Four Questions About Parenting Jewishly Today

Haggadah Section: Commentary / Readings

Parenting Through a Jewish Lens (PTJL) believes in meeting parents “where they're at,” creating supportive, non-judgmental experiences that help families—both children and adults—make choices informed by Jewish teachings and traditions that feel authentic and meaningful to them. Here are four questions to help every parent on their journey. 

Why does parenting today seem harder than in the past?


In the era of 24/7 social media, parents often feel confused and pressured by the deluge of parenting opinions and advice. How do I prevent and handle temper tantrums? What about sibling fights? How do I parent in the age of social media? How can I fortify my child to bounce back from pitfalls and setbacks? How do I raise my child to be a mensch?

Discipline may also confound parents; with yelling described as the new spanking, parents can feel confused and guilty. Talking about challenges with a friend or a group of supportive parents can help us realize that we are not alone in feeling unsure about our parenting decisions. Many of us find comfort in accepting that we don’t need to—and indeed cannot be—perfect, and aim instead for being “good enough” parents.

Why do kids ask such hard questions?


Young children challenge us with their amazing questions: Where is God? What happens when people die? Why do I have to die? Why don’t we celebrate the same way that my friends and cousins do? Or they may just keep asking, “Why?” Parents want advice on what to say, especially if they don’t consider themselves spiritual or religious. And in interfaith families, questions about practices and beliefs may feel particularly loaded. Honest conversations between parents about these tough queries can be hard to come by, even for parents who are affiliated with a congregation or a Jewish day school. Parents can benefit from processing their own concerns with other thoughtful adults. Having a chance to figure out their views and discern their values before the hard questions come up can be extremely valuable.

Does parenting get easier as your children get older?


It gets…different. Parents of tweens and teens need support too, just in a different way. According to a recent study, mothers of middle school-age students suffer from depression more than mothers of children of any other ages—even more than parents of newborns. With tweens and teens beginning the process of separation, parents struggle with how to respond; like their children, parents undergo their own identity shifts. In Parenting Your Tween Through a Jewish Lens we introduce the concept of tzimtzum, which literally means “contraction.” According to tradition, God contracted to make space for creation. We encourage parents to consider how to consciously “contract” in a way that works for them, and at the same time honors their tweens’ and teens’ growing independence.

How can Jewish tradition inform our parenting today?


The idea that Jewish tradition offers thousands of years of wisdom can comfort today’s parents, who are relieved to be reminded that parenting challenges date back millennia. After all, Adam and Eve didn’t have the easiest job with their kids.

In the first session of PTJL, we explore the “joys and oys” of parenthood—allowing parents to acknowledge their challenges while also exploring traditional Jewish teachings to bring joy into our parenting lives. For one father, the chaos of getting small children fed and out the door in the morning became the unlikely chance to pause and reflect on gratitude. One mother shared that participating in PTJL was like "hitting reset" on her day-to-day life; she created a “Blessing for the Home” that reflected her family’s unique needs and ideals, and helped them keep their core values more present in their home. For other parents, hearing how different families observed Jewish practices helped them be more confident in what they did—or didn’t do—for Shabbat.

Written by Erica Streit-Kaplan of Parenting Through a Jewish Lens at Hebrew College for JewishBoston, March 2019.

