Just because you're keeping safe doesn't mean you can't have fun

Let us uphold the three hundred million years of mammalian wisdom that course through our veins: the knowledge, baked into our DNA, that we must let go of the comforts of the past in order to welcome what is to come.

I'm not sure what it is about my parental role that has bestowed me with some preternatural sixth sense about where everything is. Nor am I certain how I wound up the guardian and keeper of things in this relationship. But perhaps more aptly, I'm very attuned to things being lost and missing, and desperately wanting them to be found.

In my last post, I said we were finding our rhythm, but when rhythm becomes too predictable, it becomes monotonous. What punctuates your rhythm?

Today marked day 22 of our self-isolation. I don't know about all of you, but we're starting to find our rhythm around here. For those who know anything about music theory, you'll recall that rhythm can take many forms.

What's a parent to do when their preschooler doesn't want to join virtual circle time? First, count your blessings. Second, join in and sing along!

A Google Drive folder chock full of materials to help children and families understand and cope with the current state of affairs!

What a strange few weeks it has been. We have the dubious honor of abiding by the apocryphal old fortune cookie whose wisdom portended, "May you live in interesting times."Here's some resources to get your family through all that interestingness.

Yes, most assuredly, this experience will affect them. It will most likely, if not definitely, cause developmental setbacks. But, the truth is, our children are going to have developmental setbacks no matter what happens, no matter how hard we try to protect them.

Take some time now, when your hair isn't on fire, to get all your calm-down tools in one bag or basket so that when things heat up, you can help yourself or your loved one get regulated and reconnected.

Make an heirloom menora drip tray! Light the lights. Feel the hope. Watch the wax drippings build up over time as a symbol of our yearly return to this enduring human gesture: the desire to bring ever-more light into the darkest of days, when our weary souls need it most.

Most outings are adventures for little ones, which is both good and bad news. Simple chores or errands can become massive Arctic expeditions when a small child is in tow. Here are some tried-and-true mindful offerings in service of helping parents everywhere get through their shopping lists more efficiently.

Press play and discover the hidden gifts in your mind. Allow yourself to be delighted, filled with wonder. Accept a gift from a long-lost friend or loved one. Allow that gift to heal the parts of you that are in most need of extra care today.

Whether you're dealing with adults or children, the first step in helping someone move on and adopt a cooperative mindset is listening to them until they feel good and listened to.

That feeling when you realize you are responsible for wiping n-1/n % of your household's butts.

It can be very difficult for children under the age of 5 and of disparate ages to find ways to play with each other in the way that each one would prefer most. I've worked out nine wonderful activities that my disparate-aged children enjoy doing together for more than 37 seconds at a time. Let me know how they work for your family!

This must be a form of cultural amnesia, a collective delusion that each of us is the first one to come up with the idea of gifting a stuffed animal to a young child. The antidote? Distinguished guests, I offer to you the gift of experiences.