Amy Wright Glenn

Amy Wright Glenn earned her MA in Religion and Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She taught for 11 years in the Religion and Philosophy Department at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey earning the Dunbar Abston Jr. Chair for Teaching Excellence. She is a Kripalu Yoga teacher, Birthing Mama® Prenatal Yoga and Wellness Teacher Trainer, (CD)DONA birth doula, hospital chaplain, and founder of the Institute for the Study of Birth, Breath, and Death. Amy is a regular contributor to PhillyVoice and author of Birth, Breath, and Death: Meditations on Motherhood, Chaplaincy, and Life as a Doula and Holding Space -- On Loving, Dying, and Letting Go.

To learn more, visit: www.birthbreathanddeath.com

April 8, 2015

Lifestyle

Circumcise your 4-year-old or go to jail

by Amy Wright Glenn

Heather Hironimus is one brave woman. Currently, she faces public scrutiny, the seemingly ruthless legal maneuvers of her son’s biological father and jail time. As I write these words, Hironimus finds temporary refuge with her 4-year-old son in a domestic violence shelter in Florida. Yet, she’s not fleeing an onslaught of physical aggression. Rather, she stands firmly against the court-ordered genital cutting of her 4-year-old son. Yes, you read the sentence correctly. Last month, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Jeffrey Dana Gillen ordered Hironimus to sign consent forms and hand over her son for elective surgery -- or go to jail. And yes, this is America.

April 1, 2015

Lifestyle

Elderly Americans: Aging with dignity, meaning

by Amy Wright Glenn

Elderly Americans: Aging with dignity and meaning

March 28, 2015

Parenting

It doesn’t take 'guts' to 'sleep-train' an 8-week-old

by Amy Wright Glenn

I can’t image what it would be like to close the door to a child’s nursery, purposefully ignore her cries, sleep soundly in the silence, and then wake to find a dead baby. The haunting grief would have no end.

March 26, 2015

Talking with my 3-year-old about death

by Amy Wright Glenn

Reflections on love, grief and stories that matter

March 12, 2015

Parenting

Toilet training vs. toilet learning

by Amy Wright Glenn

Interestingly, a small minority of American parents eschews the use of diapers. After all, the vast majority of infants across time and culture didn’t (or don’t) wear them. There is a growing interest in elimination communication, known in natural parenting circles as EC. Proponents of EC focus on the careful observation of a baby’s elimination signals and the gentle cueing of elimination. For children who grow up diaper-free, the question of toilet training in the toddler years is mute.

March 4, 2015

Lifestyle

When your partner wants you to wean: Heart advice for breastfeeding mothers

by Amy Wright Glenn

When your partner wants you to wean: Heart advice for breastfeeding mothers

February 25, 2015

Opinion

Saving Chase: Court sanctioned circumcision of 4-year-old halted

by Amy Wright Glenn

If all unfolds according to Dennis Nebus’ plan, Dr. Subhash Puranik will pick up a scalpel and cut apart the genitals of a healthy 4-year-old boy.

February 18, 2015

Teens, religion and the freedom of choice

by Amy Wright Glenn

My teenage son is no longer interested in attending church. We are a devout Christian family and center our lives upon the Bible. However, my son now tells me “the Bible isn’t the only truth.” Two days ago, I found a book about Buddhism in his school backpack. My heart is breaking.

February 12, 2015

Valentine's Day