More than two decades later, a professor’s life advice still lives rent-free in the Dad’s Dispatch columnist’s mind The best advice I’ve heard came from an instructor in journalism school at Western University. “Don’t be a jerk,” the instructor […]
Dad’s dispatch
Glove at first sight
Like parents, like son — what happens when a young boy takes up the sport where mom and dad first met? It was inevitable. At some point in the first seven summers of his life, Miles would be on a […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
Stolen moments
One of the best bits of fatherhood advice I received was from a friend, a more experienced father, who applauded me for taking a couple of quiet minutes to run recycling to the garage. The praise wasn’t actually framed […]
The allowance debate: Con
“Teaching a child to be a contributing member of the family is more valuable at a young age than offering lessons on financial planning” — Jon Willing I have developed a contractual relationship with my five-year-old son. The terms of […]
Winter of discontent
Batten the hatches! You don’t need weather to experience a cold front—just a child in his pre-preteen years Winter is coming. In fact, it’s been festering within my walls since the summer. One of the subtle truths I’ve learned about […]