I'd Say My Best Memory Was Climbing

When I Was Growing Up, I, Like Many Jews, Cheered What Appeared To Be The Receding Of Faith From Everyday Life. The Further Religion Got From Our Lives The Better Our Lives Would Get, I Thought, Because Persecution Had Been Such A Burden To Jewish Families For Generations.

Our Instinct As Parents Is To Order Our Kids Around — It's Easier, And Frankly, We're Usually Right. [but] Reverse The Waterfall As Much As Possible. Enlist The Children In Their Own Upbringing.

I Think That Most Of The Action In Religion Is Around The Home, Is In Families, And Is In Individual Lives, And They Can Go On Their Own Searches, Watch Their Own Tv Shows, Read Their Own Books, Form Their Own Groups And Discuss It, But That's Where The Action Is - On The Home Front.

My Name Is Bruce Feiler, And I'm An Explainaholic. I First Heard This Word Used To Describe Isaac Asimov, And I Knew Instantly That I Suffered From The Same Condition. It's The Incurable Desire To Tell, Shape, Share, Occasionally Exaggerate, Often Elongate, And Inevitably Bungle A Good Story.

One Of The Things I've Learned Is To Be Much More Open About My Frailties And About Our Failures, Because When You Show Your Kids How You Can Resolve Conflict In Your Life In Real Time, You're Giving Them Confidence That When They Have Conflicts, They Can Push Through Them.