Blogs

Opinion

My kid wants to be Hermione for Halloween and I feel like a total hypocrite

My kid wants to be Hermione for Halloween and I feel like a total hypocrite

J.K. Rowling’s transphobic remarks have left me unsure how to handle my nine-year-old's new obsession with all things Harry Potter.

Erin Pepler

Kids have lost so much—don’t take Halloween too

Kids have lost so much—don’t take Halloween too

With a modicum of creativity, trick-or-treating would be as low-risk as adults grabbing takeout. Why the lack of effort to make it happen for kids?

Shannon Proudfoot, Maclean's

The virus is exposing how inequitable public school has been all along

The virus is exposing how inequitable public school has been all along

While some schools are running around calling arborists about tree stumps for outdoor learning chairs, others aren't quite so privileged.

Charlotte Dobo

Kids should be in school, not six-hour COVID test lineups

Kids should be in school, not six-hour COVID test lineups

Testing is essential. But if it requires small kids to stand outdoors in a lineup for six hours, all due to a runny nose, then something is very broken.

Lindsay Springer

I just got the dreaded there's-COVID-in-your-child's-school email

I just got the dreaded there's-COVID-in-your-child's-school email

It happened to me, and there's a good chance it'll happen to you, too. Here's what to do (and what NOT to do) when COVID-19 hits your kid's school.

Ariel Brewster

School is about to start in Ontario and we still don't have a safe reopening plan

School is about to start in Ontario and we still don't have a safe reopening plan

The government promised to do "whatever it takes" to safely reopen schools in Ontario, but days before school starts we still don't have a plan.

Erin Pepler

How having a child with cancer prepared me for COVID-19

How having a child with cancer prepared me for COVID-19

Going through those five years of hell taught this mom a lot about resiliency and most importantly, how to get through a crisis.

Antonia Palmer

How the nuclear family structure was forced upon present-day Black families

How the nuclear family structure was forced upon present-day Black families

This structure not only eroded the modes that Africans had long thrived on, it drove the production of social and environmental ruin.

Andray Domise, Maclean's

This isn’t how I imagined my daughter’s first day of kindergarten

This isn’t how I imagined my daughter’s first day of kindergarten

Simone Olivero

Indigenous kids are still being taken from their parents. I'm one of them

Indigenous kids are still being taken from their parents. I'm one of them

Indigenous kids are being removed from their homes and are horrifically overrepresented in the foster care system. Some call it the Millennium Scoop.

Jaye Simpson

During coronavirus, families like mine have been hung out to dry

During coronavirus, families like mine have been hung out to dry

I get less than one hour of funding per day to hire a personal support worker for my special needs child, and I’m near my breaking point.

Toni Brem

What about our kids' right to education?

What about our kids' right to education?

It's not just about childcare—regardless of which back-to-school plan is chosen, our kids' learning should be at the centre of the decision.

Anne Levesque

We can’t recover from COVID-19 without a childcare plan that works for families

We can’t recover from COVID-19 without a childcare plan that works for families

Affordable, accessible child-care isn’t a pipe dream. We have plenty of evidence that when there’s the political will, there’s a way.

Joe Cressy

Why I’m telling my kids to have sex before marriage

Why I’m telling my kids to have sex before marriage

If I’d been more sexually experienced before marrying my husband, I would have known our relationship was in big trouble.

Iris Mahoney

I refuse to feel guilty for sending my kid to camp

I refuse to feel guilty for sending my kid to camp

When summer day camps were allowed to open, I knew I had a major decision on my hands. Sending her would have its risks. But so would keeping her home.

Elana Moscovitch

8 things parents just don’t get about PAW Patrol

8 things parents just don’t get about PAW Patrol

Where are this boy's parents? And why is he allowed to own so many dogs?

Amanda Newman

I love my newborn—but I miss my dog

I love my newborn—but I miss my dog

One of the hardest parts about having kids was losing quality time with my spry and sensitive Jack Russell Terrier, Brooklyn.

Claire Sibonney

Parents, Maybe it's Time to Stop Glorifying the Police to Your Kids

Parents, Maybe it's Time to Stop Glorifying the Police to Your Kids

Your kids get to play with Lego police sets and watch Paw Patrol and imagine the police officers as superheroes. Mine don’t.

Kearie Daniel

We caved and hired a babysitter and it’s been a lifesaver...for my kids

We caved and hired a babysitter and it’s been a lifesaver...for my kids

To protect my kids' mental health, we've started taking small, calculated risks. Until there's a vaccine for COVID-19, it's the only way forward.

Claire Gagne

Dear irresponsible park-goers: Stop ruining this for the rest of us

Dear irresponsible park-goers: Stop ruining this for the rest of us

It feels like families with young children are making huge sacrifices as other groups of people are shamelessly defying the rules.

Lindsay Springer