A No-Pet Policy
I’ve always had a firm “no-pets” policy in our house. My feeling is that three children and various longterm housemates constitute a sufficient menagerie for any one household. I don’t need additional dependents that will never go to the bathroom
Get It All Off Your Chest
I met an old friend in the grocery store today. We don’t see each other that often, and when we do it’s mostly about getting our kids together, but we have lots in common as parents. We both have three
Getting creative
I think everyone needs to be creative. Now, I can almost hear a whole portion of readers collectively shaking their heads, eyebrows raised, muttering to themselves, “Well, he’s certainly never seen me with a paint brush,” but that isn’t really what
To be what they want to be
You know how often kids change their minds about what profession they might want to pursue as adults. In fact there are plenty of people who are still changing their minds as adults. So I don’t read anything too specific
Being the best parent possible
By David Essel Wouldn’t it be great if we could all be the best parents possible by simply following a few words of advice? David Essel attempts to set us on the right path with his words of wisdom featured in this
Coping with the Village
I’m sure you’ve all heard the cliche that it takes an entire village to raise a child, and I agree with this. I really do. I appreciate so much that I live in a neighbourhood where I know, not only
Discipline vs. punishment
By Christine Davis Discipline is the art of teaching kids to behave properly. What it is not, says Katherine Firestone, founder of The Fireborn Institute, is punishment. “The purpose of discipline is to teach self-discipline so children can then learn to
Snow days in April
Today is a snow day. Or, more precisely, it’s a sleety freezing rain day, which means that all the kids are home and that I’m writing this to the sound of one child playing video games, another watching cartoons, and a
Letting Go
Every family gets to the point where it stops growing. For some families this is a deliberate choice they make (I think we have enough kids now), and for some the choice is made for them (whether through infertility or
Broadening Your Community
One of the things that I’ve found myself saying more and more as time goes on, whether I’m teaching an adoption course, or leading a writing workshop, or just chatting with friends, is this – “broaden your community”. This can mean
Becoming a man
My eldest son will turn 13 this week, the age in many cultures when a boy is considered to become a man and to start occupying a more adult role in his family and community. Certain traditions mark this coming-of-age
Busy hands
It’s March Break! Unfortunately, I have no absolute cure for the craziness you’re probably enduring right now, but here are a few hints: 1) Get them to help. Help with what, you ask? With anything and everything. Each of my kids
Sharing your feelings
I come from a family of five boys, and I have three boys of my own. I’ve played and coached sports all my life. I’ve also worked a fair amount in “macho” settings like factories and construction. All of which
Getting Motivated
I’ve always been a pretty self-motivated person. If I think something is worth doing, I don’t generally need people to give me a pep talk in order to get it done. If I think something is the right thing to
Olympic flame sparks pursuit of outdoor fun
By Jane Muller The flame of Olympic fever has been ignited for those of us who get drawn into the games, watching as many events as possible. Despite the fact that our best male hockey players won’t be there and the
Words of affirmation
So much of parenting involves direction, instruction, and discipline. Depending on the age and stage of the children, it can feel like half your time is spent telling them what needs to happen next, reminding them when they’ve forgotten, and
Parental Displays of Affection
A few years ago (I don’t remember exactly how many now, but it was after our second child and before our third, so I’ll say something like six), another parent in the park told me that her three-year-old kid had
Cutting Class as a Family
The kids all cut class today, you know, for no reason really. It had nothing to do with the fact that today is the opening day of a massively popular sci-fi franchise movie that shall remain nameless – total coincidence.
What did you get for Christmas
Remember when you were a kid, how on Christmas afternoon (or maybe the next day or maybe when you got home from your Grandparents’ house) you’d head over to see your friends and bring along your most impressive Christmas presents,
Knowing what you know you know
By Jane Muller Goal setting and self-improvement are popular New Year themes. Resolutions often backfire and instead of motivating us, they emphasize yet another failure. Instead of thinking about all that we need to do, why not think about what we have