One of the things I like most about my job here at Bay Area Parent is the people I work with. For the most part, we are a group of moms who work hard to balance our passion for journalism with the nitty-gritty of taking care of our families. When I look around our office, I’m amazed by the level of professionalism and journalism expertise, coupled with an amazing array of parenting experience. 

For example, right now on our editorial staff, we have a mom whose oldest child is about to get engaged and another mom whose youngest child is about to be born. We have mom editors with kids in preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, college and grad school. If I also factor in the many freelancers we’ve worked with over the years, this monthly magazine and all its ancillaries have been brought to you by single parents, adoptive parents, gay parents, parents of gifted kids and kids with special needs, bi-cultural parents and … well, the list goes on. Whenever we are researching a topic, I am always confident that there’s someone on the staff with first-hand experience – whether the topic has to do with education, a serious family health issue or just a yummy recipe that even a picky eater will enjoy. 

Meet Our Newest Addition

On that note, I want to officially welcome and introduce you to our newest editorial staff member: Simar Khanna. We are delighted to have her join us. Simar has a long history in Bay Area journalism, starting in college when one of her classes met at the offices of the San Francisco Examiner. She dreamt of actually working at the big paper upon graduating from journalism school. Simar not only worked at the Examiner, but also at the San Francisco Chronicle for a combined 16 years. In all, she has more than 25 years of experience in journalism.

While being in charge of many popular feature sections at the San Francisco newspapers, Simar was also raising two daughters, now 20 and 13. “I can write a book about balancing work and family,’’ she quips. “But I don’t have time.’’

Simar, who lives with her family in Pleasanton, says her new job allows her to combine her parenting and journalism passions. She will be writing and editing for the print editions, as well as overseeing online offerings, which include our website and enewsletters. (Speaking of which: If you don’t get our enewsletter, you are missing out on a free way to find fun family activities right in your neighborhood. Sign up at bayareaparent.com/subscribe.)

The digital part of her job, Simar says, is the most intriguing aspect for her, considering that when she first started in journalism, newspapers were put together using wax and X-acto blades. She has watched and participated as the industry evolved.

One thing that has remained constant, she says, is the art of storytelling. Whether it is a 1,000-word magazine spread or a Facebook post, Simar says her experiences as a journalist and a mom will help get you the information you need to have an even more rewarding parenting experience.

Welcome Simar! If you want to contact her with a story idea, parenting thought or just to say hi, she can be reached at simar.khanna@parenthood.com.

Best, Jill Wolfson, editor