Dear Adam Lanza,

What happened? Where did we fail you?

I'm assuming something went horribly wrong in your life, leading you to this horrific day in December, smack in the middle of our holiday season.

Did it happen at home, with the breakup of your parents' marriage? Was it in...

Have you heard? It's election time in America. A year of campaigning, grandstanding, hand-shaking, politicking, debating, mud-slinging and flag-pin wearing. A year filled with super-PACs, soapboxes, and the good ol' red, white and blue.

The conventions are over, and the candidates have officially accepted their party's nominations. So, who...

Ever watch the pundits on the cable TV news? They have an opinion on just about everything.

Yep, ever since cable news arrived on our cultural landscape, it's been a 24/7 news cycle, one that never takes a break, never sleeps, gathers no moss and always seems to be badgering...

Lately, I've been hearing all this talk about election fraud, "noncitizens," and the like. Well, I say forget about it. Not necessary! We don't need to figure out who's who and whether so-and-so is a citizen and can vote in the next presidential election. What we need is an election...

I am probably the best mom ever. At least that's what my son told me in a text he sent me to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. Really? Probably the best mom?

Which leaves me wondering: Just what could put me over the edge to make me the best...

'Tis the season!

Yes, you know what I'm talking about. It's time for spring break. College students everywhere are flocking home or heading to the tropics for the traditional, one week of fun in the sun, professor-free, no-pulling-all-nighters spring break vacation. And my daughter is no exception.

After a...

It was the kind of homework assignment a self-conscious Latina dreaded most. Picture, if you will, 1964. LBJ is in the White House. Muhammad Ali beats Sonny Liston and is crowned heavyweight champion of the world. The Beatles make their U.S. debut on "The Ed Sullivan Show." And me? I'm...

Whitney Houston came into my life one cold, gray day in January, 1993. I was a mother of two young children, and had relocated across the country, to a brand new city, for my husband's work. I didn't know a soul. And then, I learned that my husband of 12...

It's Girl Scout cookie time! Time to order your favorite cookies from your neighborhood girl scout. So, what's it going to be? Thin Mints? Samoas? Trefoils?

Of course, these days, girls have to be careful about how they sell cookies, and most only go to neighbors they know, as...

When Marianne Gingrich said in an interview that Newt, her hubby of 19 years, had asked her for an open marriage, my first thought was, "Poor thing. How awful that she had to deal with that."

But, then I remembered: It had once happened to me. Back...

In honor of the New Year, I'm here to offer some hope. After all, like many of you, I've been through the ringer of divorce. I've paid my dues and am now an alumnus of "Divorce University." That means I'm in a position to bring you some good news.

Wherever...

Picture if you will, Thanksgiving 1999. Remember what you were doing or who you were spending it with? Not really? Well, I do.

I was by myself, without even a slice of turkey to call my own. That was the year the Grinch of Thanksgiving stole my celebration. Oh, never...

Last month, I got to go to my niece's wedding. She and her fiancé chose to have a destination wedding and it was nearly everything you could hope for--tropical setting, ocean air, palm trees and an intimate gathering of family and friends. I say it was nearly everything you could...

It's happened. I was hoping I'd never see this day, but, perhaps, it was inevitable. After all, I just turned 56. So, to celebrate, I went out for lunch with the gals. My post-50 friends. Which is when the unthinkable occurred. We started talking trash.

Trash, that is, about our...

Ah. Love is in the air! The first blush. The real McCoy. The you-can't-be-a-moment-without-your-new love feeling. There's a spring to your step and, if I'm not mistaken, a song in your heart. Yes, this is it definitely it. Which can only mean one thing:

You're ready to propose.

Aack!...

A lot has been said about flying these days. You can't talk about it without throwing in a complaint or two. Well, it wasn't always like this.

Frank Sinatra once asked me to take a trip with him. Ok, full disclosure. His exact words were "Come fly with me, let's...

When I was a kid, growing up in the sixties, I remember how our local bank offered a Christmas Club savings account. You could deposit as little as $1 a week and by the end of the year, you'd have more than enough cash to buy gifts for everyone.

Welcome to my nightmare!

These are the words I'd utter to myself every morning when I awoke and remembered I was in the middle of my divorce. Of course, reaching this point didn't happen overnight. The journey to divorce really begins with a series of missteps. At...

When you're happily married with kids, you and your spouse usually share a vision for how you want to raise them. You know in your heart that you both want what's in their best interest. You take turns picking them up from day care or school, and reading them a...

For the first few years of our marriage, my ex and I rode high on the blush of love and the warm fuzziness we felt for each other. Money, though sometimes in short supply, was never an issue. Our motto seemed to be, what's mine is yours.