Shifra Fried
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How to Deal with “But Ma, Everyone Has It!”
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The right response to our child when dealing with love, limits, and pressure. This is a Seminary-style example that pertains to so many areas in life. I once got a call from a mother, Chavy, who was completely overwhelmed. Her daughter, Bracha, was getting ready to go to seminary. What should have been an exciting…
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How to Get Teens to Listen the First Time Without Being Harsh
If technology is getting in the way of you connecting with your children and keeping them from listening to your instructions, there’s a better way to get through. If you are parenting a teen, you have probably had the moment where a simple request turns into a pattern. You ask. They do not move. You…
Filed under: Parenting -
Pesach Prep Without Resentment

How do you lead your family like a team, and ask for help without feeling like you’re nagging? Pesach has a way of turning even the most capable mother into a one-woman production company. You are cleaning, organizing, cooking, planning, shopping, switching over, and somehow still trying to keep the house emotionally steady. And while…
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Turning Shabbos Tension into Connection
You work so hard to make Shabbos, but no one feels calm. Rather, you go into Shabbos with a tense feeling. How do you turn things around? You picture a warm Shabbos table – candles glowing, zemiros and divrei Torah filling the room, everyone laughing and talking together. Instead, it sometimes feels more like a…
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Sending Him Back to Yeshiva – with Love That Lasts Beyond Goodbye

You can be there for your son–even when he’s not at home. There’s something tender about packing up again after bein hazmanim. The folded shirts, the snacks tucked into the corner, the tefillin bag checked one more time, it’s all familiar. But behind the packing lists and reminders lies something deeper: The quiet hope that…
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Parent Without Guilt: 5 Reasons to Let It Go for Good

It’s not constructive to hang onto the guilt for something you did or didn’t do as a parent. If there’s one thing I hear from mothers all the time, it’s this: “I feel so guilty.” Guilty for losing patience. Guilty for not spending enough time. Guilty for not getting it “just right.” But here’s the…
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How to Talk to Your Teenage Boys
Have you been getting one word answers to your questions? The way with teenage boys is less interrogation, and more invitation. If you’re the mother of a teenage boy, you’ve probably been here: You ask how his day was. “Fine.” You ask what he learned. “Stuff.” You ask if everything’s okay. “Yeah.” (shrug) Suddenly, you’re…
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Beyond Tantrums: Shift Your Teen’s Entitlement into Appreciation
Is your teen constantly asking for “stuff?” You can stay true to your values and raise an appreciative vs. entitled teen. One of the most common frustrations parents have with their teens is dealing with what feels like ungratefulness, entitlement, or a self-centered attitude. Parenting teens is already challenging—but when your teen seems spoiled or…
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Your Teen & Their Friends
If your teens rather spend time with the friends vs. you now, it’s normal. You can still be involved in their life while giving them space to grow up. Parents may feel mixed emotions as they watch their teens grow up. They are happy, on one hand, that their children are no longer hanging on…
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Five Tips for Handling a Moody Teenager
Don’t be frustrated – these five clear, practical tips will help you feel both empowered and empathetic when dealing with your moody teen. Anybody who’s ever been a teenager and anyone who’s ever raised a teenager (all of us, that is) knows that teenagers can get moody. One minute, they’re cheerful and prattling on about…
Filed under: Parenting



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