first person

It's time to add “chestfeeding” to your vocabulary

It's time to add “chestfeeding” to your vocabulary

I know we're all used to saying “breastfeeding,” but as a lactation consultant, I believe that inclusive language is vital.

Azura Goodman

If you were teething you'd punch your dad in the testicles, too

If you were teething you'd punch your dad in the testicles, too

An excerpt from Steve Patterson's book, Dad Up, about why babies should get away with anything when they're teething—even terrorizing dad.

Steve Patterson

I’m not an amazing mom for accepting my transgender son

I’m not an amazing mom for accepting my transgender son

When I told family and friends that our 11-year-old was transitioning, I was inundated with praise for supporting him. But I was hiding my grief and anger.

Tammy Plunkett

How to raise kids who will never have to ‘come out’ to you

How to raise kids who will never have to ‘come out’ to you

Creating a safe environment is more than the conversations we have, the books we choose and the company we keep; it’s also how we interact with our kids.

Brianna Sharpe

I ditched Toronto for an affordable, idyllic small town—but it's not totally working for me

I ditched Toronto for an affordable, idyllic small town—but it's not totally working for me

My kids are thriving, my husband is loving it and even the grandmas are thrilled with our new location. But it’s more complicated for me.

Sarah Kapoor

I was a stressed, disorganized mom— then I was diagnosed with ADHD

I was a stressed, disorganized mom— then I was diagnosed with ADHD

Other moms would be waving to their kids at the school gates as I peeled into the parking lot. I couldn't figure out why, until I was diagnosed with ADHD.

Dana Dougherty Reinke, Chatelaine

Why I don’t plan on weaning my 4.5 and 2.5 year olds any time soon

Why I don’t plan on weaning my 4.5 and 2.5 year olds any time soon

Avie Herman

My six-year-old is still having daily meltdowns over remote learning

My six-year-old is still having daily meltdowns over remote learning

Rachel Cameron

I grew up without a mother—can I be a good mom?

I grew up without a mother—can I be a good mom?

How can I offer a child a love that I've never received? Friends assure me becoming a mom is an instinct, but that feels too simple.

Gabrielle Scrimshaw, Chatelaine

Is getting rid of hospital nurseries unfair to new moms?

Is getting rid of hospital nurseries unfair to new moms?

“Rooming in” with your newborn is supposed to encourage breastfeeding, but it can also jeopardize maternal mental health.

Vanessa Milne

Lockdown or not, I'm never doing crafts with my kids again

Lockdown or not, I'm never doing crafts with my kids again

Crafts kill way less time than they take to plan and set up. Add whining kids and a massive mess to the equation and frankly, I'm out. I'm done. Forever.

Stephanie Gilman

What it’s like to raise kids on the rez during a pandemic

What it’s like to raise kids on the rez during a pandemic

There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.

Andrea Landry

Stop asking me if my eight-year-old trans kid is just going through a phase

Stop asking me if my eight-year-old trans kid is just going through a phase

Julie Malbogat

My entire social life is other parents at school pickup

My entire social life is other parents at school pickup

Instead of giving my daughter a five-minute warning, I’m the one who needs to be dragged away from my new COVID BFFs at pickup and drop-off.

Caitlin Crawshaw

Why the #GirlDad hashtag needs to go away

Why the #GirlDad hashtag needs to go away

I’m so sick of men citing their daughters as the reason they support women.

Kerry Clare

“Would you let your daughter grow up to be a surrogate?”

“Would you let your daughter grow up to be a surrogate?”

In all my years of managing a surrogacy consultancy, this was the strangest question someone has ever asked me.

Nathan Chan

We babied our third kid—and now we're paying for it

We babied our third kid—and now we're paying for it

We even encouraged our older kids to cater to him, and they did so willingly to keep the peace. But now that our "baby" is five, something needs to change.

Rachel Cameron

How I'm talking to my white-passing kids about Asian phobia

How I'm talking to my white-passing kids about Asian phobia

Louise Gleeson

With my career on hold and my people and traditions dying, I turned my focus to starting a family

With my career on hold and my people and traditions dying, I turned my focus to starting a family

Sarain Fox

All the things I'd tell my son's birth mother if I could

All the things I'd tell my son's birth mother if I could

Maia Williamson