My oldest daughter  Vanessa is 40 today.  In many ways she is the woman I most admire, who has led an amazing life, working to change the world in many different countries.  She has worked in 75 world cities, lived in Niger, Rwanda, and Kosovo. Was… Read full post »

I always come back.  But I need someone to come find me when I am lost. I am never doing well when I am silent.

If you plan on being a manic depressive, never leave New York City. The criteria for manic are much more severe than they are on Long… Read full post »

In honor of Women's History month, I am honoring the woman I most admired, my mother. 

My mom died nine years ago. She didn't live long enough to meet any of her  13, going on 14, great-grandchildren. My then 24-year -old daughter Katherine wrote this amazing tribute immediately after her d… Read full post »

Sexism test. How do you react to suggestion below:

If you want your son to always have a job, encourage him to train as a home health aide. His greater physical strength is a tremendous advantage. He doesn't have to work for an agency; he can have his own business.

Personal… Read full post »

My 5-year-old grandson just "graduated" from , a public preschool in NYC. This is what early child education should be. His warm, loving  teacher is a professional with a master's degree, a good salary, excellent benefits, 15 years experience. The classroom is developmentally oriented, encou/…

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Would you trust your children to any of these disreputable men? My youngest uncle, 9 years older, is smoking a pipe. Jesus's rates were low (my third brother).  Emma loved her 15-year-old uncle's flute playing and would run from anywhere… Read full post »

 I was born the day after Trinity, the first atom bomb test. From age 5, duck-and-cover, hide-under-our-desks drills in my Catholic school were as frequent as tests. I was terrified of nuclear war. We lived one mile away from an air force base. Whenever I heard planes, I ran out into…

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April 4, 1973, Emma June 17, 1975, Michelle November 8, 1978 at home, JaneMay 8, 1982 at home, Molly
December 1, 2001, Mary Jo and Andy May 9, 2007, Michael
September 12, 2008, PenelopeDecember 18, 2008, MiriamSeptember 13, 2009, Abigail

As I have mentioned, I was very active in the feminist movement of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Although I described myself as a radical feminist, I always had misgivings. I explore them in this journal entry from October 1971. Talking about a 20-hour work week seems preposterous now, but it… Read full post »

To Only Children: Being the oldest child dooms you to the responsibility chip, whether you have no siblings or 7. Until both your parents die, you are being parented by people who have no clue what they are doing. They get better with younger children, but they don't know… Read full post »

My mother's combination of fearlessness, faith in God, and experience with 5 younger brothers made her wonderful mother of 5 boys. She didn't worry; she didn't clip any wings. She didn't let little things like sons on the roof or a son out of touch… Read full post »

My granddaughter Abigail, the daughter of my oldest daughter, turned 2 today.

My daughter Katherine, then 22, wrote this on October 6, 2001 

They were, as we always say at times like this, so very young--finished in 1976, only two years older than me. I only learned that afterwards, though; I always assumed they were several decades older. Maybe this is because I… Read full post »

This was written during our honeymoon with Dylan, the Villain, who could give Michelle a run for her money in strategic planning. We need three water pistols to avoid being consumed by the tiger.

I wrote this at the height of the 2008 primary.

You have undoubtedly gotten the wrong impression of me because all the crap dumped on Hillary elicited my Joan of Arc persona and I was in full polemic mode. My four daughters would reassure you that I am one of the worst…

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I never outgrew calling my father daddy. He met me at 7 months old when he returned from the army in Europe. Tragically, he died in 1987 of Alzheimer's Disease. This profile is from his college yearbook.