What could possibly go wrong
I grew up in a house of five boys in one of the safest cities on the planet in an era when helicopter parents (or drone parents, as I prefer to call them) would have been laughed off the playground.
Keeping Keepsakes
Our most exciting summer adventure has been a robin’s nest on our porch. It started with a flurry of activity by two robin mates to claim their territory and put together a nest atop a lantern on our front porch.
Pink or blue not black and white: gender neutral child rearing
Five years ago, I was planning my daughter’s first birthday party and all I could think of was how not to go pink.
How to have a ‘happy little sleeper’
If you are struggling with sleep with your Baby/Toddler, I would suggest you check out this great tips from Amanda at Happy Little Sleepers.
Hey, dad, I found a phone
My kids found an old cell phone at the park the other day. I would just have chucked it in the nearest garbage can, but my 8-year old was adamant that he get to keep it.
Defusing the situation
Sometimes in our house relatively simple issues end up escalating far further than necessary.
Meditate on these things
One of the things I've found helpful to my parenting (and to my life generally, in fact) is a daily time of quiet meditation.
Community parenting
I often see kids in public places behaving in ways that are childish or impolite or even outright inappropriate and I have made a conscious effort to intervene in those kinds of situations as calmly and politely as I can.
New educational game feeds hungry minds
Whether you are a parent wanting to make homework less of a chore and more of a fun family routine, or a teacher looking to make a new skill more engaging for the class, the Hungry Minds Study Games box
Parenting in the digital age
Parenting in a digital age comes with two big challenges: excessive use and behavioural concerns.
Doing paperwork
In case I was ever likely to forget that my kids watch my every move and model themselves after me in the most unexpected ways, my youngest son has created his own office.
Just wear your coat
I don't know if you fight about dressing for winter in your house, but it's a source of constant conflict in mine.
Can I trust you
When my son yells at me about my meanness, I tell him that I'd like to be able to trust him, but that there have been too many times when he has abused my trust, so now I have to
Don’t worry, I’m the parent
In my work with Children's Aid I often run into kids who are “parentified”, who do the job of parenting their younger siblings because their own parents haven't been able or willing to do it.
Set up a sleepy space
Often, when babies start daycare we see some nap “regressions”. Setting up a room that is conducive to sleep is key.