Dear Pop, My mother is very sick and will soon pass. What do I tell my children about death and dying? Sad Mom Dear Sad Mom, Grandparents are an important part of your children’s lives because Nana and Papa link them to our past as well as provide them comfort, love, and understanding. Since…
Dear Pop, My daughter will have a baby this spring. I want to teach my grandchild American Sign Language (ASL) but my wife thinks that will only confuse the child. I say it will empower my granddaughter. Who’s right? Deaf Grandpa Dear Deaf Grandpa, You’re right. Now let me tell you why. Soon after birth,…
With the New Year in sight, many of us think about changing ourselves for the better. Some people would like to lose weight while others may want to improve their grades in school. Improving the parent/child relationship should be on top of every parent’s to-do-list. This is not a one-sided effort. It means that children…
Celebrating New Year on January 1 is a relatively new trend. New Year’s Day, a civil event and a date not fixed by any natural seasonal marker, was first celebrated by the Romans. They picked this date to honor their god Janus, the god of all beginnings. A double-faced head represented Janus with…
Many parents would like to teach their children the true meaning of Christmas, but too many people commandeer the religious festival for political ends while others create an obscenity called Black Friday. Back in 1959 the John Birch Society (JBS), an organization defending the United States against communism and the secularization of Christmas, blamed the…
Jews have lived in the United States since colonial times celebrating Chanukah along with their other holidays. In this article you’ll see how Chanukah has inspired one of America’s greatest leaders, General George Washington. On December 19, 1777 General Washington and his Continental Army arrived at Valley Forge. Many of the General’s…
What can you possibly give to someone who has everything? It’s sometimes a tough issue trying to find a gift to give this person or others for Christmas. Here’s an idea. Christmastime is the season of giving. A few years ago my cousin Joni donated money in my honor to the American School for the…
Christmastime is when children are on vacation, gifts are exchanged, and candy canes become ubiquitous. They are on gift packages, hung on Christmas trees, and handouts in December by teachers to their students for a job well done. Legend has it that candy canes originated in Germany as candy sticks. It is said that…
The Hunt for Xanadu recently received a 5 pops review from this blog. Elyse Salpeter’s second book in her Kelsey Porter Series, The Quest of the Empty Tomb, was also an exciting ride, but didn’t exactly live up to the high bar Salpeter’s first book established. In The Quest of the Empty Tomb, Salpeter brings back many…
History must have order and some symmetry of meaning so its students can process its content in an organized fashion. Consequently, history only records twelve princesses, a highly composite number, when in truth, there were thirteen of them. History also records those princesses going to sleep every night and waking up to find their slippers…