Dear Santa, I hope you’ve had a good year and that you and Mrs. Claus are holding up under the pressure of what will, I’m sure, be a busy season. I’m very grateful for your lovely gifts to all those I love last year. This list will be succinct. First, I’d like to ask that […]
Category: On The Child Side
Things I wish I’d known
I spent a whole lot of time worrying about my kids when they were little. Don’t get me wrong, I was functional – working, getting them to school or daycare – but I did worry. I worried about their safety. I worried about their health and their development. In part, I blame those ‘What to […]
A second chance at the first day of school
As I arrived back from the Labour Day weekend, the conversations at work inevitably moved to everyone’s kids and their first day of school. Everyone had a story of first day jitters and first day excitement, and as most of my colleagues are 10 to 15 years younger than me it was also inevitable that […]
A tale of two fitting rooms
The first time I went shopping for clothes with my husband, The Rational One, he was not quite my husband. We were securing shoes to accompany his wedding suit, in which he would marry me the following month. Never having shopped with my husband, I had no idea what type of shopper he was. Just […]
Teenagers live life in true Technicolour
I’m just going to throw it out there that I am so grateful I am not raising daughters. I say this because raising teenaged sons is enough drama for me. I cross the threshold into my own home each night after work, and almost cringe as I ask the question, “So how was your day?” […]
The revenge of the subject matter
After writing on parenting for fifteen years, my kids have become used to the lack of privacy experienced by simply being my children and the fodder for my humour. They recently shared that the most common question they are asked by friends and neighbours who read this column is if they are “proud” of my […]
Parental screening for the teenage wish list
Dear Santa, Thank you again, for honouring the many good people of our neighbourhood last year. As the holiday season approaches, you may find you are short two letters from our household. It seems teenagers have figured out that snail-mail to the North Pole is a waste of time – an email to Mom and […]
The magic of report card interpretation
I remember the first report card my first child received. It represented such a life-changing stage; our child, in school, receiving a report card. Magic. Twelve years later, it’s a little less magical than in the old days. I have, however, built an interpretive legend over the years, to help me understand the gentle terminology […]
Dear Santa: it’s been a while
Dear Santa: I know it’s been a while since I sent you a letter, maybe 40 years (or so), but I hope you’ll understand when you read the content below. I sincerely hope this letter finds you and Mrs. Claus well, and that all the reindeer are revved up for the big night. I’ve been […]
Real-life experience for the work world
There is nothing as fun as sitting down with other parents and comparing notes on ages and stages of your children, as well as celebrating and lamenting the lives we lead in this marathon parenting journey. I have several friends who dedicated their lives to raising their families, foregoing careers and the hectic work-life balance […]
