25 Things to Feel Thankful For in a Challenging World
Like it or not, Thanksgiving is here, kicking off what I (lovingly) call the Holiday Trifecta: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. Maybe you’re eagerly looking forward to sharing the traditional turkey plus fixings with your sons and daughters returning from...
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The Unwelcome Mat
After the mass murder of 129 innocent people in Paris by ISIS terrorists, are you surprised that many countries—including the US—are reluctant to allow Syrian refugees entrance? Paul Ryan and other conservative politicians are rightly worried about the wolf in...
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Nest Displacement
Beyond the loss of a loved one, there may be nothing more tragic than the loss of a family home. Never before, have I read so many news headlines about people losing their homes to war and violence. In many parts of the world, children are growing up in massive...
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Halloween Includes Everyone
"I thought Halloween was just for children,” my 88 year old mother remarked in a tone of disbelief (and some disdain) when I said I was going to a Halloween party. (Clearly, my mom is not a fan of the marvelously entertaining Halloween Parade in the Big Apple...
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Is ‘Yes’ a Pipe Dream?
Is there any way on earth to end government gridlock? Will it ever be possible for the “No!” party (See “The ‘No!’ Party,” 10/16/15) to plod forward and grapple with the yes-word instead? Call me crazy, but I wanted to offer a couple of positive suggestions...
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The ‘No!’ Party
If I had to pick one word to describe the Republican Party today, I’d choose “no!” And, yes, the exclamation point IS necessary. Perhaps it sounds insulting to compare Republican politicians to a bunch of “terrible” two year olds who prefer to say “no!” if they...
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Peace – Just For a Change
Tired of the tedious, depressing headlines in the news? Every day I read about more human misery: the war in Syria…human traffickers preying on migrants desperate to escape endless violence… the entire country of Greece drowning in debt, and all the individuals...
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Movie Madness and Bonding
After writing about my twins’ experiences making movies—Sarah as leading lady in Keep the Change and Max as co-author of Being Charlie—you’d expect me to change my focus back to real life dramas, right? Not so fast, as it turns out. Coming back to earth from...
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Double Feature – Different and the Same
If anyone had told me that my very different young adult twins would BOTH venture out of our nest into the movie business, I’d have said: “Impossible!” Max and Sarah are NOT your garden variety fraternal twins, separated only by gender. Sarah’s early...
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Labor Day Escape – Mother Bird Relaxes
view from our room Like last summer, Henry and I remained in our mostly-empty nest until Labor Day weekend. Unlike last summer, we opted for Mohonk Mountain House and choosing to spend our long weekend at a lake and mountain retreat instead of the ocean and beach...
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My Book
Consulting
About Marguerite
Marguerite Elisofon is a New York City writer and the author of My Picture Perfect Family, a memoir about how her family navigated life with a child on the autistic spectrum before the internet and support groups existed. She also blogs about parenting young adults and disability related issues in The Never Empty Nest. Her writing has been featured in a variety of publications, including Time and NY Metro Parents magazine, and her family’s story has been featured by the NY Post, Fox News, The Daily Mail, and on Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny radio show. A Vassar graduate, Marguerite was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives with her husband, Howard, in their mostly-empty nest. She is available to speak about a wide variety of issues relating to twins, parenting, and autism. 