Every parent in America is on edge this week. As we drove our sons and daughters to school, or put them on a bus, many of us choked back the tears as we continue to collectively grieve for the tragic incident at Sandy Hook Elementary School, and pray our children...

Just like knowing someone with cancer, almost everyone has either lived through a natural disaster or has a relative who has in the past few years -- whether a hurricane, fire, drought, tornado, flood, earthquake or hail. Very few places are left that have not felt the wrath and devastation...

My family and I made a big move this year from the provincial and quaint charm of New England to the high plains and big sky of rural Western Nebraska. It is different. The cultural and geographic changes between the East or West Coast and the Midwest can feel even...

Last week Americans were waiting for the super committee to figure out our budget woes, and save us with a plan. No luck. They didn't bother to even meet during crunch time, but instead went on talk shows to admit there was no possibility for creating a deal. As automatic...

In this new era of digital kids, what inspires the socially networked youth? Is it a great YouTube video, Skype chat or a MeetUp on FourSquare? What inspires them in school? Kids are pressed to perform on standardized tests, losing electives like art or music due to budget cuts, and...

Summertime often harkens back the memory of reading dime-store novels, plowing through the "Harry Potter" series with the kids, or cruising the fiction bestsellers while lounging by the pool. Read anything good lately?

Most likely, if you are reading this article, you are one of the few mutants left...

Two years ago, I got my first Facebook account, and wondered if Facebook friends were real friends. It was one of the most requested articles I have written for reprint. I then wrote about Facebook and our youth, and wondered if their brains were equipped to handle social...

I have just re-emerged after a hiatus of several weeks to rejoin my HuffPost family. I've missed you. As a parent, I have been swimming in the underworld with one of my adolescent children, suffering from sudden anxiety and severe panic attacks. As all parents know, when a child is...

Have you ever noticed that not a single hour of news on TV goes by without at least one story of death blaring in HD across the screen within the first five minutes? The local news crisply delivers the drive-by shooting, suicide or kidnapping, and the national news shows no...

The first day of spring is Monday. From my little corner of the world on the East Coast, it has been the longest winter on record. Just hearing the birds chirp again was startling, and the sight of grass was a shock to the eyes. Not only has the winter...

Have you ever heard of International Women's Day? I hadn't, until last year, and I have been interested in women's studies all my life. The holiday is widely celebrated in Europe, Africa and Russia -- complete with parades, fanfare and gifts of acknowledgement for the women who make...

There is something powerful about collective energy. It is the reason we love to go to live concerts in the summer. The beer is awful, the sound system sucks, but the sensation of being swept away with thousands of other people to the tune of a favorite song is magical....

One of the most obligatory holidays is upon us. Love it or hate it, St. Valentine is back in the picture.

How often does Valentine's Day truly live up to the romantic expectations? Most agree that it is the worst night to go out to dinner, with rush pre-set menus,...

This post is dedicated to my "coffee girls." For the past eight years, I have met with the same group of women at a local bagel joint on Thursday mornings. Having met when our children were in the same preschool, we have seen each other through divorces, job changes, my...

I am turning 44 years old in two weeks -- officially a dinosaur. Despite entering into my third year of weekly writing for The Huffington Post, the world of personal blogging and social networking is still somewhat mysterious to me. I am on the cusp of generations who did not...

Gabrielle Giffords smiled, Sargent Shriver was honored in a memorial service Saturday, and our nation is experiencing a wave of open-heartedness that offers such a refreshing change from the exhaustive finger-pointing of politics and the black cloud of recession depression. Those moments are easily swept under the rug, but they...

An astrologer friend of mine told me the month of January is an excellent time for moving forward. Apparently all the planets are aligned with our natural instinct to consider January as the month for making positive changes in our lives. The local gyms are packed, carrot sticks are replacing...

What is the difference between lemons and lemonade? Water and sugar: sweetness. For many Americans, life has been nothing but lemons for a long, long time. The United States has experienced quite a sour decade, and the sting in the back of the throat lingers on and on. The 90s...

Well, there's less than a week til Christmas -- how's everyone doing out there? The United States is Christmas-crazy, and whether you celebrate or not, it is impossible to escape the effects. Holiday music blares on the radio 24/7, the weather in much of the country is freezing, it is...

'Tis the season once again. The menorahs are being lit, the radio stations are running 24/7 Christmas music and the season of parties is just ramping up. Front porches have zoomed from the pumpkins to scarecrows to the holiday wreaths in record time. With the upcoming buzz of office holiday...