As we prepare for our first Christmas as parents, my husband and I have faced what is inevitably many parents' dilemma come this time of year: how much should we spend on our daughter's Christmas gifts? My husband, who loves shopping and gift-giving for any and every occasion, is married to his polar opposite in that department. It will take some work (and maybe even a few Christmases) to find the right balance between overindulging her and being too thrifty.

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So we were watching our usual Saturday morning PBS cartoons, but the fall line-up had switched the expected schedule all around. I looked up and realized my almost 4-year-old daughter was completely enthralled with a non-cartoon television show: SciGirls. This is rather unusual. Especially because in the past, the non-cartoon show that usually aired was a cooking show that none of us could stand to watch. But watching SciGirls' great blend of hands-on creative science projects and enthusiastic girls has been enjoyable for all of us - and we're not even the target audience: tween girls. More

Recently, after harvesting our little crop of pumpkins we managed to grow, I arranged them proudly on the mantle and began to contemplate a neat, spooky-yet-sophisticated oh-so-Pinterestable Halloween decoration for our dining room. My 8-year-old had a thunderbolt of inspiration: "What if we draw faces on them with markers?" I am embarrassed to admit I hesitated; that's not really what I had in mind, I thought. Then it struck me — am I really serious? Halloween is for kids!
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I was having a conversation with a good friend of mine and we were discussing the future of education — particularly for elementary to high school students. He's convinced that the best education needs to become cheaper, more efficient, and more accessible. He's also convinced that tablets in the classroom are the vehicle to get us there. Do you want an iPad to be your child's teacher?
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"Jobs, not chores!" says my son, though he doesn't get paid for doing them. Our kids have sets of regular jobs such as dressing the table and watering plants, but they also have seasonal jobs. As autumn has settled in here in Montréal, they are coming up with what they would like to be responsible for during this season. More

Back when my kids were slightly smaller, mealtimes were always a circus. Getting toddlers to pay attention, eat their food, or wait in a restaurant is often a challenge. Do you use products at mealtimes that will entertain your kids? Do you find them a help or a distraction from mealtime? More

Expressing emotions is already hard as an adult, I can't imagine (or don't remember) how hard it must be as a child. In that spirit, I'm trying to help my kids express and accept whatever emotions come up, especially when it comes to negative emotions such as anger and sadness. More

No, this is not an infomercial for an avian-themed special edition timepiece. However, it is a limited-time offer. Right now, thousands upon thousands of hawks, eagles and other large and interesting birds are migrating south. As a result, birdwatchers are setting up shop on mountaintops along migratory routes, diligently counting each one that goes by. Seriously, they literally count every single one. But just like the brilliant autumn colors, there is a limited window of opportunity to catch them in action. More

In looking for a middle ground between parenting from behind my smartphone and being more directly involved with my kids, I stumbled upon a few potentially useful apps. I have a tendency to react quickly and raise my voice with my children. I suppose it might be in the hopes of being more of an authority figure. I'm not quite sure, though I think most of us do it. One day, I realized that the power struggles I often experienced with my kids just didn't make sense... More

I recently read about a young actor who struggled with a speech impediment as a child. To help him control it, his parents enrolled him in opera lessons, and he ended up part of New York's Metropolitan Opera Children's Chorus! More