Category Archives: Reality check

Like School, But Worse

Posted on September 12, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

“Nobody likes going to religious school,” I tell my youngest daughter whenever she complains about going to Hebrew school, which is twice a week. “It doesn’t matter if they have to go to CCD or Sunday School or a madrassah. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check | Tagged concentration camp, Hebrew school, Jewish heritage, religious school | 5 Comments

A Family Vacation With Someone Else’s Family

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

The biggest disadvantage of having three kids covering a seven-year age span is that it is virtually impossible to find a family activity that makes everyone happy. Movie night, for instance, means either the 9-year-old hides her eyes during Pulp … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, Travel | Tagged board games, Chappaquiddick, family entertainment, family vacation, Hurricane Irene, Martha's Vineyard | 3 Comments

There’s No Place Like Camp

Posted on August 22, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

Usually when the kids arrive home after being away, we enjoy a brief honeymoon period: they are engaged, chatty, appreciative, helpful and pleasant. Not this time. My 16-year-old daughter returned yesterday after four weeks of being a junior counselor at … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, Teenagers | Tagged leaving the kids, Mt. Washington, separation, sleepaway camp, Wizard of Oz | 7 Comments

The Back-to-School Build Up

Posted on August 15, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

I love that old Staples commercial that shows a father gleefully filling a shopping cart with school supplies, kicking his heels to the strains of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” while his kids mope along behind. I, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, Working motherhood | Tagged back to school, Kohl's, Old Navy, school supplies, Staples, summer reading | 10 Comments

With the Kids Away, the Snoop Will Prey

Posted on August 2, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

The house is quiet. The counters are strangely uncluttered. No dirty socks lie balled beneath the coffee table, no empty glasses litter the top. The bathroom sink remains eerily free of toothpaste streaks. Yes, it’s the high point of our … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Parenting, Reality check, Teenagers | Tagged kids at camp, secrets, snooping, teen journals, teen privacy | 12 Comments

Bracing for the Crash

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

I got a very good piece of advice from a friend whose oldest child is a few years older than mine: do not, under any circumstances, buy a new car within two years of your child’s taking Driver’s Ed. My … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, Teenagers | Tagged driver's ed, teen driving | 6 Comments

Don’t Let it Go to Your Head

Posted on June 13, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

If my 8-year-old had to derive her sense of self strictly from the public recognition she received last week, she’d be insufferable. Good thing she’s got me to keep things in perspective. First, she was asked to sign the Principal’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Cranky mommy blogger, Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check | Tagged overpraising, soccer trophies | 2 Comments

Adderall to the Rescue

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

I awoke yesterday morning to an urgent email from a friend who I’ll call Charlotte, asking me to read an essay she’d written. She included a postscript on the bottom: “FYI: I stayed up all night. ALL NIGHT. Instead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Family life, Parenting, Reality check, Working motherhood | Tagged Adderall, hyperactivity | 2 Comments

June is the Cruelest Month

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

December has always been my least favorite month, but June is now running a close second. The things that I despise about December–the stressing over gifts, the relentless parties, the overeating and drinking, the looming stretch of school vacation–have come … Continue reading →

Posted in Cranky mommy blogger, Family life, Parenting, Reality check | Tagged end-of-year activities, school project, teacher gifts | Leave a comment

Can We Be Friends?

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Susan H. Greenberg

When my oldest daughter started preschool 14 years ago, I was antsy, pregnant and desperate to connect with other women. But friendship among mothers, as I quickly learned, is built on much more than shared experiences; it requires a similar … Continue reading →

Posted in Cranky mommy blogger, Parenting, Reality check | Tagged friendship between moms, parenting style, play dates | 5 Comments