Today is National Coming Out Day, so I thought I’d share some thoughts on coming out as a lesbian mom, along with a few resources for both parents and kids. I posted a version of this a couple of years ago, but I hope it bears repeating.
Back-to-school time always raises mixed feelings in me. On the one hand, years of being in academia make me see September, not January, as the start of the year (or maybe it’s just a Jewish thing). On the other, the lazy days of summer are giving way to school time’s hectic rush, with my son’s after-school activities, homework reminders, and the various other events and paperwork that public education brings in its wake.
Pride is a funny concept, with both positive and negative connotations. It goeth before a fall. It makes a combustible pairing with prejudice. The Marines, though few, lay claim to it. Pride can be overweening. It can blind us to the needs of others. But it can also remind us of what is important in life: our children, our families, our identities.
I’ve been lighting the Hanukkah candles with my 11-year-old son this week and thinking about how we all could use a little light right now.
A few weeks ago I posted about the new rules for Dungeons & Dragons that are explicitly inclusive of characters with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities. I also promised to tell a personal story about an encounter with the people at Wizards of the Coast, the makers of D&D. Here it is.
My son finished elementary school this month, and while he seems to be approaching the idea of middle school with aplomb (or at least with the casual coolness of which 11-year-olds seem capable), I’m having a bad case of nostalgia right now. We’re at a family milestone, but I remind myself that such milestones are only the most prominent markers along a path full of signs and wonders.
When I spoke at HuffPo Live last week, the interviewer asked what our son did for us on Mother’s Day. What he does is only part of our family celebration, however. Here’s what our whole day looked like this year.
Mondays can be rough, especially if you’re like me and not a morning person. I find it helps me to get moving, though, if I think about some of the things for which I’m grateful. Here’s today’s list, in no particular order.
I asked my son to share some of his favorite books, in honor of this week’s Read Across America — the National Education Association’s annual celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday and the excitement of reading. Here’s what he picked, along with his reasons for doing so.
