Naming what you’re feeling
It’s not always easy to communicate to kids in a way they understand. This is true even in the most obvious sense, that they sometimes lack the experience and the knowledge to understand ideas that are more subtle or complex.
TAKING ACTION AND ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY
One of the most rewarding things for me as a parent is seeing my kids grow up and start taking on new roles and responsibilities. I’m not just talking about the new responsibilities that I give them (like doing their
Embracing failure: How mistakes — both yours and theirs — boost motivation and learning
By Malia Jacobson Late-fall light streamed through my minivan windshield as I approached the school pick-up line, eager to hear about my first-grader’s day. But when she climbed into her booster seat, clambering past her two younger siblings in their carseats,
A break in the routine
Our family went to camp this past weekend. It’s usually a sleepover camp for kids during the summer, but it also has a couple of weeks and a weekend geared toward families. My wife runs the programming for this particular family
Getting a grip on the internet of things
It’s no secret that things are getting smarter. Devices let parents check in on sleeping babies and keep track of children when they are away from home.
Parenting styles for the future
Between helicopter parents afraid to relinquish control and permissive parents afraid to exert authority, there is a respectful middle ground, which is not fear-based.
Spring
Thank heavens for spring. I know we’re not yet past the possibility of a late snow storm. I know there will be lots of frosty nights yet before the warm weather really gets here.
Modeling failure
You’ve probably been there. After you’ve told your children that they shouldn’t do something countless times, they catch you doing it.
The Meet: A Lesson in Making a Loss a Win
I sat on the hard bleacher at the gymnastics meet, inhaling the smell of sweat and chalk. Clasping my hands together, I tried to keep from biting my nails.
Lessons learned
I’ve been told often enough that kids need to learn from experience, and I’ve often found this to be true myself, but there are times when I seriously wonder at the lessons they seem to learn.
A Night in Emergency
I want to tell the story of the horrible night I spent waiting in emergency last night.
Bad Behaviour: Taking the sting out of someone else’s response
As the parent of a child who has special needs, I have been in many situations where people have meant well in their response to something but rather, left me feeling like a mess.
What’s your favourite
I’ve discovered over the years that one of the best ways to learn about someone is to ask after their influences.
Sleepover madness
It also just so happened that this year we had fewer family functions, so we’ve had a long, fairly relaxed, mostly uneventful vacation time. Until the sleepovers. The idea was a good one in theory.
Goals worth achieving
I want my children to know how to weigh the cost of a goal, to consider the sacrifice that it will require, and then to do the things that are really important to them.
Believing the lie
One of my frustrations as a parent is when children convince themselves of an untruth so throughly that they act as though it’s true.
Taking responsibility
I got every parent’s favourite call yesterday – the one from the principal where you get asked to come by the office for a little chat about your kid – that call.
