All posts tagged "Parenting"

  • Preparing for your child’s surgery

    Planning ahead made a huge difference in her readiness for surgery and ours too. So, I thought I’d share some of what we did with you, in case you ever need to know how to prepare your...

    • Posted December 17, 2014
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  • How to share shocking news

    Each month, Paul and Carol Mott of themotts.ca and hosts of a morning radio show invite me on as their resident Psychologist to dispense advice to their listeners. However, a couple of weeks ago, Carol wrote looking...

    • Posted November 10, 2014
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  • Are ‘no photo’ policies necessary to protect kids?

    I came across an article in a daily national newspaper about a day care that the writer, Leah McLaren, had recently visited and their ‘no photo’ policy. This means that neither staff nor parents are allowed to...

    • Posted October 9, 2014
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  • Gender Neutral Parenting

    Have you heard of GNP? No, not Gross National Product but Gender Neutral Parenting. For most, the decision to adopt a gender neutral approach to parenting comes out the belief that we treat and have a different...

    • Posted September 10, 2014
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  • Does Your Summer Spell Break?

    Now that all students have finished school, summer break can officially begin… For some, this signals the beginning of overnight camp with barely enough time to catch one’s breath between school ending and boarding the camp bound...

    • Posted August 9, 2014
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  • Preparing kids for birthday parties

    What do wedding celebrations and kids’ parties have in common? Both need preparation. The difference is that with kids parties, having a tyke on your hosting team may sometimes disappoint. Check out the experts’ advice. Should you...

    • Posted July 12, 2014
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  • Is this the real me or is it fantasy? Come to my party, let’s escape from reality.

    Make believe play is fun for children. Little girls like to play characters they see as their role model. Little girls oftentimes like to be a princess and boys like to be super heroes. When kids get...

    • Posted July 12, 2014
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  • Fathers and daughters

    rowing up in the 60’s in South Africa, it was common for parents to preach that “children should be seen but not heard.” Fathers, on the other hand, were heard but seldom seen by their children. This...

    • Posted June 5, 2014
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  • Awkward moments… and how to handle them

    emember the time you loaned a neighbour your ladder but had to bug him to return it? Or the time you were out at a restaurant with friends who ordered two bottles of wine and then just...

    • Posted April 7, 2014
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  • Is it ok to pull your child out of school to travel?

    don’t believe I am alone in saying that one of the things I like least about travel are airports – especially during peak periods when students and their families flock South to escape the cold of Winter....

    • Posted March 10, 2014
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  • The Valentine Prescription

    ith Valentine’s and Family Day just around the corner, you may not only be thinking of ways to say “I love you” to your partner, but to other members of your immediate family too.Saying “I love you”...

    • Posted February 12, 2014
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  • Letting Go

    I finally did it! Their furry faces with big black eyes have been sitting in the corner of my basement for many years. Every time I looked at them I experienced a combination of feeling sentimental and...

    • Posted January 1, 2014
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  • Do as I do – Raising Kids with a character

    10 KEY TRAITS 1. Perseverance “Mom, can I have a cookie?” “Yes. After supper,” you reply. “Pleeeeeez”, your child begs, “I’m so hungry. I promise I’ll eat everything on my plate.” Frustrating, but a sign that your...

    • Posted December 15, 2013
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  • Driven to Distraction: Cell phones in the high school classroom

    Eight years ago we purchased a cell phone for our now 22-year old daughter when she began grade nine. Our rationale was that being more independent at that time, a cell phone for communication (with us in...

    • Posted November 11, 2013
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  • Hauntingly helpful hints for Halloween

    It’s that time of year again – to plan ahead for Halloween. For some, this is greeted with excitement and for others, with dread. There are questions to be answered such as: Do we decorate the outside...

    • Posted October 1, 2013
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  • My munchkin is obsessed with shopping bags

    Mommy question Q.   My munchkin is obsessed with shopping bags. He scoots around the house with bags of all sizes.  I am curious as to why he adores them and is  happy having them close by even...

    • Posted September 11, 2013
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  • Tips towards the successful launch of a new school year

    If you visualize time off school during the summer months as a mountain, you may or may not be pleased to realize that you are more or less at the peak, and will soon be making the...

    • Posted September 11, 2013
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  • Tokyo’s coolest buggies

    Infants and toddlers are susceptible to dust and pollution.   Aprica’s Air Ria was specifically madewith high seats (53 cms) to combat air pollution and irritants.  It is also equipped with the new “breath air” technology that automatically...

    • Posted September 11, 2013
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  • Tokyo’s Coolest Buggies

    The Combi White Label MC-400 Mechakaru (Japanese term for “ultra light”) ranks high in preference by Japanese moms because of its ultra light quality. Weighing only 4.4 kgs, this super cool buggy is suitable for traveling to...

    • Posted September 11, 2013
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  • Tokyo’s Coolest Buggies

    Air Buggy Coco Brake (three-wheel model) This latest  air buggy is designed for 3–5 months old babies up to 3 years old. It’s a 3-wheel model, very light at 9.5 kg  and measures W96cm X D53.5cm X...

    • Posted September 11, 2013
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  • Spender or saver?: What this reveals about you

    I was recently invited to be a guest on a local television show. The topic: personal debt and how it affects us and our relationships. The more I prepared for the interview, the more I realized how...

    • Posted July 5, 2013
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  • Time

    “Mom, when is dinner?” “Dad, Iʼm tired. When do we arrive?” “Mom, how long does it take to charge my gameʼs battery?” These are questions every parent is familiar with. My son has always shown a keen...

    • Posted July 5, 2013
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  • An age to age guide to preparing your child for school

    After nine months of life in a mother’s womb, a baby arrives into the world to experience his first interaction with his primary caregivers, dad and mom. The formative or early years (ages 0-5) of a child...

    • Posted July 5, 2013
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  • School’s Out Forever

    As a child, I remember belting out the lyrics from Alice Cooper’s School’s Out Forever – “no more pencils, no more books, no more teachers dirty looks” – on the last day of each school year. I haven’t heard...

    • Posted June 18, 2013
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  • Raising Kids in an Interfaith family

    , There are a few times during the year that different religious holidays overlap. For example Passover sometimes overlaps with Easter or Christmas with Chanukah. One of the benefits of being a child of an interfaith couple...

    • Posted April 4, 2013
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  • Beating the winter blahs

    Winter blues. This time of year can leave even the happiest among us feeling a little on the sad side. It’s not just that we’re sick of having to pull on or zipper up boots, or put...

    • Posted March 3, 2013
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  • Kicking the electronic addiction

    If I had a dime for every time I’ve said to my kids “Can you please look up from your screen and give this the attention it deserves,” I’d be a wealthy woman. We’re all familiar with...

    • Posted February 3, 2013
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  • Ten tips towards great New Year’s resolutions

    No matter the day on which January 1st falls, it feels like a Monday. Time to begin another diet and exercising daily just like the Monday before. No wonder that weight loss programs and gyms see a...

    • Posted January 2, 2013
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  • Is your sibling your friend?

    One of the most common concerns amongst parents is sibling rivalry. Sometimes the rivalry is quite innocuous – like when siblings ght over which side of the couch to sit on or who got more French fries....

    • Posted December 3, 2012
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  • Gratitude can’t be imposed

    Thanks + giving = Thanksgiving. Time to reflect on what you’ve been given and to give thanks back. That’s the idea anyway but gratitude isn’t something that can be imposed.Children are born not wanting more than to...

    • Posted October 31, 2012
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