parenting blog posts

Today's Kids Could Use A Lesson In Healthy Competition

Feb

It seems to me that the word "competitive" is getting a bum rap in today's school systems and sports programs. When I was growing up in primary school, there were awards for top marks and effort -- there was the most improved student, the award for highest achievement, the athlete of... more

Becoming a mom forced me to deal with my mental illness — and my family’s.

Jan

Last night I was putting my stepdaughter to bed, when she ran downstairs and frantically opened every cupboard in the front entrance looking for two flashlights. Once she found the two flashlights, she moved them to another drawer, aligning them meticulously. When she was satisfied they... more

Do You Want To Be Right Or Do you Want To Be Kind? (And How To Choose Kindness Daily)

Jun

I want to be kind, I really do. Kindness matters, I know this, I coach this, I speak about the power of kindness, and yet -- yes, and yet. In my primary relationship (you know, that relationship with my husband), being kind seems to be in a wrestling match with being right. Being right... more

Youth of Attawapiskat Have Solutions to Fighting Suicide Crisis - Is Canada Listening?

Apr

My heart swells when I read about the youth of Attawapiskat and the recent suicide pact that was thwarted by the quick actions of police, local services and community. I am the mother of four teenagers ranging from 16 to 20 yrs old. These teen years are tricky ones. I have only to look at... more

There’s No Reason To Dread The Teenage Years: Parenting 101

Jan

My kids have all returned to school, and with them their friends, their boyfriends, and the happy high paced days and long nights of holiday with teenagers. Teenagers do not sleep the same hours as us adults, and trying to keep up with their zany schedule is as futile as it is exhausting... more

The Meaning Of Christmas Extends Beyond Family

Dec

I wonder if the tide is turning about Christmas. This year, it seems that more is being written about putting the meaning back in Christmas. This is pretty dicey territory, because Christmas does in fact have different meaning for different people. To many, Christmas marks the birth of... more

On World Autism Day

Apr

As a speaker, a writer and advocate for healthy kids, I make my life in the business of communication. As a NLP Master Practitioner and Life Coach, I pay attention to the words people chose to express their ideas and emotions, and I am careful of the language I use to express my own. I... more

Simple Bribery

Apr

I am so astounded that simple bribery works. I just bribed my child, pure and simple. All year we have been working to get him to remember to write his homework in his agenda. Each night as I check his empty agenda I hear the excuses. There is no homework, the teacher was sick today,... more

The Right Motivation

Nov

Last night as I was accompanying my ten year old on her night of Trick or Treating, I had a thought I had never had before. Halloween is a great exercise! I watched as a gaggle of twelve kids not only walked the length of our 1km street, they ran full speed from door to door. Perhaps... more

Mind Body Spirit

Oct

All of us as adults can in some way relate to the concept of Mind Body Spirit. We may have for a time in our lives, ignored the needs of our body and found ourselves stricken with illness or injury. After a few years of this, most of us wise up to how connected our mental acuity and our... more