Old Habits (and Churches) Are Hard to Break

Posted by Lisa Oz

on Apr 6, 2010 at 2:31 PM

My kids with a scary looking bunnyI recently wrote about my hesitancy to perpetuate the myths of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus. I don't want to belabor that point, but merely reference it because of the nerve I seemed to hit. Many women felt as if I was trying to take something special from them -- something that made up their very identity.

R.I.P. Easter Bunny: Why My Kids Don't Believe in the Tooth Fairy

Posted by Lisa Oz

on Mar 23, 2010 at 10:00 AM

Easter bunny drawing
Flickr: Photo by mollypopI know I seem like a mean mother -- especially where holidays are concerned. While many parents are weaving tales of the Easter Bunny hiding baskets of chocolate eggs in the back lawn, I rail on about the dangers of marketing to children, the commercialization of religious traditions, and the fact that candy is a health hazard.

At Christmas, if my kids feel compelled to sit on the lap of a red-suited, overweight, part-time employee at the mall, they do not for a minute imagine that that man will be bringing them toys via our gas-fire chimney.

Feeling Unloved Made Me Extend My Claws

Posted by Lisa Oz

on Mar 16, 2010 at 2:17 PM

My co-dependant cat

Sometimes I'm like my cat. When I'm not getting enough attention from my husband, I often respond by becoming angry and picking a fight, feeling somewhere in my subconscious that a negative interaction is better than neglect.

We have a lot of animals — too many given our crazy schedules and commitments outside the home. Just remembering to feed the fish is a constant source of anxiety for me. So I admit I probably don't spend as much time as I should bonding with our cats.

But there is one in particular who is obsessively co-dependant. He follows me from room to room yowling if I don't pet him, jumps on my computer while I try to work, and scratches at the bathroom door during my "private time."