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Sharon Duke Estroff

Sharon Duke Estroff

It’s the mitzvah, not the bar, that counts

It\’s been said that when it comes to raising children, the days go slow and the years go fast. As I find myself in the thick of planning my second son\’s bar mitzvah, these words ring all too true.

The sweet rewards of Rosh Hashanah rituals

The change was subtle but undeniable. A slightly deeper shade of brown; carrots cut lengthwise rather than sliced; some scattered sprigs of rosemary. Any other day of the year, such a discrete rift in recipe might have gone unnoticed. But this was not any other day of the year — this was Rosh Hashanah.

To sleep-away camp … perchance to dream

Going to overnight camp for the first time. It is — in many circles — a Jewish rite of passage. Unlike becoming a bar or bat mitzvah, however, the perfect timing for transitioning from day camper to overnight camper is not preordained; on the contrary, it can vary significantly from child to child.

Online social scene clicks with younger set

Save the few Web sites with supertight security (most of which are considered too babyish by tweens and up), worry resounds throughout kiddie cybersocial world. While parental e-mail consent may be required before activating a child\’s registration, there\’s no way for a Web site to determine whether the e-mailed permission is indeed linked to a parent.

At Party Time: Candy is dandy — charity is sweeter

As my son\’s bar mitzvah day inched closer, I began to see the world in a whole different light — a disco ball light, to be exact — for as my child grew, so did his friends, officially putting us both on the b\’nai mitzvah circuit.

When Birthday Party Blowouts Blowup

Fortunately, it\’s perfectly possible to plan a kid-friendly birthday bash without compromising our values, sanity and pocketbook. All it takes is a little panning for gold.

Helping Kids Cope With Difficult Teachers

It\’s a scene straight out of the worst-case scenario parent handbook. Our child — a normally happy student — lands the \”Teacher From the Black Lagoon.\” She\’s evil, he tells us shaking in his Air Jordans. Not to mention out to get him. How can he possibly be expected to learn when his teacher is the scholastic version of Attila the Hun?

Throw a Party With a Purpose

It\’s not that glitz, glamour and secular themes at b\’nai mitzvah are inherently problematic, like in the soon-to-be-released one-upsmanship film, \”Keeping Up With the Steins,\” but when they\’re inadequately balanced with Jewish values we can be left with an empty shell of a party that undermines the entire point of these meaningful milestones.

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