Seven tips for concerned grandparents
If you’re concerned about your child’s parenting style, you’re not alone. Here are a few ways to mitigate conflict in your relationship with your adult children and grandchildren.
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Wednesday dinner
It’s Wednesday, which means that tonight, a group of ten of my friends will sit around our table for Wednesday Dinner. My wife and I will barbecue burgers and ultra-sweet Chilliwack corn; other friends will provide salad, drinks and dessert. Our house will not be spotless, and we’ll likely still be cooking when they arrive,…
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Celebrating a wedding as the world burns
When I started telling people about my engagement to Derek, all that joy felt out of place. The start of 2026 was a precarious time. It seemed as if every month, Meghan and I were editing a news story on a country Trump had threatened or invaded. Several international friends made plans to travel to…
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God in the Hurricanes’ locker room
Jordan Staal not only won his second Stanley Cup in June, but he is also, at age 37, the oldest hockey player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy, which recognizes him as the most valuable player (MVP) of his team, the Carolina Hurricanes, in the playoffs. In a phone call in mid-July, Staal and I…
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‘You get here with a broken heart’
As a child, my family was separated due to immigration policies and now I’m a migration scholar. I have long pondered: whose lives and families are valued and devalued by state policies? Who can count on having a nuclear and extended family by their side? I now know; family separation is a constant feature of…
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The isolated childhood
I love the first day of school. It is a hopeful day. From Lydia’s early school years, I’ve been struck by the sense of unadulterated excitement and energy that rises from the schoolyard as friends see each other after long weeks away. A new community is being created. Some children and teachers are missed –…
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A son’s wisdom and a father’s vulnerability
Something beautiful happened a few months ago as my wife and I were editing a new book on the parable of life with our son Edward – who has Down syndrome. We were working on a chapter that explored the challenge between “choosing for Edward” and “letting him choose,” when he came down the stairs…
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Built on faith and hockey
The Staal brothers’ road to the NHL started on Henry and Linda Staal’s rink near Thunder Bay, Ont. In their early years, high snowbanks framed the ice. As Eric, Marc, Jordan and Jared grew, so did the rink: real boards, official nets and good lights so the boys and friends could play during Northwest Ontario’s…
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The summer respite gap
School’s out. It’s summertime, and the livin’ is easy. Well, not exactly. For parents and caregivers of loved ones impacted by disability and developmental challenges – who rely on predictable schedules, social routines and respite from caregiving – summer holidays can be challenging. Summer camps are great alternatives, but for neurodivergent children and kids with…
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The hope ‘kist’
A couple of months ago, I was in Whitby, Ontario, making my way on hands and knees through my parents’ crawlspace. “It’s not that bad,” my Mom called after me as I batted at cobwebs. I was looking for a wooden chest stashed somewhere behind my cello and under a pile of shoeboxes. My parents…
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Our ancestors hated each other
This year marks Nancy’s and my 30th wedding anniversary. On our honeymoon, we travelled through the mid-Atlantic states, visiting sites associated with our respective family histories. In April and May of this year, we returned to some of these places, especially Baltimore, Annapolis, and St. Mary’s City, the first capital of Maryland in the seventeenth…
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The joy of going slow
Camping might be the quintessential Canadian vacation. In a country with fewer than five people for every square kilometre and most of us enjoying easy access to nature, sleeping outdoors in the summer is a simple pleasure. Parks Canada even has a section of its website dedicated to learning to camp, with videos, instructions, recipes,…
