View the entire June Richmond Parents Monthly issue
as it appears in print, & read back issues. click here

View the entire June FiftyPlus issue as it appears in print, & read back issues. click here

Tenement Tales and Ethnic Eats
Immerse Yourself in New York’s Lower East Side
By VICTOR BLOCK
Victoria Confino’s pretty face reveals her emotions as she recounts her family’s history and shows visitors around their tiny, three-room apartment. She explains that her Sephardic Jewish family migrated from Turkey to New York City, where her father found work as a pushcart peddler. Within three years, he saved enough money to open a small factory that produces underwear, where she works. READ FULL STORY

Danville Delights This Revitalized Town is Intimate and Genuine
By LYNN and GLENN PRIBUS   
When your firstborn is named Dan, it’s just about impossible to resist visiting Danville—reportedly named for the Bible’s peaceful and verdant Meadows of Dan. A major attraction in this “Heart of Southern Virginia” city is the remarkable American Armoured Foundation Tank Museum, operated by Director/Curator William Gasser, his wife and their two adult sons. Although Gasser dresses in military garb, he makes it clear he’s not a veteran as he shows off this notable assemblage of 30,000 items of militaria including more than 100 tanks and artillery pieces. “We’ve got a third of a million square feet,” he declares, “and we still don’t have everything on display.” He gestures at exhibits from enormous tanks to cavalry uniforms, guns, pennants, ID bracelets, toys, dishes, original artwork, photos and much more, then adds mischievously, “This is what happens when you don’t put your toy soldiers away.”    READ FULL STORY

Daytrippin’:Ten fab family destinations
by OLIVIA CAMPBELL
Short of cash? Try a day trip this year
This year, many families don’t have the money or time off to go on a long, lavish vacation. Day trips are a great option when time and money are in short supply. You’ve been to all the local hot spots – Maymont, Lewis Ginter, the Children’s Museum, the zoo, the berry farm – even ventured out to Busch Gardens or Kings Dominion a couple of times. Here are some places you might not have been – attractions within a few hours’ driving distance that will keep the whole family entertained. READ FULL STORY

Because I’m the mom, that’s why
By LYNN PRIBUS
My racquetball partner, a younger mom with a preschooler and a child in second grade, claims she’s limited in the times we can play because her kids “won’t” go to the gym’s perfectly good child-care center for an hour. Another friend and her husband have no quiet time together in the evening because their 5-year-old daughter “won’t” go to bed until they do.
And often I’m behind someone in the checkout line at the grocery store who finally springs for candy because a child “won’t” cease an endless whining.
In every case, the child’s “won’t” is a parental “don’t.” If parents don’t make clear reasonable rules – and more to the point, they don’t enforce them – they won’t earn respect from their children. And if children carry this lack of respect outside the home, they can be headed for unpopularity, school problems and real trouble. READ FULL STORY