glenrockschwartz

Dear Avery, I want to get these words just right.  With you I always want everything to be perfect or at least as perfect as possible, because the details, the time and care and attention paid really matter to you.  You appreciate it.  As I write this on the eve of your fourteenth birthday, I am struck by how you have managed to be fluid in an ever changing world. Some of this is World with a capital W - like we are living in pandemic times and public health policies change, impacting us on the daily.  And then there is world - your everyday world here in Glen Rock or off at camp - and the people that you encounter.  Today I'm going to focus on your world and not make this an account of vaccines and masks and quarantine. Girl....You'll be a woman soon Cringe! Of course, don't go off and make me a grandmother anytime soon, but just sharing that your body is doing everything that it's supposed to do at this age.  You also delight in the fact that you are (ver...

Dear Alex You are 13, almost 14. This evening you almost broke things in your room and were having a teenager tantrum while doing homework. When I came up to investigate, you were nearly in tears because you couldn’t get a background track to exactly line up with the vocals that you had recorded for a science rap. I pointed out to you that most human beings would neither notice nor care, given that the grade one would be given would be based on an understanding of the science material. I also pointed out that when it came to homework that you were perhaps the furthest thing from a perfectionist. The fact of the matter is that you cannot fight who you are. You are a musician. #alexisarockstar #perfectrhythmperfectpitch As I continue to live through the frustrating times of your organizational growth, I am happy to have something positive to write. Love, Mom

Shabbat Shalom.  Thank you all for sharing with us today as we watched Alex become a bar mitzvah.  The thing that I’m sure you’ve heard a lot of parents talk about is how proud they are of their bar mitzvah child.  I wrote this speech before today and in advance I could already write, yes, I am so proud of this kid.  That is because I had all the behind the scenes understanding of what it takes to become a bar mitzvah in 2017.  It’s a lot.  It is way more than what he made look effortless today.  A little more than 75 years ago all you did was pop by the shul with a spongecake that your mom made, said a blessing and then went on to school.  That’s exactly how my grandfather - Alex’s great-grandfather - became a bar mitzvah.  As an aside, while my grandpa wasn’t feeling well enough to make the trip out from L.A. today, he got to see Alex read his Torah readings and haftarah on Skype and shared these feelings of pride.   Okay, so let me ...

Dear Alex, I am alternately angry with and proud of you at any given point during your seventh grade, 12, almost 13 years old year. It is a tumultuous year filled with growth and change and there is an enormous amount of demands being put on you as you study to become a bar mitzvah in addition to all of the regular demands of school and sports and music and friends. So yes, unavoidably, there is strife.  Particularly for you, my organizationally challenged first born.  Through it all, I love you fiercely. And then there are spots as bright as the August sun, spots where you take what is amazing about you and share it with the world.  Like the project that you have chosen to achieve status as a bar mitzvah. More on that in a few sentences, but first a description of mitzvot chaveri. The rabbi taught us about two different types of mitzvot, those between you and G-d (praying, keeping kosher, keeping Shabbat) and those between you and man, also known as mitzvot chave...

Saturday we went to Bernie Wedeen's party to celebrate him becoming a bar mitzvah.  Katie and Andy are wonderful hosts and we had a fantastic time.  It started out well when I came downstairs from getting ready.  A dress, heels and makeup on my face.   About me.  I never wear makeup.  Not even some natural looking makeup that looks like I'm not wearing makeup.  I just don't wear it.  So when I wear it for fancy events it is very noticeable. So I walk downstairs and the lovely and sweet Avery says, "Wow! You look just like a Snapchat filter!" #hashtaggeneration #GenZsaysfiltersGenXsaysrosecoloredglasses

Dear Avery, Today I was listening to you talk to one of your friends.  You were talking about a Thanksgiving project on which your class is working.  You said to your Jewish friend (referring to a cornucopia), "You know that Thanksgiving thing that looks like a shofar?" I don't know why, but that one little sentence made me so happy.  It is hard having a Jewish identity when you live in a country where although there is separation of church and state, the majority of people do indeed go to the aforementioned "church".  Somehow by knowing the word "shofar" before you know the word "cornucopia" I have hope that you will be an American (adjective) Jew (noun), rather than a Jewish American. Shanah Tovah to my sweet Aviva Gila. Love, Mama

Dear Alex, This morning as I was driving to work, I was listening to a news segment about the changing requirements for the college application process.  The admissions director from MIT was speaking about how a significant number of universities were adopting and enforcing less focus on SAT & ACT scores and quality over quantity, both for AP classes and for extracurricular activities.  It should not be about the long list, but rather how you might be able to discuss at length why you love all you get to learn about in AP History or how singing in a rock band brings you great happiness. The reason behind the change has to do with a recent study published by the Harvard graduate school of Education.  Two key findings came out of this study:  socioeconomically challenged students are at a disadvantage because they have to work after school thus are less likely to participate in extracurriculars, and more affluent high school students who have the time are doing...

Dear Alex, I can't wait to take photos of you tonight.  It's your "class night" or what we called elementary school graduation when I was your age and you've already picked out your outfit. Brooks Brothers flat front khakis, a pink oxford, a navy & gold striped tie and a Ralph Lauren sports jacket. You may wear Nike Elite shorts and custom KD basketball sneakers on a day-to-day basis, but when you take the time to dress up it is effortless.  You could easily be a J Crew model.  You are a modern day prepster. Perhaps it's your Connecticut bloodlines, perhaps it's just who you are, but when I see you dressed like this, I can glimpse into your future and know that you will rise above the masses.   You are a special person. Love, Mom