A Parent in Israel

Between A Rock and a Hard Case

November 30, 2006

Shabbat afternoon in the park with my friend Eliot from out of town, eight-year-old Aviv and Eliot’s two little boys, Liav and Avidan, both of them under the age of 10, playing happily, riding scooters around a mostly empty basketball court while their parents chatted about whatever it is adults chat about. The weather was […]

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Curse of the 42-Inch Plasma

September 22, 2006

There’s an old saying “the only thing that separates men from boys is the size of their toys.” When my wife Jody and I were first planning out our recently-completed home renovation, trying to decide about such critical issues as whether to redo one bathroom or three, the one thing I held out for was […]

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Charting a New Course

August 31, 2006

Did you ever hear any of the following in your house? “It’s not my job, it’s his.” “I cleaned the table last night.” “I don’t have time to make my bed. I have to study for a test.” Well, we certainly have, too many times, and after fourteen years of parenting it was getting a […]

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The Power of Positive Hamstering

April 27, 2006

It was the seventh week of Merav’s latest illness. Sharp and constant pains still pierced her abdomen. She felt dizzy and weak, no doubt in part a result of self-imposed starvation as the very thought of food in her current condition nauseated her. Her head pounded and her joints ached. As we headed to the […]

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Gut Reaction

March 31, 2006

It’s hard to believe we’re back again. Back in the hospital, that is, a year after our twelve-year-old daughter Merav was hospitalized for severe stomach cramps, joint pain, jaundice and suspected hepatitis. Last time, she was admitted for a week, and wound up missing nearly two months of school. The doctors chose to wait it […]

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Personal Space

February 23, 2006

It’s a familiar scene in our house. Too familiar. One of the kids will be sitting on the couch reading or playing in the living room. Another kid will come up, sit down right in his or her space and either start something in a demonstratively bothersome way, or try to enter uninvited into the […]

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A Nerd and Proud of It

February 16, 2006

“You’re a ch’noon,” my twelve-year-old daughter Merav impishly pronounced me one day after I refused to let her take an “emotional health” day from school. “What’s a…what did you call me?” I replied. “A ch’noon,” Merav said, repeating the Israeli slang that, to the best of my fading Hebrew uplan memory, was not on the […]

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Red Lines

January 12, 2006

It was only a matter of time before one of our kids demanded access to what may be the most rebellious, dangerous and terrifying activities known to parents in Israel. In this case, the culprit in question was twelve-year-old Merav, and her act of teenage defiance? She wanted to ride the bus. In normal circumstances, […]

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With Pleasure

January 5, 2006

I was leaving a meeting at about 9:00 PM on a Thursday night when I heard my cell phone beep. It was a text message from my wife Jody. It read: “Did you get my other message?” And I thought: uh oh…that meant I had missed something important. I saw that there was indeed another […]

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Scooter Boy

December 21, 2005

As we were coming to pick up our six-year-old Aviv from his third week in first grade last year, his new teacher pulled my wife Jody and me aside. “He seems a little spacey in class,” Yael said. “Like he’s not really paying attention. I’m not sure he’s really ‘getting’ things. I’m a bit concerned.” […]

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