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
Putting the brakes on the Christmas train
By Jane Muller It may seem hypocritical that a magazine filled with a Santa’s sack worth of gift ideas would also include a feature about a family that has stepped away from abundant gift giving. The reality is that most of us
Making room for fun
Let’s face it, finding time can be tough for families these days with all the things expected of us by our jobs, our schools, and all our other activities. I understand that, so I know the implications when I suggest
Promoting the adoption option
Campaign challenges the unadoptable perception By Catarina Muia It’s hard to imagine that more than 30,000 Canadian kids aren’t getting the childhood they deserve; one with a family that provides them with laughter, care and love. It’s also hard to imagine that
Taking a break
I’m not sure if everyone’s kids are like this, but mine sometimes need a stimulus break. Take this weekend for example. We had a first Thanksgiving dinner at my Dad’s place on Saturday night, with lots of cousins and craziness. The
Left to Their Devices
I don’t want to sound like a Luddite here, but I think parents need to consider carefully how their kids use electronics. I say this as someone who uses a computer to do almost all my work. I say this as
Halloween isn’t just black and orange
There is nothing high tech about Halloween, unless you count looking for costume and décor inspiration on Pinterest. This issue of City Parent is heavy on technology with features that examine the concept of tracking kids with GPS, the concern about
Seven Ways To Be More Attractive During Cuffing Season
Hint: It’s Not About Your Looks By Laura Doyle Cuffing season is upon us--that period when crisp, cold mornings signal that the long, cold months of winter are ahead, and something deep within tells us to partner up and stay that way--at
Doing it the old fashioned way
I took my kids to an early settler farmhouse museum yesterday. We’ve been to these sorts of things before, and they’re always fun, but there was an especially good guide at this one who really got the kids into the
Permission to be scared
I wrote a few weeks back about the reasons why I don’t really worry too much about movie ratings when choosing what media to let my children watch.
Journalling together
I’ve started a joint writing journal with my middle son. There are a few reasons that this approach works for him.