the names of test prep companies for the SAT and ACT, this reality is inevitable. If you’re suddenly putting extra pressure on your child, tossing and turning at night because you feel responsible for their future, or scouring the internet to compare acceptance rates, you are NOT alone.

And then- it happens. You remember that beyond the grades, clubs, and extensive extracurriculars that you assumed would suffice, these schools will be judging a college essay. In mere moments, they will decide whether to continue reading or to throw the essay your child labored tirelessly over back into the applicant pile. (more…)

Moms, please read and share with your daughters.

By Eve Barlow
I have struggled with something all week. Well that’s a lie. I knew the whole time I advocated alongside the global feminist movement this past decade that the day would come when I’d feel made to be an outcast by my commitment to fighting for Jewish survival and the rights of all women, including Jews. I did it anyway because I’m a feminist and I care about women’s right. I was compelled to do the right thing.

The demographic of person I have by-and-large muted, blocked or simply unfollowed from my feeds since the war between Israel and Hamas began are the woke millennial moms. Believe it or not, the woke millennial moms have become the biggest propaganda pushers for Hamas. There was a point last week when I thought perhaps the woke millennial moms might be the end of civilization. I mean, they do know that if Hamas/ISIS/Iran win this thing, then liberation in America looks like us all skipping our college educations and wearing hijabs, right? How the hell did this happen? (more…)

Curious Cardinals Forbes 30 under 30 founder shares insightful parenting strategies that formed who she is today.

By Audrey Wisch

As the 22-year-old founder and CEO of Curious Cardinals, I spend most of my time with parents and their kids. Since I was in their kids’ shoes not too long ago, parents often ask me “what did your parents do right?”

No one is perfect. I’m not and nor are my parents. But I attribute much of the personal fulfillment I feel in life to lessons learned from my parents. And as parents, what more do you want than to ensure your offspring feel fulfillment in life?!

Here are a few lessons from my mom and dad that profoundly shaped my path: (more…)

My honest journey of finding the joy of motherhood after 4 children.

By Shirin Yadegar

We are so afraid of failure that we don’t take risks. We are so afraid of not being perfect that we don’t say yes to new opportunities. We are so afraid of rejection that we don’t step out of our comfort zones.

The example we are setting for our children is a false sense of perfection.
Studies show that 1/3 of teens are anxious and have attempted suicide. It’s because they don’t see the joy in the journey of life. If their parents and community are fixated on perfect grades, scores, schools and jobs without an emphasis on the journey and the joy of life then of course they are going to be anxious and unhappy. (more…)