Bad Parents Anonymous
There’s something that needs to be said about parenting that too few people are willing to say – “It’s normal to feel bad at this.” It’s normal to be unsure about how to deal with a particular situation. It’s normal to
Rewriting the Christmas list
By Kinjal Dagli-Shah Lee-Ann Satari and her husband Ali made a meaningful change to their Christmas tradition last year. The family decided to quit buying gifts for each other and told their children that Santa isn’t real but his spirit is.
How to Talk to Girls
As a father of three sons, one of the things I worry about is teaching them to treat women with respect. Now, when I say this to people (especially to men), I often get a sort of wide-eyed, all-too-naive response. “Don’t
Survival Guide to Parent-Teacher Interviews
It’s getting to be about that time when schools schedule their parent-teacher interviews, which can sometimes be an unpleasant experience (on both sides of the desk, I assure you). As a parent, especially if your kids have special needs, or
The secrets to sleep and safety
By Christine Davis When I had newborn babies at home one of the first things people always asked me was: “Is the baby sleeping through the night yet?” Before becoming a parent I had no idea that getting a baby to sleep
Mitigating the Emotional Toll of Dyslexia
By Don M. Winn One constant in the universe is that human beings don’t like doing things we’re not good at. When we put forth our very best effort and still struggle or fail, many of us will be reluctant to
Not Too Old To Cuddle
I get it that kids become less dependant on physical affection from their parents as they grow older. They move from babies who constantly need to be picked up, rocked, and held, to children who only need hugs when they’re
Going to the dance
Ah, grade school dances – kids standing around awkwardly in homogeneously gendered groups, eating snacks, sneaking lots of glances across the room, but doing precious little dancing. Those currently “in a relationship” venturing out at last, trying not to look
Calling names
My middle son tried out for a rep soccer team the other day. It wasn’t the team he’s been playing with the last few years, but one in a town close by where the coaching had been highly recommended to
Bed time
I don’t know if other parents experience this, but bedtime misbehaviour seems to come in waves around our house. We’ll go for months with relatively few problems, all the kids getting through their bedtime routine and heading off to sleep
What parents need to know about streaming video
By Melissa Henson The temptation for parents of young children to make the switch from terrestrial broadcast and cable television to streaming video is powerful. I know. I’ve been there. Frustrated by the non-stop efforts to market junk food, video games, cheap
What to consider before using GPS to track your kid
By Carolyn Jabs Sooner or later, most parents lose a kid—usually for only a few minutes. A toddler figures out how to open an unlatched door. A kindergartener heads off to investigate something in another grocery aisle. A school age child gets
The Great Flood of 2017
This time last year I wrote a post about how I don’t have the same emotions about kids going back to school that many parents seem to have. I don’t get all weepy about my kids getting all grown up
Homework: Prepare for academic success at home
By Laura Lyles Reagan, MS Back to school preparations go beyond school clothes purchases and new backpacks filled with pencils and spiral notebooks. Creating and supporting the habits of life-long learning is the best investment you can make in your child’s
Skateboard Birthday
My middle son turned 10 this week, so I took him and a pack of his friends to the new skate park in Rockwood, a village not far from our home city. I’m not a birthday party lover, not the way
Lose less learning with epic new app
By Christine Davis ‘Tis the season for summer slide, “the regress in learning children have because they’re not engaged or challenged academically,” says educator Renee Cunningham. According to studies, students can lose up to two months of learning if they don’t
Potty Training On the Go: You Can Do It
When you first make the transition to underwear, you may feel tempted to stay at home for the rest of your life. But at some point, you will have to conquer public bathrooms and toilets. The following tips and ideas
Get the back-to-school ball rolling
By Christine Davis Back to school is just around the corner and most parents and students alike tend to procrastinate on those preparations says Katherine Firestone, founder of Fireborn Institute. “Parents are just as bad as kids,” she admits, waiting until
It’s All About Birth Order Baby
By Laura Lyles Reagan How should birth order data affect parenting? Parenting expert, Dr. Gail Gross summarizes the existing roles and research on birth order by naming the first born as the achiever, the middle child as the peacemaker and the youngest
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.