Nurture

If you’ve spent any time on social media over the last few weeks (is there anyone who hasn’t?!), you’ve likely detected the increasing spread of a bizarre new contagion. Amid news feeds stuffed with homeschooling tips and toilet paper-hoarding memes, there are pictures of puppies. So many ridiculously cute new puppies.  Timber, our brand new

This study shows that parents with math anxieties inadvertently make the situation worse for their kids. Math-haters of the parenting world rejoice! According to this study, parents who struggled with math should take a step back and not assist with their kid’s homework. Isn’t that great news? I was a terrible math student. I dreaded

There will come a day when you no longer have to wipe anyone’s bum, EVER AGAIN. Watching your baby scrunch up their face while tasting veggie puree for the first time is adorable, and seeing the sense of accomplishment they feel after taking their first steps is one for the books. These major developmental baby

Getting up to speed on federal politics probably wasn’t on your Summer 2021 bucket list. But with Canadians heading to the polls on September 20, it’s critical for parents to understand what’s at stake this election—and how the outcome will shape your family’s future. No time to do the research, you say? We get it—you’re

It may take a little digging, but there are serious savings to be had at this discount superstore. Oh, Dollarama. The store with long aisles, bright lighting and jam-packed (but perfectly organized) shelves may seem overwhelming at first glance, but there are serious bargains to be had. Think of shopping at Dollarama as you would

When Linda James was pregnant with her first baby, a boy who is now four, her mother-in-law, who lives in the United States, seemed benevolent and excited. By the time she and her husband arrived in Toronto to meet the newborn—the baby who made her a grandmother—she had morphed into a judgy, argumentative interrogator who

Here’s how to design a shared kids’ room that looks cute, offers them some privacy and hides alllll their stuff. Like many other families, we noticed that after the pandemic hit, our home was no longer running at its best. Our small Victorian row house was suddenly cluttered and chaotic. Games and toys, typically reserved

Some of your old refund cheques from the CRA might still be sitting uncashed. Here’s how to see what free money you might be missing out on. Kids are expensive, so no matter what your current financial situation is, any extra money that you weren’t expecting is a good news story. And now, there’s an

A hot car tragedy can happen to any family—even yours. Here are strategies to prevent it. Despite decades of campaigns pushing for increased awareness, injuries and deaths caused by heatstroke when kids are left in hot cars continue to happen. Dozens of children across North America die each summer while trapped in hot cars, where

All of us were (theoretically) gung-ho about trying out the so-called “blended family” thing. I imagined it was going to be like a box of cake mix: just add the ingredients, stir and voila—Instant Family! I was blissfully delusional. Photo: Kristy Woudstra “MOMMMM! Will’s being annoying!” While this exclamation would be annoying in itself to

It’s a bit out of the norm, but I think a lot of couples secretly yearn for our arrangement. “What are you going to tell Ben about this when he grows up?” my friend asks, horrified by our situation and the potential psychological damage it might inflict on our two-year-old son. That this is just

Once again, summer won’t be quite as we’d hoped. But last year our family had one of our best summers yet—and I’m excited to see what this one will bring. My father was in Iran visiting family when much of the world went into lockdown in March of 2020. Iran would turn out to be

If you came into our home, you would see piles of clean laundry, backpacks not on their designated hooks and baskets upon baskets of toys. It’s messy, but I am truly OK with it. When I come home, I toss my keys into the clutter on the table by the door. There’s a basket there

Kids love doing “adult” jobs, and these ten tasks are sure to make them feel helpful while you’re busy doing the real work. Encouraging kids to help with outdoor chores probably won’t lighten your actual workload, but it’ll give them a sense of accomplishment and pride—and keep them occupied. Here are some ideas. 1. Water

Playtime is just plain fun, and it’s also an essential way to keep minds and bodies active and thriving. As the warm weather hits and school ends, it’s the perfect time for families to explore and rediscover activities, games and toys, all while building those all-important developmental skills. School’s out but that doesn’t mean the

Didn’t get a chance to say thank you to your kid’s teacher? It’s not too late. Not sure how to thank your kid’s teacher this year? With many schools across the country being mostly virtual, parents and kids may not be able to say their goodbyes or thank yous in person. Even if you don’t

As a kid, I was jealous of my non-Indigenous peers whose families had the luxury of not being touched by this traumatic history. When the news broke that 215 babies were buried on the ancestral lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation, on the grounds of a former residential school, a lot of disturbing

Not hearing Ojibway as a kid was something I didn’t give much thought to—probably because I didn’t know any different. No one spoke the language in my home. My mother, a former student of several residential schools, was ashamed of being Indigenous. In fact, she would sometimes tell people she was French. I grew up

It’s not that I’ve given up, it’s just that—OK. Maybe I’ve kind of given up. I like to think I was a diligent parent when my kids were tiny. I spent my pregnancies researching and preparing for their babyhoods. Their carefully-curated newborn outfits were meticulously washed in baby-friendly detergent. Guests were greeted with hand sanitizer

When Chrystia Freeland revealed the Liberal government’s 2021 budget, which included an ambitious five-year plan for improving child care costs and access across the country, it was met with equal parts excitement and skepticism. After all, Canadians have heard this before, especially those of us who pay exorbitant daycare fees in cities like Toronto and Vancouver.