Among the perks of having babies in the 1980′s, 1990′s and 2000′s is that your kids’ friends’ parents– your friends– span many decades as well. Mom-friends who were rearing their last-born when I was fearfully raising my first grew up during FDR’s administration; some friends I’ve met through my 8-year-old entered the world while Reagan served. Consequently, I’ve been exposed to quite a number of parenting styles.

Some of my friends quote Dr. Spock, some Dr. Sears, and still others,…

Some years ago, the city of Chicago adopted me.

I grew up in a place where I could see the World Trade Centers from my attic, where Puerto Rican cabbies spoke Yiddish, and where everyone thought Philadelphia was in the Midwest.

But when I moved to Chicago the day after my honeymoon, Sandburg’s “stormy, husky, brawling” city welcomed me with broad shoulders and open arms, and I fell in love with my adoptive city.  Put celery salt on my Vienna Beef, make my pizza like a cheese…

Let’s be honest:  if you have kids over the age of two, they have annoyed you.  Those darlings can be obnoxious, forgetful, lazy, mean,or defiant—it’s part of their job description! Some children have an innate ability to home in on our weak spots, and to push buttons hard.  If we are not careful, our annoyance over our kids’ clumsy, careless, exasperating foibles can turn ugly.

Listed here are some suggestions for parents who wish to…