by Marguerite Elisofon | Jul 10, 2015 | aging, baby boomers, Billy Joel, Botox, empty nest, Grateful Dead, hip surgery, Indy 500, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, parents, Paul McCartney, Phil Lesh, plastic surgery, rock stars, Rolling Stones, twins, youth
Aside from plastic surgery and Botox, how can we grow old gracefully if we’re lucky enough to stay healthy and remain on the planet? For me and many other baby boomers in our 50s and 60s, this is a burning question. First we raised our children and watched them...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jun 5, 2015 | bar mitzvahs, California, careers, college, daughters, empty nest, families, goodbyes, growing up, high school, homework, middle school, sons, toddlers, young adults
Empty Nest Moments This week’s post was inspired by my son’s move to the West coast where he will start a new job. Henry and I are excited and proud, but also sad. It’s the end of an era, and the beginning of the rest of our lives. I’m sure...
by Marguerite Elisofon | May 8, 2015 | Adelphi University, Asperger's Syndrome, autism, beers, blogging, cyberspace, empty nest, family issues, John Elder Robison, neurotypical, sibling relationships, special education, twins
Okay, so now that I’m taking that first baby step toward 200 blogs, I keep hearing a silly song from my childhood: “100 bottles of beer on the wall, 100 bottles of beer, if one of those beers should happen to fall, 99 bottles of beer on the wall…” Remember...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Mar 13, 2015 | "Keep the Change, autism, birthdays, books, Columbia University, disabilities, empty nest, Felicity House, flowers, memoir, middle age, minorities, parents, publishing, twins, women, writing
Birthdays have been coming at breakneck speed these last few years. Time flies—not necessarily because I’m having fun—but because I realize there’s so much less time left for me in the future than the past. (See “Fast Forward Birthdays,” 3/8/13). Each...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Feb 6, 2015 | 1970s, artists, autism, careers, clutter, college grads, dens, doctors, empty nest, feminism, lawyers, Michelin's guide, pre-mature twins, public relations, publishing, spring cleaning, Vassar, women, writing
Despite our annual spring cleaning ritual— dutifully dragging out industrial-sized garbage bags of each year’s detritus— the Elisofon family nest has accumulated way too much, well, stuff. After over 20 years in the same apartment raising our twins, our nest...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Jan 16, 2015 | autism, basketball, Colorado, empty nest, Florida, football, Giants, hibernating, holidays, Idaho, January sales, Knicks, ski resorts, sledding, snowbirds, twins, Utah, winter
Now that the holidays are behind us—and the January sales are upon us—how do we cope with all these frigid, dark days? It’s not like spring is around the corner; we still have to slog through February and March (possibly the cruelest months). Yes, I know...
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. 