If you live alone, if your family is scattered far and wide, if you recently lost a partner or spouse, if you can’t afford the plane...
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Where Did Feminism Go?
Feminism has always been in my blood. Growing up I sensed something was wrong with the ways my mother easily succumbed to my father’s demands. In my college classes I had to endure the ridicule of male students when I uttered an insightful comment. I learned to stuff my anger to get along, until the women’s movement erupted, validating [...]
Pat Taub
July 4th, Katherine Bradford, Gun Violence, A Great Read & Netflix Series
Fourth of July My Chicago family, son David, daughter-in-law Mel, and grand teens, Jane and Max flew to Portland to spend the fourth with me. Jane, a funky art student, and I combed the local thrift stores and took in the Katherine Bradford exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, while Max and I binged on the Netflix detective series, Lupin. [...]
Pat Taub
My Secret
GUEST POST by MARGIE CAMPBELL I’m going to tell you a secret. It isn’t something that I tell readily these days. It is something that has been a burden lately. Perhaps if I share it with you, I’ll become more comfortable with it. So, what is it that causes you so much concern, you may well ask? Okay, here it is—some months ago I turned [...]
Pat Taub
My Father: The Tyrant
I grew up in the 1950’s when gender roles were strictly defined. My mother, like most women of the era, stayed at home, focusing on creating the perfect home and perfect children. My father, like Don Draper in “Mad Men,” spent long hours at the office, mainly seeing his kids at the dinner table and on weekends, when he wasn’t catching [...]
Pat Taub
My Family Drama
Ram Dass: “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” This quote came back to haunt me after spending Memorial Day weekend with my family. As my plane descended into Chicago’s O’Hare airport, I was filled with anticipation for my granddaughter’s high school graduation and for our first family reunion after [...]
Pat Taub
Granddaughter Jane, Mass Shootings, A Labyrinth, & A Great Read
Granddaughter, Jane Last weekend I flew to Chicago to attend my granddaughter, Jane’s high school reunion in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. My youngest son flew in from LA to join us. We hadn’t all been together since Covid descended on the country. The graduation ceremony was held in the school’s football field with family and friends [...]
Pat Taub
The Path to Becoming a Happy Older Woman
Given all the ageism and sexism smacking older women in the face aging can be a dismal state for many women. Mary Pipher to the rescue! In her book, Women Rowing North, Pipher makes the case for a happy old age: “Happiness depends on how we deal with what we are given.” Piper interviews older women from all walks of life who have triumphed [...]
Pat Taub
Ageism is Real!
Ageism, defined as discrimination against the older adult, is very real in the lives of many, if not most, American women. The older woman loses her currency for no other reason than she looks her age. At work, her suggestions are frequently rejected; socially she is shunned because she no longer looks young; her adult children consider her [...]
Pat Taub
Honoring Our Spiritual Mothers on Mother’s Day
I propose that we enlarge Mother’s Day so that we honor not just our biological mothers but also our spiritual mothers. These are the teachers, neighbors, aunts, family friends and others whose influence made an indelible impression on us. Frequently these women didn’t have their own children, but lovingly nurtured and guided the children [...]
Pat Taub
An Hilarious Novel, Heart-Warming TV Series, A Loss & More!
“The Vixen” This week I devoured Francine Prose’s witty new novel, “The Vixen,” which takes place in the 1950’s and revolves around the infamous Rosenburg trial and execution, where Ethel and Julius Rosenburg were executed for passing along secrets to the Russians. The protagonist, young editor, Julius Putnam, is assigned a book [...]
Pat Taub