It’s bad enough that most newborns resemble shaved chickens as opposed to actual little people – and we, as functional, politically-correct, respectable adults have to pretend they’re cute. And by the way, I can say this with impunity considering that two thirds of my brood were unsightly at birth. One looked like a hairless cat…
Dear Fortnite, You must think you’re clever, holding my kids hostage like this. Bringing them together briefly, lulling everyone into a temporary holding pattern before burrowing your way into their entranced brains and robotic fingers. I admit, your video game has sky-rocketed to full-blown addiction status in my house. In fact, an all-encompassing game like…
This post started out as a frenzied rant against the punctuality slobs in our midst. You know the ones – the cretins who routinely drop their kids off late for school or are 15 minutes late for their doctor’s appointment which was scheduled right before mine. These untimely slip-ups have the potential of causing a…
Long before there was a husband and kids; before cooking and cleaning and driving everyone and their best friend around; before dog and laundry and paying bills; before packing school lunches and making orthodontic appointments – there was watching movies – at the theatre, at the drive-in, at friends’ houses, at my house. And even…
I talk to my kids all the time. At breakfast, I tell them to put their dishes in the sink and they tell me they need to grab their books upstairs. At school dismissal, they ask me if they can go to the store with their friends and I tell them what time to be…
When it comes to a tattletale – there’s a time and a place. And what I’ve been trying to instil in my kids since they first learned to talk is the art of the perfect squeal. It begins with the reasons why. In fact, the reasons why are (in most cases) even more important than the…
The shift and change from elementary to high school is one that most students begin preparing for from the time they are old enough to read. As a Grade 9 student myself (who has just finished my first semester), I was one of those students not too long ago. In my mind, secondary school seemed…
Last month I was reading the Toronto Star, minding my own business – when I was stopped cold by this headline: Another parent told me not to film my child’s solo at spring concert. The gist of the item is this: A mother planned on using her iPad to film her daughter’s solo at the…
Several months ago, a woman phoned my house and spoke briefly to my husband. He hadn’t met her before, but her message to him – to us – was an important one. This one phone call and the reason behind it was a parenting shake-up. It changed the way I think about my parenting methods…
Eyes may very well be the windows to the soul – but the same can be said about a child’s home-packed school lunch. These canvas totes, thermal boxes and even crumpled brown paper bags hold more than just a child’s middle meal – they carry a family’s secrets – revealed for all to see at…
