Parenting Power

In the last few weeks, a variety of parents have asked, My son says a classmate is being mean to him “all the time” what do I do about that? My daughter says that she has no friends and is lonely at recess, how can I help? My son says that going to study hall [...]

The following is a transcript of a Drugs/Alcohol Q and A session that we held on Facebook on May 7, 2012. Due to a change in format (Facebook to Word Document), discussion threads may seem disjointed. We hope that you benefit from the overall content of this document. If you have any questions, please contact [...]

A client recently asked us: HOW do I teach my child that he is lippy when he talks to adults? It happens so often at home, that I’ve come to accept it – NOT GOOD! Now I notice he talks this way with teachers and other adults. He says he is just being honest so [...]

New year, fresh start – maybe this year, the homework struggles will cease! Einstein defined insanity as, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting it to change. The reality is, if homework was a struggle before Christmas, it likely will be now. If you are a hardened homework parent, you may be [...]

In a National Post article (Nov 19), British Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks reminds us all that “Consumerism is the quickest way to unhappiness.” http://www.nationalpost.com/news/culture+stemmed+from+Jobs+chief+rabbi/5736788/story.html Rabbi Sacks made the following points: We are living in the “i” generation – in fact he calls it the selfish “i” Advertising makes shoppers aware of what they don’t have – this is [...]

  Just as we give our kids books to nurture their knowledge of reading, giving our kids money as a manipulative enables them to learn about money – spending, saving and giving. Whether you choose to link money to chores or to keep them separate is a family decision. We’ve put together some questions to [...]

This week in the Globe and Mail it was reported that according to the American Academy of Paediatrics, kids 2 and younger should be “screen free” as much as possible and those exposed to excessive amounts of media may experience developmental problems.  In 1999, the group recommended limited amounts of screen time, but since then [...]

Having read and re read the article Teachable Moment or the Wrong Message by Sarah Boesveld, National Post • Sept. 28, 2011, we were moved to share our position. There is no question of the value of teachable moments when educating and raising children. The real question is – When do we make use of [...]

  It starts as a toddler. Our little one refuses to hand over a toy or stop an activity. In his mind, the idea that anyone would want to stop him from doing what he is doing is inconceivable due to his egocentric stage of development. There is only one point of view – his [...]

When determining your family’s answer to this question, you will need to go back to the foundation – your own family values. Why does one apologize? When we feel remorseful for our behaviour, we find the courage to ask for forgiveness. This can be a difficult process and is most effective when it comes from [...]