Aviva Rubin's son wants to leave summer camp and come home. What's a parent to do?

My kid is trying to break out of summer camp

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At our house

Let us help navigate daily life with your growing family, with everything from kids’ craft and activity ideas to advice on discipline and birthday party inspiration.

Family

Kids will be amazed by the natural beauty on these family-friendly hikes in BC.

10 family-friendly hikes in BC

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6 family-friendly hiking trails in Nova Scotia

4 family-friendly water parks in Vancouver

All the best indoor water parks in Canada

9 family-friendly beaches in Atlantic Canada

4 family-friendly hiking trails in New Brunswick

Outdoor activities

There's nothing like quality time with your family. We’ve got fun ideas for indoor games, camping and travel tips, holiday crafts, and everything in between.

Activities

You try to do the best for your kid and in return, they act like you're an a**hole parent.

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Tantrums

Everything you need to know about your growing toddler, from picky eating to potty training, navigating bedtime to managing tantrums.

Toddler

Is she ready for a big girl bed? Does she still need two naps? An expert answers all your toddler sleep questions.

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Toddler sleep problems linked to napping: Study

Poor toddler sleep may cause anxiety, depression: Study

Sleep

Sometimes, kids have trouble with constipation. Here's what to do.

Does your child suffer from constipation?

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Kids health

Kids

Everything you need to know about kids and toddlers, including behaviour and development, sleep, potty training, preschool, and how to handle picky eaters.

How to make a homemade sprinkler

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The debate was reignited online after a Maine diner owner "yelled" at a toddler for crying in her restaurant.

Noisy kids in restaurants: Where do we draw the line?

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Yes, it's OK to ask noisy families to leave a restaurant

5 tantrum triggers and how you can avoid them

News

Yep, travelling can be stressful and expensive. But it can also be life changing for your kids.

Why travelling with your kids is worth it

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Flying when pregnant: What you should know before taking off

Family travel

10 ways to curb your kid's bullying

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Mo’ne Davis’s response to cyberbully who called her a slut is amazing

Cyberbullying: Kids read mean tweets and it’s heartbreaking

How to handle mean girls in the schoolyard

School

Emma Waverman knows that she's a screen addict—but it's so hard to put that phone down.

a:1:{i:0;s:2308:"Fair warning. Before you even read this post on your phone or device, know that you may feel guilty if you have children close by. I feel guilty even writing it. Because I know that I am a screen addict and it hurts my kids. 
My kids aren’t alone. According to a new study, 54 percent of kids (between the ages of 8 and 13) say that parents check their screens too often. The study was done by AVG, an online security firm that polled over 6,000 people from all over the world. 
That’s not all – 32 percent of kids feel unimportant when parents check their phones. I found this statistic even more distressing, as it implies kids feel that we are choosing our phones over them. I guess sometimes we are.
Sure we can tell ourselves that it is work-related, or that we are planning play dates or that whatever we are looking at is really important. But did I really need to know what Kate Middleton wore? Did I really need to watch that Jimmy Fallon video right at that minute?
In the survey, more than half of parents said they check their phones too often. 
I’m willing to give myself some leeway; part of my job is staying connected and sometimes I really am reading an important email or doing research for a story. But I have to remind myself that my kids don’t know the difference. 
And now I’m seeing the tables turn–as my kids get older [how old are they?] I find myself fighting with them to put down their phones. Here I am, whining like a toddler so they’ll pay attention to me. I’m not alone–25 percent of parents in the survey wanted their kids to use their devices less. 
It’s a strange new world – parents and kids alike are trying to deal with the addictive pull of their devices. On the one had, they allow us to leave our offices and our desks and be–at least physically–present with our kids. But is being there, without being mentally available, really so great? What message are we sending our kids, if we are making them feel like what is on a screen is more important than them? 
Figuring out how to balance our connected lives and our family life is a work-in-progress at my house. Some days I think I am doing an OK job at it, but some days I know that I’m not. 
Maybe I should find out what my kids think–and be ready for their answers. 


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GenX parenting and the screen-time debate

Parenting

Awesome water parks in Montreal that you need to visit this summer.

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6 best family-friendly beaches in Montreal

6 Montreal playgrounds you need to check out

Forget what’s zero divided by zero: Here’s what happens when kids grill Siri!

Kids asked, Siri answered

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Technology in the classroom: Is it a good thing?

More babies are using smartphones (but not in my house!)

Creepy! South Korea creates spyware for kids’ phones

App traps: How to avoid tricky in-game purchase offers

Technology before bed: Is your kid losing sleep?

What can godless kids learn at Bible camp? Hopefully, the answers to all their questions.

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What does God mean?: Answering the tough questions

School permission form for my kid to get… a bible?

Summer camp

This summer your family can beat the heat with these refreshingly cool water parks in Atlantic Canada.

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4 family-friendly water parks in Winnipeg

5 family-friendly water parks in Toronto and the GTA

So what if you end up with weird veggies? It's all about creativity and independence.

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Lessons learned from my family’s garden

Summer

Grab the kids and check out some of the country's best community festivals.

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Ski resorts in summer: 15 Canadian hot spots

Splish, splash! Jump into one of these water parks in Saskatchewan.

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With the extended Universal Child Care Benefit, parents can expect a retroactive lump sum payment as early as July 20.

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RESP: A parents guide to saving for school

Million-dollar babies: The cost of raising a child

15 ways to save money on just about everything

Child care

Everything you need to know about your baby, including information on breastfeeding, teething, colic, baby development, food, sleep, and more..

Baby

Looking for a way to cool off this summer? Visit one of these family-friendly water parks in Toronto and the GTA.

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Tips and tricks to help you choose it and launch it

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Forget a ’70s summer: Give your kids a time to remember

Beach bound: 16 best beaches across Canada

Kids

My kid is trying to break out of summer camp

10 family-friendly hiking trails in British Columbia

10 times my kid acted like I was an a**hole parent

Toddler sleep: Your top questions answered

Does your child suffer from constipation?

How to make a homemade sprinkler

Noisy kids in restaurants: Where do we draw the line?

Why travelling with your kids is worth it

10 ways to curb your kid's bullying

I know I’m a screen addict and that it hurts my kids

3 family-friendly water parks in Montreal

Kids asked; Siri answered

I’m not religious, but I send my kids to Bible camp

7 family-friendly water parks in Atlantic Canada

Why your kids should plant their own garden

11 cool community festivals across the country

3 family-friendly water parks in Saskatchewan

Free money (sort of): Watch for the extended Universal Child Care Benefit

5 family-friendly water parks in Toronto and the GTA

4 tips for successful kite-flying