As a young couple just over twenty years ago, when we clearly had more time than money, we ventured into the project of building our own home. It was a monumental task for a fledgling craftsman like me. Yet it proved to be both an amazing learning experience and an incredibly rewarding one. Everything from concrete to framing to roofing to duct work...

"I'm really concerned about some of the things my kids are seeing on TV. How can we protect our family from the harmful effects of the entertainment industry?" Dave: Wow, that's a big question these days. Parents have so many more entertainment complexities to face than what parents faced even just 20 years ago. There is a myriad of potential...

Parenting is not for the faint of heart. Let's be honest: there are a lot of sad things that can happen to kids these days: As babies, they could stop breathing in their sleep, fail to thrive, get strangled by their soother strap, get stepped on, or get dropped. As toddlers, they could swallow a small toy, pull furniture down on themselves,...

Help! My 15-year-old daughter just asked for permission to go on her first date, and the idea scares me to death. What should I do? Donalyn: While this is always a scary question to come a parent's way, it's important to recognize that it signals a clear acceleration of a difficult process: "Letting go." We can't transfer responsibility all at...

Today's kids are living in a whole new world - one that's practically unrecognizable to anyone who grew up in the twentieth century. Blogs, ipods, MSN, nexopia, myspace, peer-to-peer…if this sounds like Greek to you, then you're not part of this new world. But your kids are. The mainstreaming of the internet has radically altered the way in...

Our teenage daughter just told us that she's pregnant. Our hearts are broken. How can we show her that we still love her and give her the support she needs when we are so disappointed? Advice: Dave: Well, what initially strikes me is that the focus seems to be on the parents' disappointment. While it's understandable that you are seriously...

An alarming story recently made headlines across Canada. Desirae Shannon, an intelligent, well-liked teenage girl – raised in a strong Christian family, on the verge of graduating high school with straight A’s – ran away with her boyfriend. Not just any guy, mind you, but a young man wanted on charges relating to prostitution and physical assault...