The Ball I Dropped 

We’re all juggling… too much?
There’s no way to do it all, we tell each other.
And so we drop balls. Sometimes it’s deliberate. Other times, they slip out of our hands as we grasp at them.
Here, 14 women give us a look at the balls they’re keeping in the air — and the ones they’re letting go of for now

The Good Fight

By Esther Ross

Two of my sons — let’s call them Berel and Shmerel, because, y’know, shidduchim — can’t be in the same room at the same time.

Or in the same three-block radius.

These boys, who are numbers five and six of eight in our house, are very close in age, very different in temperament, and have very different strengths and weaknesses. My only other two children who are this close in age are the closest of friends, so Hubby and I were unprepared for this dynamic in our home.

Alas, the Good L-rd ensures that parents don’t get bored, so He creates children like Berel and Shmerel, who keep the house on wheels.

I believe we’ve tried everything, and by everything, I mean… Everything. Conventional parenting techniques. Unconventional parenting techniques. Rewards (bribes?), punishments, systems, psychology books, mussar books, speeches, begging, ignoring, you name it. These kids were literally wreaking havoc on our otherwise (reasonably) peaceful home and I decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. I contacted a popular social skills therapist in our community, made an appointment, and explained the situation: Here are two kids, ages 10 and 11, who seem to have no other social difficulties. They have friends in school, friends at home, they can sit at the same Shabbos table as their other siblings. So Whatintheworldisgoingonwhycan’ttheygettheiracttogetherhelpmehelpmehelpme!!!!!