This post is part of our month-long series featuring different ways that parents of various religions have talked to their kids about God.

It wasn’t until I was asked to contribute to this series that I realized I had never spoken with my children about God. Or so I thought. Sex, yes, doubtless too soon and too often. Death, yes, memorably. But God? I couldn’t remember. So I asked my kids.

Miriam, our 13-going-on-28-year old, simply said, “Probably not,” then returned to reading her book (David Copperfield? The latest installment in The Clique series? You can never tell.) Ben, our 16-year-old guy’s-guy-and-proud-of it, had a vague recollection that some conversation had taken place, somewhere, some time. Maybe. “I think you told us we could believe whatever we wanted about God, and you would support us,” he said. “But then again, that’s the kind of thing you would say,” he added. I was still patting myself on the back for my parenting skills when he asked me for a ride to the mall, and it wasn’t till I got there that I paused to admire his highly effective flattery. Read more →

In honor of Mother’s Day, here’s a touching piece about how other mothers can help relieve your constant parental worrying.

As the mother of a special needs child, more often than not it’s all about the worry. Actually, parenting in general, but parenting a special needs kid in particular, is a life sentence of worry with a side of second guessing yourself.

As if that wasn’t enough, you also get to frequently experience disappointment for your child. Read more →

We present this piece about that tricky mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship just in time for Mother(-in-law)’s Day.

My mom and I are so close that we can finish each other’s sentences, or at least harmonize in what my husband calls the Parade of Horribles (“Hope this milk’s not expired/Hope it’s not too cold for shorts/Oy, oy, oy”). But this Mother’s Day, I need to make a special effort to knock down the walls that have risen between “MIL” Dearest and me.  Read more →

This week’s most popular posts, in case you missed them.

- My God Rants Are Rubbing Off On My Kids. Pia is going through a lot: a divorce underway, she lost her job, her father is sick, etc. So, she hasn’t been so happy with God, and now she knows her kids can tell.

- When Mom Gets a Tattoo. With kids aged 22, 19, and 3, the one thing Gayle’s learned is how fast time flies by. So, she got a tattoo to commemorate her kids, to remind herself that while they will move on, she will always be their permanent home.

- How a Mormon Teaches Her Child to Pray. As part of our ongoing series about God and kids, Joyce tells her how she’s making sure her Mormon faith will be passed down to her son–by teaching him to pray.

- That Time I Tried to Go to Paris. Mayim Bialik was supposed to be off on a flight to Paris, but when her friend jokingly asked if she had packed her passport, she realized no, she most definitely did not.

“How are you celebrating Mother’s Day?”

This is what all the moms were asking each other in our “Shabbat Shalom” toddler group this morning. For some, it was only their second Mother’s Day as mothers. For others of us (hand raised), Mother’s Day almost feels like a regular facet of the calendar. The real question, though, was eloquently asked by my friend and Kveller contributor Rebecca Schorr: “Are you in the “Mother’s Day means I want to be nowhere other than with my precious children” camp or the “Mother’s Day means I want to be nowhere near anyone who calls me Mom” camp?” Read more →

Need some Mother’s Day gift inspiration? We asked our contributing editors the three things they want (and the one thing they can’t actually buy). Now, in order to assure my husband gets me what I want, it’s my turn. Here’s what I’m hoping for this year, honey.

1. Japanese Coffee Funnel

Since becoming a mother I have so few vices. However, the one I have refused to give up on is coffee. My 6-month-old has developed a fondness for early mornings, so we often get up and hang out at 5 am. More fun for her than me, I’m guessing. In those early morning hours I’d like the ability to make one delicious cup of coffee.

2.Dwell Magazine

I’m a sucker for magazines. And pretty houses.

3. Mamaleh Necklace

My life right now (or ever) has nothing in common with that of Carrie Bradshaw. But I’m pretty sure that if Carrie Bradshaw was the editor of Kveller, she would wear this necklace. In gold, of course.

The one thing I want for Mother’s Day that you can’t actually buy:

I want everyone in my house to sleep through the night. In their own bed.

*By purchasing any of the above items through Amazon, a portion of the proceeds will go to support our work at Kveller. It’s a Mother’s Day mitzvah!*

Next up on the Jewish holiday docket is Shavuot, which is a two-day holiday that begins next Tuesday at sundown.

Shavuot was originally an ancient harvest festival celebrating the grain crop. In Hebrew, Shavuot means “weeks” and the holiday is celebrated seven weeks after Passover begins. But today, Shavuot is mostly recognized as the anniversary of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. Read more about the basics here.

So how do you celebrate this holiday with the kids? Some ideas: Read more →

The good dessert.

This post, part of our month-long series about God, is by Elizabeth Hunter, one of the winners of our writing contest.

What does an atheist say to her kids about God?

Nothing, if she can avoid it.

At least that was my plan. Before our first baby was born, I gave my husband the job of discussing religion. He’s an atheist too, but he came out of Catholicism with a much more detailed view of the Bible than my liberal protestant upbringing gave me. In spite of my Sunday school teachers’ best efforts, I never absorbed much beyond God wants your dad to slit your throat (Abraham and Isaac anyone?) and be nice. Read more →

This post, part of our month-long series about God, is by Joyce Anderson, one of the winners of our writing contest.

I’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some people call us “The Mormon.” Despite what you’ve heard, what you think about Mitt Romney, or what Broadway musicals say about us, we’re pretty normal people who just want to teach our children how to be godly in an increasingly godless world.

After my first son was born, and after the shock of motherhood started to wear off, I realized that I needed to start thinking about how I was going to teach my son about God, Heaven, Jesus Christ, and all of the other things we believe. I felt overwhelmed at the task in front of me, and I really didn’t know what to do, other than pray. Read more →

“Apparently I picked the wrong number of kids to have,” a friend and mother of three kids posted on my Facebook wall the other day. “Maybe you are onto something?”

She–and every other mom of three kids I know–was referencing the recent survey by TODAY Moms (full disclosure, for which I’m a contributor). The survey came up with the unexpected finding that the moms who have it hardest are moms of three kids:

Mothers of three children stress more than moms of one or two, while mothers of four or more children actually report lower stress levels, according to an exclusive TODAYMoms.com survey of more than 7,000 U.S.mothers released Monday. Call it the Duggar effect: Once you get a certain critical mass of kids, life seems to get a bit easier.

Let me let you in on a secret that you probably already know: this is bullshit. Sorry. But here are the reasons: Read more →