The most valuable things we offer our children cost nothing. But there are many other things we give them that cost money.  The most expensive is often the opportunity for them to attend college or university. Without financial assistance, our children may have to forego post-secondary education or graduate with loads of student debts.  We want...

Every now and then, an idea explodes through our collective consciences, challenging our notions about how life works. It happened in the fifteenth century when Galileo argued that the earth was round. It happened in the eighteenth century when upstarts in North America decided they wanted to govern themselves. And I hope, for some of you parents,...

Does your career own you? Do household chores keep you from quality time—or any time—from your kids? Do the demands of errands and meetings and emergencies keep you from catching your breath? If you can answer yes to any of these questions, you might be suffering from workaholism. In the United States today, about seventeen percent of adults,...

Are kids more spoiled today than in years past? According to a Time/CNN poll, 80% of respondents felt that "kids today are more spoiled than kids of 10 or 15 years ago, and two-thirds of parents admit that their kids are spoiled." (Time) On the assumption that lovingly caring for your kids is good, but spoiling them is not so good, here are some...

If someone teases you and you are hurt by it who is at fault? Is it your fault for “not being able to laugh at yourself” or for “always taking things too seriously”? Or is it the fault of the teaser? Have they tried to be funny and only succeeded in being mean.  Is saying “I didn’t mean it like that” enough to take the sting away? As...

Along with brightly colored Easter eggs, rabbits have become associated with Easter. But while giving a bunny as a present to a child on Easter morning may seem like a fun and innocent gift, it often doesn't turn out that way. "Rabbit sales at pet shops generally quadruple right before the Easter holiday." says Lisa Roy of the Animal Rescue League...

From a distance, “disabled” always seemed like an innocuous word.  It was simply an adjective that described a set of physical circumstances.  It’s a word I’ve often used, never aware of its power.  But when a friend used that word to describe someone that I love I had a startling realization.  Up close, “disabled” sounds an awful...