Know what I think? I think little boys should not be allowed to turn four years old. Especially those little boys who happen to be their mother’s “baby.” A mother’s heart is a crazy thing. Half of it wants our small children to hurry up and wean, hurry up and potty train, hurry up and gain some independence already. And yet the other half wants them to never do any of those things and to remain exactly as they are... Read more

In our recent discussion about the dubious heroism of Columbus, Lincoln, and Joel Hodgson (well, somebody should have said Joel), The Jerk did his job as peacemaker, and poured soothing oils on the stormy waters of our dialogue by bringing up the subject of fluoridation. For readers who are not familiar with The Jerk, he is this guy who writes for my blog, and he is a jerk.  What’s the matter, The Jerk — sick and tired of having a... Read more

It’s on teen wristbands, hats, and t-shirts. I even once saw WWJD? tattooed on a young woman’s arm. The idea, of course, is that we should continually ask ourselves: What Would Jesus Do? as a way of ensuring we will always do the right thing. The question has become so commonplace, that I think most of us never pause to examine it. Or even to ask if this is an appropriate way to determine what we ought to do. Eric... Read more

I don’t think Betty Butterfield is an acquired taste — I think you either find her funny right away, or just turn away in disgust and bafflement, and that’s that.  Since Betty doesn’t explain herself, I won’t, either, but here are a few of my favorite clips.  (These are not for kids!!) Betty does a whole series on visiting churches, and I think the Catholics come out looking the best.  Here she is on her visit to St. Assisi Francentine:... Read more

This video’s a little New-Agey, but the hymn is a beautiful one for the end of the day. I sing it with my children every night, though not that angelically, and not in a round. All praise to thee, my God, this night, For all the blessings of the light. Keep me, O keep me, King of Kings, Beneath Thine own almighty wings. ‘Night, all. (Cross-posted) Read more

I had certainly hoped to have posted more pictures of Rome by now, but it’s an arduous process on an iPad, and frankly most nights my husband and I are so beat, we get back to our lodgings and pass out.  And since he is missing television in English, I have been surrendering the device to him so he can watch sitcom classics. I figure it is the least I can do for a guy who treats me so well!... Read more

A little hopped on espresso over here…Narf! You might like today’s Word of the Day! Read more

(I stole the title for this blog post from Wendy Shalit’s awesome book on a similar topic) Have you met The Girls With Glasses? This super-cute pair of young women is taking aim at media standards for female “success stories” — with a rare blend of humor and class. In the video above, we see Brooke (Yes! Brooke White from American Idol!) and Summer learning the ropes of producing a successful reality television show. Cat fights, train wrecks, and foul... Read more

GUEST POST WRITTEN BY SIMCHA FISHER: In discussing history with my older kids, I always try to hammer home the following point: when someone tells you that this or that issue is perfectly simple, then that person is either stupid or lying. Here’s a satisfying case in point:  a recent Salon article (h/t to Kevin James) reminds us that, despite what renowned scholar Dan “I know how to type” Brown tells us, it wasn’t the mean old misogynistic Church who... Read more

Youtube adoramus te christe palestrina. I have a name-twin who plays the violin-a. Unless they google Castle in the Sea, Most people neither find nor search for me. I dunno, Simcha. My search terms were a lot less interesting than yours. * On reading Danielle’s thoughts today on homeschooling,  I think it’s safe to say that there’s no decision about children’s education, never mind any other aspect of parenting, that’s not fraught with ambivalence and a lot of head-swiveling to... Read more