When a child dies, you lose the choice to be a carefree, free-range mother. Here’s why one mom wants the indictment of helicopter parenting to stop. Here’s the first kind of mom I was: a nervous—but thrilled—first-timer. When my oldest son, Ty, was born with the help of IVF 14 years ago, I worried about […] Read more…
Archive of ‘Parenting’ category
Black History Month Poem for Kids
I’ve share Ty’s incredible Martin Luther King Rap that he wrote and performed in Grade 3, but now he’s taken it to another level. Yesterday, he was asked by his teacher to share something with his class for Black History Month…so he came up with this great poem to explain to kids who may not […] Read more…
Dear Puberty, What Have You Done With My Little Boy?
Dear Puberty, You and I need to talk. You see, since you’ve entered our home and invaded my teenage son’s body, he’s not the little boy I once knew. Don’t get me wrong, I knew this was bound to happen and I was even excited for him to reach this new stage, but did you […] Read more…
Top Gifts for Tween Boys
While it’s been hard to get my Christmas mojo going, one thing that I do love to do is spoil my kiddos at the holidays. As they get older, I find it really challenging to; a. afford the things they want and stick to our budget b. find something they don’t already have Almost tween […] Read more…
Five Wishes for My Son as He Starts Catholic High School
Ty’s grade 8 graduation night was a moment that I will not soon forget. All the hopes and dreams I had for the legacy he would leave at his elementary school, culminated in the most beautiful ceremony that included recognition for the amazing kid he is. He walked away that night with an Honour Roll Award […] Read more…
Why We Chose a Catholic High School for our Son
It’s hard to believe that my son Ty is graduating grade 8 this June! It’s been a roller coaster of emotions as he leaves our neighbourhood school and moves to high school in the fall! As fellow parents chat about buying grad suits (do you know how much suits cost?), planning end of the year parties […] Read more…
Our Struggle with Infertility
“So…my cholesterol test is good!” was what I first heard the day we found out that we would struggle to get pregnant. Paul had gone for a physical to investigate a “feeling” he had about an old teenage soccer injury being the cause of 4 months of us not getting pregnant. They did some tests […] Read more…
Why I Support the Free HPV Vaccination for Boys
When Ty and Jayden came home with MY name written on their stickers for the Terry Fox Run, it hit me again that I had cancer this year and that I’m now a thyroid cancer survivor. Having also had “pre-cancer” warnings after pap tests and colonoscopies, I’m really nervous about the future of my own […] Read more…
Best Boys Birthday Party Ever at Joyride 150 Bike Park
Jayden had been counting down to his birthday for months. Over the summer, we had looked online and visited some local outdoor skateparks and hit Joyride (it’s $17 after 7pm) to practice for the big day! Jayden recently had his 9th birthday party at Joyride 150 Bike Park in Markham with 12 of his best buddies. “Best […] Read more…
Dear New Teacher…some things you need to know about my son
I’m a very involved parent at school. I sit on the Parent Council, volunteer and communicate regularly with the teachers. Last night was curriculum night at our school and after spending time with Jayden’s teacher, I realized that after only 1 month in the class, these teachers are just starting to know our kids, how […] Read more…