It never ends – parenting, that is. I mean, you know that going into it. Once you become a parent, you will always be a parent. Even if one or all of your children dies, you are still a parent.
A former co-worker once pointed out to me that, when a spouse dies, we can convey [...]
I didn’t grow up with a brother or a close male friend, so when it came to boys, I was pretty clueless. This isn’t to say that I’m a girly-girl – I’m not – but when it comes to how males think and why, I am often confused. This confusion was increased by the belief [...]
When our son was born, my then-husband and I had to figure out our roles as parents. Later when we separated and divorced we had to figure out our roles as sole parents. This transition happened when we were also trying to determine who we were as not-married people. Worse, we had to figure out [...]
Celebrations have always been important in my family. I’ve always believed they’re part of healthy child development and, no matter how humbled I’ve felt by other aspects of parenting, I’ve taken pride in our ability to create and sustain meaningful traditions.
The success we’ve had in this area hit home a few weeks ago when I [...]
I’m a strong minded-woman but when it comes to parenting, I often second-guess myself. I feel like I’m not being the best mom I can be, because I’m busy, overwhelmed, and so on. When it comes to behaviour that is not bad, just irritating, I am guilty of occasionally opting for the status quo rather [...]
In the chaos that is my everyday life, I sometimes forget to pay attention to the small shifts going on around me. One of the shifts that I noticed recently is in my teenage stepson. This year he started high school, and with it an intense sports program and a commute by public bus. With [...]
Twelve minutes can be a very long time.
The Husband called to say he was coming home early, and I thought, awesome, I will get dinner on, big boy will get food in him before the five-thirty crazies. I put the breaded chicken in the oven and put the baby down after [...]
Does this sound familiar? Your child is crying hysterically, seemingly for no reason, and everyone around you (especially your mother-in-law) claims to know the purpose – “He’s cold, put on his socks”, “She’s hungry. Do you want a cookie sweetheart?”, “He needs a nap – he’s tired”. But the answer is obvious to you, even [...]
The Candy Plan
Each Hallowe’en has brought with it a struggle over candy – particularly, its consumption by my six-year-old son, who is allergic to preservatives. I remember the first Hallowe’en when my son realized that by simply getting dressed up and mumbling a few magic words, he would be given candy. He was only more [...]
I often hear from my friends and family that I am the go-to guru for finding things on the cheap. Snagging an item for sometimes half its’ listed price is like conquering Mt. Vesuvius to me. And I readily exclaim at what bargain I received it at when someone comments on the item. Now that [...]