

A recent book about the phenomenon of “Tiger Moms” caused quite a stir in the parenting community. I’m not going to name it, because then you might buy her book instead of mine, and frankly, I think she’s doing okay. And it would just prove that HER mother was right, if she’s more successful than me. Basically the premise of the book is that the...
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The huge on-line success of the book Go the F**k to Sleep is due mainly to one thing: Every single parent in the world has uttered these words, either in their inside or outside voice. From the string of sleepless nights a newborn delivers the minute they come home from the hospital, through scary school age nightmares about The Grinch, to the awakening sounds of...
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A recent report has suggested that family “fun” is anything but, indicating that finding personal happiness through the act of having children is a tad… overrated, and concluding that in fact children can bring the level of “happy” down, not increase it. I don’t really think this will come to a surprise to many people — oh, sure there are some great times to be...
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Recently there has been a lot of research published on the significance that the birth order of children, the number of children, and the sex of the siblings have on forming who we and our children turn out to be. Is it really that predetermined? Stereotypically, the oldest child is likely to be more academic, less of a risk taker, a perfectionist, more driven, and...
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Like many 12-year-olds, my daughter recently completed her babysitting course, which in theory will enable her to venture forth into the world of watching other people’s children with insight, knowledge and experience. However, after having reviewed the course materials and grilling her on the information that was shared, I do believe that as a mother of four I should share some vital facts which seem...
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There’s a new program which was introduced into an Alberta elementary school where kids as young as seven-years-old will be able to choose a “major” or specialized stream of learning, based on their very well-developed areas of interest. Unless they have a category called “Watching the Transformers Movie for the 1002nd Time,” I’m thinking my own child wouldn’t qualify for this program. In fact, the...
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