Featured Posts

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  How Parents Can Cope with a Tragedy Like the Oklahoma Tornado
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  Mayim Bialik: How I Teach My Kids About Both Science & Faith
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  Since Living in the Suburbs, I Need to Take More Risks
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  How an Ex-Catholic and Jewish Atheist Talk to Their Kids About God
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  How I Got My Toddler to Poo in the Potty

Full Name

Jana Banin

Website

http://ihateyourkids.tumblr.com/

Bio

Jana Banin is a freelance magazine writer and blogger. Her work has appeared in Parents, Time Out New York Kids, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parenting, Babytalk, Marie Claire, and other publications. Before writing mostly about little kids she wrote mostly about teenagers, working as an editor at both ym and Seventeen magazines. Jana lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three kids. She is currently writing a memoir about raising a child with autism.

Posts by Jana Banin:

• Sep 13 2011
  A Special Uniform for my Special Needs Son

  We recently moved to Florida from Brooklyn. I grew up down here, so coming back shouldn’t feel like such a major adjustment. But it does, and I’m guessing that’s because all of my parenting experience up until now has been … Continue reading →

 

• May 5 2011
  What to Read for Special Needs

  One thing I learned after my son Benjamin was diagnosed with autism is that raising a kid with special needs can be a very isolating experience. Sure, the couple of amazing autism mom friends I’ve been lucky enough to meet … Continue reading →

 

• Mar 3 2011
  Snowflakes Don’t Lie

  “Zack gave his brother his last piece of candy!” I scrawled on the back of one of the white paper snowflakes distributed by my son Zack’s teacher. “Now make a happy face,” Zack instructed. He was closely monitoring the production … Continue reading →

 

• Jan 20 2011
  Blowing Out The Candle

  Last week, we lit a yahrzeit candle in memory of my father-in-law who passed away two years ago. Benjamin, my 7 year old, blew it out. I knew I couldn’t blame him. Benjamin can’t help but think “birthday” when he … Continue reading →

 

• Dec 17 2010
  Autism Means Never Having To Downplay Christmas

  For a long time my feelings about Christmas fell into the pleasantly ambivalent category. Sure, I might become slightly irritated when a national retailer had the nerve to run holiday commercials before Thanksgiving, and the whole tipping thing stressed me … Continue reading →

 

• Dec 2 2010
  Hanukkah Gifts for Kids with Special Needs

  I was really excited to shop for Benjamin’s Hanukkah gifts this year. Not just because he deserves them (and really, he does—the kid works so hard, and he’s been making amazing progress lately), but because only recently does he seem … Continue reading →

 

• Nov 16 2010
  Is It Me? Or My Mezuzah?

  You have to check your mezuzahs!” Yossi’s mother implored while we were waiting at the hospital for our kids to come out of surgery. I am normally not a superstitious person, but three weeks before this injury, Zachary knocked out a … Continue reading →

 

• Oct 29 2010
  Halloween Terror: The Peanut Problem

  Halloween was terrifying last year. It wasn’t the fake blood or the creepy clowns or the overwhelming crowds that descend on our block every year (seriously—we get around 2,000 trick or treaters). It was the peanuts. Benjamin, my autistic 7-year-old, … Continue reading →

 

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