Source:  
JewishBoston.com
Clip Featured in JewishBoston'sThe Wandering Is Over Haggadah
Edit Clip
The Wandering Is Over Haggadah
JE
JewishBoston
Table of contents
    Introduction
  • Leader’s Guide
  • How To Use This Haggadah
  • A Seder for Everyone
  • The Order of the Seder
    • Kadesh
  • Kiddush (the blessing over wine)
    • Urchatz
  • Urchatz: Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the seder
    • Karpas
  • Karpas: Dipping a green vegetable in salt water
    • Yachatz
  • Yachatz: Breaking the middle matzah
    • Maggid - Beginning
  • Maggid: Telling the story of Passover
    • -- Four Questions
  • The Four Questions
  • Answering Our Questions
    • -- Four Children
  • The Four Children
    • -- Exodus Story
  • Telling Our Story
    • -- Ten Plagues
  • The Ten Plagues
  • The Modern Plagues
    • -- Cup #2 & Dayenu
  • Dayeinu
  • The Passover Symbols
  • In Every Generation
  • The Second Glass of Wine
    • Rachtzah
  • Rachtza: Ritual hand-washing in preparation for the meal
    • Motzi-Matzah
  • Motzi matzah: The blessing over the meal and matzah
    • Maror
  • Maror: Dipping the bitter herb in sweet charoset
    • Koreich
  • Koreich: Eating a sandwich of matzah and bitter herb
    • Shulchan Oreich
  • Shulchan oreich: Eating the meal!
    • Tzafun
  • Tzafoon: Finding and eating the afikoman
    • Bareich
  • Bareich: Saying the blessing after the meal and inviting Elijah the prophet
  • The Third Glass of Wine
  • The Cup of Elijah
    • Hallel
  • Hallel: Singing songs that praise God
  • The Fourth Glass of Wine
    • Nirtzah
  • Nirtzah: Ending the seder and thinking about the future
    • Commentary / Readings
  • 20 Table Topics for Your Passover Seder
  • Four Questions About Trans Rights and Identities
  • Four Questions About Anti-Semitism
  • Four Questions About Mental Health
  • Four Questions About Taking Notice of This Moment
  • Four Questions About Feminism
  • Four Questions About Labor Rights
  • Four Questions About Climate Change
  • Four Questions About LGBTQ Liberation
  • Four Questions About Racial Justice
  • Four Questions About Inclusion
  • Four Questions About Israel
  • Four Questions About Parenting Jewishly Today
  • Four Questions About Social Justice
    • Songs
  • Let My People Go
  • Chad Gadya
  • Inspired to create
    your own Haggadah?

    Make your own Haggadah and share with other Seder lovers around the world

    Have an idea
    for a clip?

    People like you bring their creativity to Haggadot.com when they share their ideas in a clip

    Support Us
    with your donation

    Help us build moments of meaning and connection through
    home-based Jewish rituals.

    OUR TOP CONTRIBUTORS

    contributor image
    Esther Kustanowitz
    4 Haggadahs44 Clips
    contributor image
    JQ International
    1 Haggadah40 Clips
    contributor image
    MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
    5 Haggadahs109 Clips
    contributor image
    18Doors
    1 Haggadah13 Clips
    contributor image
    JewishBoston
    1 Haggadah78 Clips
    contributor image
    Truah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
    1 Haggadah36 Clips
    contributor image
    American Jewish World Service
    1 Haggadah44 Clips
    contributor image
    JewBelong
    3 Haggadahs57 Clips
    contributor image
    Repair the World
    12 Clips
    contributor image
    HIAS
    5 Haggadahs48 Clips
    contributor image
    Be'chol Lashon
    2 Haggadahs27 Clips
    contributor image
    PJ Library
    1 Haggadah17 Clips
    contributor image
    Jewish World Watch
    3 Haggadahs42 Clips
    contributor image
    Secular Synagogue
    10 Clips
    contributor image
    SVIVAH
    1 Haggadah9 Clips
    contributor image
    The Blue Dove Foundation
    20 Clips
    contributor image
    ReformJudaism.org
    24 Clips
    contributor image
    Jewish Emergent Network
    1 Haggadah22 Clips

    Passover Guide

    Hosting your first Passover Seder? Not sure what food to serve? Curious to
    know more about the holiday? Explore our Passover 101 Guide for answers
    to all of your questions.

    Haggadot

    Haggadot.com by Recustom, is a free resource for all backgrounds and experiences. Consider making a donation to help support the continuation of this free platform.

    Copyright © 2024 Custom and Craft Jewish Rituals Inc, dba Recustom, dba Haggadot.com.
    All Rights Reserved. 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. EIN: 82-4765805.