lessons that can’t be learned (at least not today)

Every day, five times a day, there is a scene. Callum decides he is hungry, goes over to his high chair, and signals starvation with a “YUMMMM!” I start to prepare his snack/meal as quickly as I can, if I haven’t had the chance to do so already. Instantly he melts down, into full-throttle tantrum mode, [...]

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reasons why celebrity moms are messing it up for all of us

My guilty pleasure is celebrity gossip, and my hands-down favourite gossip columnist is Lainey Lui. She is a great writer (even if she is just writing about Gwyneth and Scarjo’s Dress-off). She is biting, smart, and above all I love that Lainey takes on the baby bump obsession fueled by the “Minivan Majority” (as she calls [...]

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bad behavior I am unwilling to take responsibility for

When Callum was about 5 months old, I was in a social situation with several other mothers, and I had just finished sharing some tidbits of life from Colic Land. I was obviously quite stressed from the ongoing experience, and looking for some encouraging words. “Oh, I guess we’re just lucky,” piped up another mother. [...]

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reasons to bother with kids

Maclean’s published an article some time ago entitled “The Case Against Kids”. As anyone with or without kids is well aware, this is not a difficult case to make. The article opens with a warning you that “they can hurt your career, your marriage, your social life and your bank book!” Of course, most everyone reads [...]

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thoughts on “your baby can read”

I was innocently watching the news this summer when an informercial for the Your Baby Can Read program came on. “Nearly 90% of brain development happens in the first 5 years of life!” the screen shouted at me. “SEIZE this opportunity!” I felt myself jolting upright, with that telltale What Did I Forget To Do [...]

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why this just might be the easy part

Okay, so as I was changing what felt like the 17th shitty diaper of the day (an ill-planned lunch of black bean soup followed by baked beans for supper means I pretty much got what I deserved) I thought: there is some parent, somewhere, having a worse time than me. Maybe they just discovered their [...]

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why I let my kid cry (a confession)

Ah, the I-let-my-baby-cry confession. My dirty little secret. There are a few bandwagons I’ve jumped on over the years. Vegetarianism. Plaid. Electronic music (very briefly, okay?). When I became pregnant it was just a matter of time before I found an ideology to which I felt a strong affinity. Attachment parenting was it. I agreed [...]

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