Dad’s Corner

Miles Willing’s first day of junior kindergarten in Sept. 2022, and his last day of JK in June 2023. Photo Courtesy Jon Willing

The kindergarten field journal

If someone in your home is starting school this fall, worry not My gosh, the sand. It will be everywhere. And just when you think every clump has been shaken out of your kid’s sneakers, an avalanche of tiny grains […]

It's tradition: Riley Hunt perches atop a rock for a photo. Photo Credit: Angela Jacques

Ugh, dad!

Embarrassing your kid is practically a rite of passage This column was meant to be completely different.  It was supposed to be a delightful and amusing narrative describing my son’s infatuation with spending his summers with his grandparents. Specifically, it […]

Longer summer days mean Miles Willing can try out more activities. Photo Credit Nicole Willing

Summer squeeze

Getting every last drop out of a fleeting season requires a complex formula There are few reasons why our son’s bedtime would be extended, even in the stretched sunny days of summer. Once the elusive bedtime routine is finally nailed […]

Jon Willing pulls his son Miles home on a sled at the end of a school day. Photo Credit Jon Willing

Dad bod

Fatherhood has both inspired and encouraged this dad’s very practical, very strategic fitness routine It was around Elgin Street when I gleefully realized my knees weren’t going to buckle after all. I had trudged three long downtown blocks on the […]

Chris Hunt (with son Riley) enjoys ice cream on a warm day. He's looking forward to the spring and more of these moments. Photo credit Angela Jacques

Gimme a break

March Break holds special charms for Chris Hunt. Here’s why it ranks over Christmas and New Year’s When I was a boy, I didn’t appreciate March Break for what it really was. Being your typical self-absorbed adolescent, I was grateful […]

It's not the Carbide Ruins, but Chris Hunt's son, Riley, enjoys a hike nonetheless_Photo Credit Angela Jacques

The ruins

Nudists, caterpillars and blisters, oh, my! It’s all in a day’s hike for this columnist When asked where my favourite place to hike around Ottawa is, I’ll usually lie and say Hogsback. Don’t get me wrong, I love Hogsback. There’s […]

Jon Willing, in the Algonquin Times newsroom, reads an edition of the college newspaper produced by his journalism students. Photo credit: S. Gunner

New beginnings

Columnist Jon Willing recently traded a high-profile reporting career for one in academia. The biggest winners? His family A middle-age, late-career job change can be a gamble.   You have built years of seniority and achieved a level of expertise […]