With Passover beginning tomorrow night, I've been reflecting of late on my hard relationship with Judaism. On one hand, my identity is very much as a Jew, at least culturally. I had a bar mitzvah. I've been to Israel. I can read Hebrew (although my understanding is limited). I went to a Hebrew high school, and even taught there for two years. I know the blessings by heart, or mostly. I have Passover Seders in my house, we occasionally have Shabbat, and I can "Oy vey" and "Nu, so ..." with the best of them. I married a Jewish woman, and we stepped on the glass. And guilt? Do I know about … [Read more...]
About Adam Gertsacov
My Days as Toddler Dad are Gone Forever
I was waiting in line at Trader Joe's when I had deja vu and an epiphany. I was by myself, having just dropped my son off at school. The guy in line in front of me was with his 2-year-son. The kid was still learning to talk well and use his words, still learning to walk like an expert -- a cutie in a parka, looking around at the world. As kids often are, the boy was both interested and scared of me. As the dad chatted with the clerk, he kept half an eye on his child who was looking at me, looking away, hiding behind his dad, coming back out. I made faces at the boy. A familiar dance for … [Read more...]
Worst Dad Ever? Ask My Son
My son's room is a perpetual mess. Hey, he's 7, I don't blame him. My office is a mess, too. And I'm 7.29 times older than he is! But last week, when I could no longer find the covers on his bed because of the layers of stuff strewn across it, I felt enough was enough. (My office is almost at that point, but not quite.) I resolved that we had to clean it up. So we spent his pre-bedtime activities (usually spent reading) by clearing his bed, putting toys away, throwing away broken toys, shoving Legos into boxes. We are in frenzied activity mode .. well, I was. I was pulling everything off … [Read more...]
‘Gator Dad’ a Stay-at-Home Reptile’s Tale
Gator Dad is a delightful picture book about an involved father who happens to be an alligator. Written and illustrated by best-selling author Brian Lies, the book tells a day in the life of our hero, the Gator Dad. He starts in the morning asking his young gators to wake up and squeeze the day. And they squeeze quite a lot into the day including breakfast, playground, adventures in a park, some old fashioned romping around at home, quiet reading time, some cuddling time, and finally bedtime (with one last squeeze for good luck!) This is a picture book, so it is short and an easy … [Read more...]
“Parent Hacks” Book: If MacGyver was a Father
Parenting is a job no school prepares you for. Every new parent starts a complete neophyte. Sure, you may have practiced diapering your friend's kid, or attended one of our New Dad Boot Camps, and maybe you were great at swaddling the baby doll when you went to your doula. But let's face it -- nothing prepares you for when your baby refuses to sleep at 3 a.m., or when you are not quite sure if your child swallowed your earphone buds, or how to baby-proof your hotel room. You learn by doing, by making mistakes and by improvising solutions. It's the ultimate in on-the-job-training. But … [Read more...]