I’ve received a number of responses from readers who claimed that kids who text on Shabbos or who stray off the path religiously do so primarily because of a home environment that was somehow lacking. I answered them, as I will repeat many times, that it is certainly true that the home is the most

“Dear Rabbi Goldmintz: A trend I’m seeing or hearing in my college-age children and “all their friends”, (according to them) is a “freedom” from some basic religious limitations while they’re in college and yet, a confidence that they will go back to being “religious” when they get older, have spouses, families, etc.  More particularly, while

In the American system of education, a child enters first grade at about the age of 6. He enters high school at about age 14 and, at age 18, he is for all intents and purposes an adult, ready to vote. Interestingly, Chazal delineated these stages as well. Age 6 was the time they recommended

 A community rabbi once mentioned to me that when he speaks to bar mitzvah boys before their big day, he asks them “What do you think is a difficult mitzvah?” Many of the boys answer “fasting,” and indeed many of us can recall the sheer terror at the thought that “this year, I’m not going

I am so glad that summer is finally here. Summer to me is sunshine, flowers in full bloom, warm weather, watermelon and ice cream; lots and lots of ice cream. This is the time to get outside and enjoy nature. Time in nature has tremendous benefits. It is a surefire way to decrease stress in

Dedicated to the memory of my mother, Chaya Sarah bat Meyer and Royze Cohen, who passed away last week at the age of 96. I pray that she thought her prayers came true. My mother z”l used to say that you can do whatever you can in parenting your child until she or he turns

Religious development can be understood not only in terms of the affective domain, the emotional side of belief that we spoke about last time, but cognitively as well. That is to say, how do young children think about God? What can they truly understand? Given that their ability to think in the abstract is limited,

Schools and homework are winding down and camps are gearing up.  Sorry, my dear parents, your summer vacation from parenting never really happens.  In reality, there’s never a vacation from parenting.  But you already know that.  It’s important though to prepare your child so that he can enjoy a “win-win” this summer. Whether it’s overnight

An infant has no sense of permanency – that’s one reason why they can play “peak-a-boo” forever; their brains are not developed enough to understand that you haven’t really disappeared behind the hands covering your face. A young child cannot understand that taking that candy from the store is an immoral act; hence you have

I am embarrassed to say that I came across the notion of religious development relatively late in my career but I do remember when I had my epiphany. I vividly recall seeing a twelfth-grade girl davening one day at Shacharit with what seemed like great kavanah (intent), something she had been doing all year. But