Dad’s Corner

Now 12 years old, Riley Hunt is pictured here at 18 months. Photo Credit Angela Jacques

Health scare

A negative test led me to make some positive changes       The tumour snuck up on me. I didn’t notice it until discomfort woke me in the middle of the night. It wasn’t pain exactly, more a profound numbness […]

In a brief reversal, Miles Willing reads the Saturday newspaper while his dad, Jon, plays video games on a lazy weekend morning. Photo Credit Nicole Willing

Morning magic

The weekend warriors can keep their laundry lists of elaborate plans. Our Dad’s Dispatch columnist prefers to ease into his days off I admire families that can leave their homes before 9 a.m. on the weekend. As I look out my […]

Miles Willing, the writer's son, climbs on a giant beetle at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Photo Credit Jon Willing

History, repeated

It’s easy to overstuff yourself at the buffet of Ottawa’s museum offerings   Never forget we live in the capital of the country. What a ridiculous statement, right? How can we possibly forget? Federal buildings are plastered with the government’s official […]

Nicole Willing and son Miles read a real book at home...without the help of artificial intelligence. Photo Credit Jon Willing

Storybooks in seconds

Artificial intelligence can create personalized tales with the click of a button. Our Dad’s Dispatch columnist discovers it’s no substitute for the real thing     It felt icky the first night I turned storytime over to the robot. Shelves […]

Riley Hunt loves to read about a certain iconic overweight cat. Photo Courtesy Chris Hunt

Love connection

Our Memoirs of a New Dad columnist reflects on his childhood relationship with books   I’ve been infatuated with the written word for as long as I can remember.      Growing up, every second Friday was pizza day at the Hunt […]

Miles Willing eyes the finish line with mom Nicole cheering him on in the Hintonburg 1k race in July. Miles, who loves to run, is primed for one day joining a school cross-country running club. Photo Credit Jon Willing

After the bell

A robust school extracurricular program has much to offer children and their families   If kids are gloomy about being back in the classroom this fall, hopefully they find joy in the school’s extracurricular activities. We should urge our children […]

Riley Hunt (with parents Angela Jacques and Chris Hunt) graduated from elementary school in June. Photo Courtesy Chris Hunt

Dear Chris

Knowing what he knows now, our Memoirs of a New Dad columnist writes a letter to his younger self I know you hate the whole “writing letters to yourself” thing. When your teacher asked you to do the same in […]

Nicole, Miles and Jon Willing during their first family "glamping" trip at Lac Philippe in 2020. Photo Courtesy Jon Willing

Just around the corner

Jon Willing’s most memorable family getaway? Good ol’ Gatineau Park The quality of family adventures should never be measured by distance travelled. Some of our best summer vacations with our son have been camping about 45 kilometres from our home. […]

Chris Hunt emerges from the fog at the top of Mount Tremblant. Photo Credit Angela Jacques

Staycation nation

After a childhood of holidays close to home, Chris Hunt dreamed of seeing the world, only to come full circle   I didn’t travel much as a boy. Vacations were usually stay-at-home affairs as my family was on a limited […]