Lately, I have been reading a lot about a dirty little secret.  A theory that deep down all moms want to be at home with their children.  That moms secretly feel guilty and that children secretly harbor resentment when moms work.  I will grant you this, most women likely wish they had more choice.  I know, many of you are going to say "almost everyone has a choice if they are willing to change their lifestyle".   But let's get real.  Most people wouldn't sell their home or move out of their neighbourhood where they have established a relationship with their... More »

Recently, I heard the following statistics: If you eat every meal with your child for a year, you will have approximately 1,000 opportunities to influence his or her eating habits. I did the math: 3 meals a day times 365 days a year, yup, that’s about right. Wow! Sounds great, doesn’t it? Admittedly, I don’t eat every single meal in a year with my kids, so my 1,000 opportunities will be reduced somewhat, but it’s still a lot, right? Wrong. If you have 1,000 opportunities a year to influence your kids’ eating habits, large corporations are estimated to have... More »

“Mommy! I want THAT for my birthday!” “Me too! I want THAT one!” Ever since my oldest child “graduated” from watching Treehouse exclusively, this refrain has echoed through the family room every day during TV time. It’s my kids, watching TV, asking for everything they see in commercials. And whenever we go out to run an errand – even just for a walk in the neighbourhood – it’s a constant stream of consumerism; “can’t we stop at Mac’s for a treat?”, “can we go to the video store for a movie?”, “buy me a toy while you’re out!” I... More »

Okay, my 7 year old son Ross was supposed to attend a classmate's birthday party this weekend.  The party was from 12pm to 1:30pm.  At 12:45pm, as I am tidying up the basement (how desperate!) and Ross is at soccer, after already having had a play date, it dawns on me that he is missing the party. Initial panic sets in and then just a general feeling of being a loser. We had RSVPd, it was on the calendar, we had a gift, yet I still forgot.  I called the birthday boy's mom right away.  I was tempted to... More »

Most parents are aware of the five strands of math that must be taught to all students in Ontario – Numeration and Number Sense, Patterning and Algebra, Data Management (Graphing) and Probability, Geometry and Measurement.   What you may not be as aware of, is that at the beginning of this school year a new Ontario curriculum was introduced for grades one to eight.  At first glance many of the changes that have occurred seem relatively insignificant.  For example, some major expectations that have previously appeared under number sense and numeration now appear under the patterning and algebra strand, i.e.... More »

A few weeks ago I received a phone call from a neighbourhood acquaintance.  Judi is one of those women who seems to always have it together.  She has three little girls, works as an aerobics instructor, and has a great network of friends in the neighbourhood.  She has been a great promoter of urbanmoms.ca to her friends and clients.  When I got the call from Judi I knew something was not right.  There was a sense of panic and determination in her voice that I instantly recognized. Judi’s youngest, Nicola (pictured above), who is barely two, had recently been... More »

When I was a child, I strove for my Mom’s approval. If she smirked over something I did, I was off like a rocket, trying for more, and never understood why she hid that smirk behind her hand, or why I could only catch a quick glimpse of it as she was turning away.I always swore that when I had kids, that would never happen – if my child were funny, I would laugh, I would make him feel so good about his natural inborn funniness that his self-confidence would soar. Well today, I realized that doesn’t really happen.Oliver... More »

What happens if I lose my mind?  Who’s going to parent my child?  There are days that I feel that the only good thing that I could do for my daughter is to let her have whatever she wants, eat whatever she likes, go wherever she desires and use my body as a prop in any of these adventures.  I love a girl with spirit and I have to remind myself of this on those days when I am biting my tongue to keep from yelling a loud “AAAHHHH!!”  Quincy is nine months old and determined to do just... More »

A friend of mine emailed me a recent article from the Globe and Mail called Children's bed times getting later - and later.  The article claims that research has identified a major sleep crisis: later bed times and less sleep for kids which equals developmental and behavioural issues.  I have to say, I take issue with this issue.  Is everything really a crisis?  I am not disputing the facts but it did make me think. First of all, the article makes reference to a family whose 6 year old struggles to go to bed before 9:30pm because of the TV... More »

I am constantly amazed and intrigued by the variety of childcare arrangements available and utilized by moms today.  When working full-time I always had a nanny as do many of my friends.  Some women I know have a nanny share arrangement but others have their kids in daycare or are lucky enough to have family around to help.  In other parts of the country, the most affordable and available childcare is a home care facility.  These are often run by neighbourhood moms specializing in childcare or looking for a way to subsidize the household income.  Some moms who don't need... More »

OK.  I admit it.  I was clueless.  I have spent lots of time with my kids over the years so I thought a whole weekend would be no problem.  I've put them to bed before.  I've fed them, changed diapers, gotten them dressed.  How hard could it be?  I found out.  When my wife was asked to spend a weekend in New York with a few of her pals I encouraged her to go.  She was hesitant, "What about the baby?" she asked, brow furrowed.  Our "baby" was well over 2 and the other two were 7 and 5. ... More »