Nurture

Purchases and adoptions of dogs have spiked since last March, when we were asked to stay home. And as I’ve said before, while this is great news for dogs—especially those who’ve been sprung from shelters—lots of families are discovering that dog ownership isn’t always a walk in the park. As a canine behaviour practitioner, I’ve

If the idea of buying life insurance seems like something old people do, think again—every parent needs it. Here’s why and how to get it. What is life insurance? In the unlikely but not implausible case that you or your partner dies, life insurance pays out a predetermined lump sum of money to the surviving

If you haven’t yet started an RESP, or if contributing $2,500 a year to your kid’s education seems completely unrealistic, that’s OK. It’s not too late, and it’s perfectly fine to start small. What is an RESP? A Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) helps parents save for their kid’s post-secondary education. You deposit money into

In major Canadian cities, especially Toronto and Vancouver, families are increasingly living in tight quarters. Some parents are choosing to prioritize being able to walk to work, cafés, cultural centres and sports facilities—perks that were especially enticing pre-pandemic. As Annely Zonena, a project manager in Strategic Initiatives in Toronto’s City Planning Division, describes it, “You

If you’re feeling meh about car shopping, you aren’t alone. A quarter of shoppers say they’d rather have a root canal than negotiate a car deal. Here are some pain-free tips for getting started. A car is one of the most expensive big-ticket items most of us will ever buy. A daunting task at any

You could call a plumber, but try these steps first if your toilet is clogged because your child has flushed something down there. With the kids at home more than ever, I’ve seen a big increase in kid-related plumbing incidents, usually involving toys and other assorted items being flushed down the toilet. If your toilet

1. Lay it all on the table Sit down and finally figure out all the money that’s coming in every month and everything that’s going out. Fixed expenses—the ones that don’t change month to month—typically include rent or a mortgage payment, hydro, cellphone bills and the like. Variable expenses, also called discretionary spending, vary a

Some dogs integrate into a family with kids seamlessly. Others not so much. If you’re wondering, “How can I make sure my dog likes my kids?” try these six strategies. If your family welcomed a dog into your family during the pandemic, you’re definitely not alone. There’s been a big spike in purchases and adoptions

When Tia Shkolnik’s baby was six months old, she put down a deposit of more than $2,000 to secure a spot in a brand-new child care centre—even though they weren’t planning on sending their daughter to daycare until she was 12 months old. “It’s very hard to find a daycare placement where we live,” explains

“This year we need to give ourselves space to mourn what we’re missing.” Are you wondering how to celebrate the holidays this year when COVID has made so much impossible?  As a parenting coach, I’ve been telling my clients that we all need to remember this mantra: This year we need to give ourselves space

It’s hard to be pregnant, dealing with the drawn-out uncertainty of COVID, and facing down a holiday season that looks totally different than years past. Put those together, and it’s an emotional shit storm. “For the first time during the pandemic, I view myself as high-risk,” says a rural Southern Ontario mom in this position,

Apple’s new “Family Setup” turns the Apple Watch into a smartphone your kid can wear and use to receive calls and texts—with no iPhone. I got my kid a smartphone when he started middle school and nobody was more surprised about that than I was. I always thought I’d hold out until grade 9 or

Here’s everything you need to know about the service that lets online shoppers buy now and pay later. Plus, two financial planners share their takes on its pros and cons. As you check out your online retail purchases this holiday season, you may have noticed an Afterpay icon pop up under the payment options. So

F*ck bubble baths—what moms really need is someone to show them a clear-cut path to economic freedom. That’s the real self-care. You’re pregnant. Holy f*ck. You exit the bathroom, tell your partner the happy news and enjoy a private celebration. That night, you lie in bed, hand on belly, staring up at the ceiling, experiencing

For the last couple of years, Toronto mom Salma Syed and her kids, Maarya, 12, Ibraheem, eight, and Sameeha, six, have been part of Spreading Salam, a group created to help kids volunteer and give back. The kid volunteers socialize a bit with their buddies in the group, make sandwiches and pack them up. Then the parents and

Every December, when the radio starts playing “All I Want is You,” I’m overcome by the urge to craft, bake, plan the perfect holiday meal, and decorate the house just so. And despite Mariah Carey’s insistence that she doesn’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree, it seems imperative to wrap beautiful, Insta-worthy gifts.

There’s nothing like a sibling to shake up the family dynamic. These adorable shots perfectly capture kids’ mixed reactions to the arrival of a new baby. After the birth of a first child, one of the most magical moments in parenting is when that little one meets their sibling. These first meets can be rife

My list of holiday tasks is long enough, thank you very much. Driving to school last week, I asked my 11-year-old whether she had thought about getting Christmas gifts for her dad and stepmom. As usual, no, she hadn’t (because she is 11 and more concerned about spending her limited funds on stuff for her

“Scrolling through my phone between contractions, I was overcome by the fear that I would never be enough.” The following is an excerpt from The Juggling Mother: Coming Undone in the Age of Anxiety by Amanda Watson. Copyright © 2020 Amanda Watson. Reprinted with the permission of UBC Press. The morning I gave birth to

Looking for an excuse to head to Ikea (either virtually or in person) this weekend? Here are five new collections you’ll want to check out. Are you currently trying to design a nursery? Perhaps your kid’s room needs an upgrade now that you’re spending way more time at home? There’s a reason why so many