It seems I’ve hit a new stage as a work-from-home parent, one where my kids are old enough not to be around the house during the day so other parents see me as an ideal target to hit up for

My youngest son decided to grow a garden this year. He arrived at this decision while watching me turn soil for my garden, and then sow a bunch of kale, which is about the only thing hardy enough for me

I’m lame, and I know it. ‘Cringey’, is the word my kids prefer, meaning that I’m embarrassing, uncool, and unhip. If you need proof, the very fact that I use words like ‘lame’ and ‘unhip’ is undeniable proof that I

Part of being a child is having a deeply limited perspective. That’s not to say that our adult perspectives aren’t limited in many ways as well, of course, but for a child, with so very little experience of the world,

Annual holidays have fallen into a fairly settled routine for my extended families. We haven’t really had any big adjustments since my wife and I and our siblings got married, moved out, and started having kids, so we’ve had about

Adults are constantly asking kids what they want to be when they grow up. It’s the default conversation when an adult doesn’t know what else to say, just like talking about the weather with the person beside us at the

I always knew that the day would come when I’d need to help my kids negotiate the emotions and drama of romantic relationships. I just didn’t think it would come so soon. Over the past few days, we’ve had one ex-girlfriend

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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