Three kids — ages 12 or 13, two boys and a girl — recently rode bikes by our house, laughing and talking. It’s a scene repeated in this city in countless neighbourhoods among boys and girls of a strata of […]
Dad’s Corner
‘For the first time in a long time, I was having pure, unbridled fun’
For one memorable family outing, Chris Hunt learned to stop sweating the small things, and embraced a worry-free day with his toddler Ever wonder if, as a parent, you spend more time worrying about the little things at the expense […]
The recipe for a lasting marriage? Honesty, laughter and embracing flaws
I’m writing this on the day of our 32nd wedding anniversary. It’s not a particularly special year, except it occurred to me this morning, as I kissed my bride, that fewer and fewer of our contemporaries, friends and acquaintances are doing the same. (Marking […]
The ‘avoidance’ tactic
Before my son Riley turned two, he took part in a study designed to measure his communication and comprehension abilities. Turns out he’s a pretty smart kid. His test scores were equivalent to those of a seven-year old. Heck, he even had a couple […]
It takes a village to teach sex ed
Joe Banks recalls his ‘funny, mysterious and sometimes bizarre’ journey to the truth about sex There is nothing — I repeat, nothing — in the province’s updated health and sexuality curriculum that will stop any 14-year-old boy from snortlaughing from their seats during the […]
Why I choose to vaccinate
The world is full of horrors. As a parent, I find the horrors I can’t explain the most frightening. In the early days of January, an 11-year-old boy was admitted to a California hospital with a case of measles. That same day, the […]
Holiday advice from the Original Trickster Parent
Let’s call it Trickster Parenting. It’s original, because I googled it and it came up blank. Thus, it’s a concept that we’ve just invented, right here in the pages of Parenting Times. No need to thank me; for you, parenting […]
The epiphany
Chris Hunt recalls the day he looked at his naked, spatula-wielding two-year-old son and realized he had finally found his confidence as a father. I had an epiphany the other day. I was, as is usually the case when one […]
Not yet a grandparent
Joe Banks reflects on that ‘in-between time,’ the period before grown offspring try …
The lifelong scars of bullying
Chris Hunt recalls the severe bullying he endured silently as a child, and ponders how he can protect his own son. Don’t let them see you cry. I’ve been wondering lately who it was who first said that to me. […]