It was December 1995 and Mark McNaughton was focused on finishing up the last of his teacher’s college exams at the University of Windsor. Across town, a young woman named Cindy Farris*, a stranger to Mark, was about to succumb to massive head trauma inflicted by a horrific car accident. As her parents confronted the…
Growing up with dyslexia wasn’t an issue for me. I’m the fortunate one. I escaped the stigma well into my teens and finally got diagnosed just prior to applying for a place at university. For this I am eternally thankful. I escaped the ‘stupid’ tag. Fast forward 30 to 40 years, and both the…
Last month, my daughter proclaimed my blog posts boring. Of course she softened the blow by ending her pronouncement with ‘No offence” which everyone knows makes everything all better. According to her worldly 14 years of wisdom, my posts are on boring topics that sometimes start off interesting but inevitably turn boring. In order to…
Once upon a time, Katie Stewart had a vision for her future self. Hers would be a normal life – comprised of work and love and maybe even parenthood. Over the years – as a teenager and young adult, this vision would dim at times. Yet at others, it would snap into clear focus as…
As anyone who knows me will attest to – I ask a lot of questions. Not because I’m annoying (although that is definitely a part of it) but mainly because I’m curious – and typically very interested. I mean – how else do you come to learn about other people – than by asking them…
I won’t go so far to say that I have this parenting thing figured out — but I do believe I have a handle on it for now. My three are coming along quite nicely if I do say so myself. Every time I peek into the oven, they seem to be browning up just…
They can be awkward. They can be difficult. They may even seem pointless. For these reasons alone, many parents may dismiss the parent-teacher interview as being too brief a meeting, even entirely unimportant – but this couldn’t be farther from the truth. In order to clear up these common misconceptions, listed below are five reasons…
If you are a parent reading this – then you know what it feels like to be judged by perfect strangers. You understand the public shame associated with a child’s temper tantrum. Then you, unfortunately, have fallen prey to undisguised scorn and derision for events beyond your control. If you are the parent of an…
There’s this mean girl who won’t leave my daughter alone. When she’s at school, this girl follows her around, criticizing her every action, mocking her every word. She laughs at her and teases her and makes her feel anxious and insecure. When my daughter is talking, this mean girl is snickering and whispering about how…
I hate to be judgemental – but I can’t help it – I just AM. Everyone has specific idiosyncrasies or behaviours that just bug them, rub them the wrong way, that they prefer to steer clear of. When it comes to other parents in my midst – these are the four I do my best…
