Family

Parenting

Why I love it when my kids fight

Why I love it when my kids fight

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.

Kristy Woudstra

How To Raise A Reader

How To Raise A Reader

It’s never too early to instill a love of books in your kids. Here’s our age-by-age guide to building good habits and how to read to kids.

Claire Gagne

Why don't I feel like I'm bonding with my newborn?

Why don't I feel like I'm bonding with my newborn?

Bonding with newborn takes time—after all, you just met, even if they grew inside you. Try to drop the guilt and get to know them.

Amy Green

Four things my four-year-old already knows about sex

Four things my four-year-old already knows about sex

My son’s language might come as a surprise to some, but I think every preschooler should be as well versed in the basics of sex ed, including the fact that sex feels good.

Julia Pelly

Why I carried my baby in a tikinagan

Why I carried my baby in a tikinagan

I carried my baby in a tikinagan—an Indigenous parenting practice once restricted and now reclaimed.

Andrea Landry

I never expected to lose so many friends after becoming a parent

I never expected to lose so many friends after becoming a parent

After I became a dad, my social life atrophied, practically overnight. I knew being a parent would change things, but I’m grappling with the loneliness.

Jason McBride

Are Time-Outs Toxic?

Are Time-Outs Toxic?

Between time-outs, time-ins or neither, experts disagree on what’s best. If time-outs aren’t working for your family, here’s what to do instead.

David Rettew

Prepare thyself: One day, your kid will watch porn

Prepare thyself: One day, your kid will watch porn

It may be a decade or more away, but it'll happen. And if you do the right things while they’re little, you can mitigate any potential negative effects.

Ann Cavlovic

8 loving ways to show your kid you're the boss

8 loving ways to show your kid you're the boss

Demanding. Bossy. Defiant. Sound familiar? Here's how to take back the lead with a kid who thinks they're running the show.

Claire Sibonney

8 parenting phrases you probably say that can totally backfire

8 parenting phrases you probably say that can totally backfire

Gail Cornwall

Oppositional Defiance Disorder: When Your Kid Isn’t Just “Difficult”

Oppositional Defiance Disorder: When Your Kid Isn’t Just “Difficult”

Nothing prepared me for my daughter’s explosive rages and vindicative behaviour. But, there are solutions for families who have defiant children.

Hilary Thompson

What’s the right way to give a time-out?

What’s the right way to give a time-out?

Time outs are a familiar tool in a lot of parent toolboxes, but they may not always be the best way to manage behaviour.

Bonnie Schiedel

Please treat my daughter like she’s human

Please treat my daughter like she’s human

Is it too much to ask for a child with special needs to be spoken to like a person?

Heather Lanier

How to get your kids to use the bathroom all by themselves

How to get your kids to use the bathroom all by themselves

Even once your kid is out of diapers, they still need a lot of help in the bathroom. Here's how to encourage them to master those skills.

Bonnie Schiedel

The system is set up for special-needs kids to fail

The system is set up for special-needs kids to fail

The shortfall in government funding for kids with special needs means families have to make impossible sacrifices to fill the gap.

Corrina Allen

How I stopped being the shouty mom

How I stopped being the shouty mom

I was becoming the parent I didn’t want to be. Then I heard about RIE parenting. This alternative style of parenting saved me from myself.

Jennifer Chen

Why more people are having babies with their platonic friends

Why more people are having babies with their platonic friends

Drawing up a contract to raise a child with a platonic partner isn't quite as romantic, but it's an increasingly popular model for parenthood.

Sarah Treleaven

How To Deal When Your Parenting Styles Clash

How To Deal When Your Parenting Styles Clash

Do you parent dramatically differently than your partner? We share ways to find common ground when it comes to raising your kids.

Kate Daley

Working through the five stages of dyslexia

Working through the five stages of dyslexia

I was devastated when my son was diagnosed with dyslexia. It took four years of heartache and hard work, but he is now reading—and I couldn’t be more proud of him.

Shoshana Sperling

6 myths about autism that way too many people believe

6 myths about autism that way too many people believe

There's a lot of misinformation circulating about autism. We asked the experts what parents really need to know to decipher fact from fiction.

Arlene Karidis