parents

The boundless love a parent has for their child is matched only by their capacity to embarrass them.

My Unsung Hero
His name will not come to mind when you think of Canadian heroes. His music will never be immortalized and etched in the minds or included in the record collections of millions.
By Rick Beneteau6 years ago in Families
My Father My Hell
As a father, I always tried to do right by my kids; I wasn’t always successful. It was probably because there wasn’t anyone in my life growing up that I could learn from. So I pretty much flew by the seat of my pants. All I knew was that I wasn’t going to treat my kids the way I was treated. I think in that regard I was successful. You see, I don’t have one good memory of me with my father. Anytime we were together it turned out to be a disaster. Even a simple trip to the beach was traumatic. I was a fat kid, go figure, and he insisted that I wear the same orange spandex trunks as him. I don’t have to elaborate on that do I? So, here I am at ten years old in orange spandex trunks, and now, it’s time to learn how to swim. Being in the Navy earlier in his life, he was an expert on all things water. In his infinite wisdom, to teach me how to swim, he thought it best just to throw me in deep water, then he told me to swim to him. When I started to sink like a rock, he became angry, snatched me out of the water, then went fishing, leaving me totally embarrassed and looking stupid in those orange spandex trunks.
By Anthony Fioranelli6 years ago in Families
Pass Me the Moon Please Mummy
Visiting the #moonexhibition at London’s #NaturalHistoryMuseum this June got me to thinking about my parenting. It triggered a memory of being about six years old, lying in bed, unable to sleep, and chatting to my daddy whilst looking out the window at the night sky, and him saying to me, “if I could give you the moon I would.”
By Kristinna C7 years ago in Families
Musings of Pumping Mom
It’s 1:17 AM and I’m sitting on the edge of my bed pumping. I’ve been running this routine for the past 13 weeks since my little girl was born April 10th, three months before her due date of July 11. I love the fact that I’ve been at this for over three months now and have been able to give my baby all breast milk through her NICU stay, but it doesn’t come worry-free.
By Jenn Kopec7 years ago in Families
Simple Ways to Balance Being a Parent
Living a balanced life is hard enough, but when you add kids to the chaos it can often become very overwhelming. Trying to balance personal life with work life and kids can be a very daunting task. Below are just a few simple tips on how to balance your everyday responsibilities as a parent while also enjoying your personal life.
By Jade Pulman7 years ago in Families
An Open Letter to My Dad
Dear Dad, I want to start off by saying I see you. I see the things no one else sees about you. You play the part of the fun and fancy free comic that makes everyone laugh, and most of the time your laugh is genuine and infectious, but there have been times when it has been hollow. When your smile has turned up at the edges, but never rose high enough to create the spark in your eyes. We've been through a lot the last few years, mom, you, and I. We've lost a lot, and we've learned things we can never forget. There is something important I want you to know about all you've overcome to be here today, I'm proud of you for making it through it. I'm proud of all of us for being where we are now. I'm thankful to mom, God, and our family for getting us past the roughest time in our lives. I want you to know it meant the world to me that you came to every tennis match, every track meet, and every school function.
By Savannah Aichem7 years ago in Families
Why Mom's Self-Care Is Important
Mothers all over the internet are becoming more vocal about suffering from postpartum depression for years after having children. It is important that, as a mother, you are taking care of your mental health so you are being the best mother you can be. There are a variety of ways that you can practice self-care and a multitude of reasons that you should be practicing it. If you are someone who is in denial regarding how much self-care you actually need, then here are just a couple of the reasons you should be taking better care of yourself.
By Sasha McGregor7 years ago in Families
5 Things I Learnt as a First-Time Mum
I became a mum at 17, which came with hardships of its own, and my boyfriend (now husband) and I were excited to become parents. Nappies and no sleep are just the start, but it is an adventure.
By Blazing Project7 years ago in Families
My Life As A New Dad
You hear it all the time. 'My life has changed... It's the best thing that has ever happened to me.' I was always one to think that I would not fall custom to clichés. They were just things that people said, and everyone else just jumped on the bandwagon as they could not explain how they felt. It's just amazing how a little child can change your look on everything!
By Joshua Lino-da Costa7 years ago in Families
It Takes a Village
As a mom there is a lot that you need to worry about. What your kids are eating, how they are learning, if they are growing fast enough etc. etc. Being a mom today, in the electronic age we are in, might be the hardest of all times to be a mom. Okay, it can be argued that it was harder before modern healthcare, but with all the judgement going on around us constantly, I think I have a pretty good argument.
By Mich7 years ago in Families
Finding Her (Pt. 2)
Here we go again with this process. Here we go again with the heartbreak you’re doing to me, mother. That I can’t be with her because it’s prohibited to see her. But it hurts me so much that’s your taking her away from me. What else are you gonna take? You have no idea how much I’m suffering. For once in my lifetime, I’m actually happy with someone I love; but clearly you don’t want that from me because she’s the same gender as me. I’m not going to say who. Look, she means so much to me. You just can’t do that to your daughter. You can’t just take her happiness like that. Why would you do that? I’m not allowed to text her. I’m not allowed to see her; therefore, to make that even simpler and easier, you took her out of my 15. How am I supposed to feel about that? I feel sad, and disappointed in you, mother. I mean, sure, I can still see her. Hug her. Tell her much she means to me, but of course you took away that from me, too. You say you want me to change, so that’s why you’re taking me to a psychologist. But, if that doesn’t work, you’re taking me to a church retreat so I can change my mind. No, mother! I don’t want to change an any way. I like being who I am. I like that I get to be with a guy, but if that doesn’t work, I get to be with a girl. You’ll never understand, so that’s why you’re taking me to those places I don’t even want to go? Like you say, I need help. Not necessarily, because this is who I am. I’m not crazy at all. You think that girl is making me change. That she’s putting thoughts in your mind. No, mom, this is who I want to be, but I can see you’re doing things to make me stop loving her.
By Liliana Moreno7 years ago in Families
Skills That Are Important for Any Family Leader to Have
As the leader of a family, there are just certain things that you should know how to do. If you are able to discipline yourself to learn these skills, you will find that your leadership role as the head of your family will become much easier. Learning skills that will help you to be a strong leader in your home is something that you will have to work on for a prolonged period of time. Once you have set in motion learning how to become a strong family leader, you should be able to have results that you could have only once imagined with your family.
By Kevin7 years ago in Families