Travelling with kids is a chore, there’s no disputing that. Fortunately even relatively “quick jaunts,” like Toronto to LA, can be made easy if one goes prepared with electronic devices and snacks. But the longer trips? Ones to far off countries? Those are a different story.
My son can legally drive a vehicle. Not just any vehicle, but a manual transmission hatchback that has been my husband’s commuter car for the last five years.
Last time I looked my son was driving his matchbox school bus on carefully crafted track around the house. Now he’s taking a car on roads with stop signs, turn lanes, potholes and … OTHER DRIVERS. Sometime in the last ten years he’s grown taller and stronger than me and old enough to drive. Surely just last week I was teaching him to ride a bike and wasn’t it just yesterday he started middle school?
Any parent who has ever taken a small kid to a large zoo, amusement park, museum, or who just has a reason to fear their kid might make a mad dash or decide to play hide-and-seek in public, has worried about what would happen if you got separated from the child. Fear and stress can make grown-ups forget important phone numbers, sometimes a lost child has trouble with their own name.
Now imagine your child has an allergy or other medical condition that causes worry. Perhaps your child is older but still non-verbal or is otherwise unable to communicate with strangers.
No matter what their age or abilities, we want our children to have the opportunity to fully experience the world. How to do that, and still keep them safe?
As your child gets older and more independent, the summer break takes on a whole different vibe. Your now-teenager has successfully navigated middle school, some of high school, and possibly even completed Drivers’ Ed (eek!) At this point, they’re likely pretty entrenched in their daily routine: getting to class, completing assignments, attending practice, and (hopefully) doing their chores. And then summer arrives and it all falls apart. Your once busy teenager suddenly has hours and hours of time to play with and no direction creating a situation that can quickly escalate out of moms control—so here are some summer tips for moms with teens to help nip it in the bud right from the start.
The school year is drawing to a close and summer will be here in a minute, with it the buzz of schoolkids ready to burst from the confines of their routine and be free. Never fear: a successful summer transition is within your reach. The change from classroom to summer setting need not be jarring—for you or your child (or your teen). Doing a bit of prep before summer’s arrival will ease you all into this change and set you up for a summer of grand memories and structured good times.
There was a time when Ella sang, “Summertime and the livin’ is easy,” and I believed her. Growing up in the 80’s summer was always about watching movies at the outdoor movie theatre, playing outside late into the night, and of course popsicles, lots and lots of them. And then I became a mom and my priorities shifted. To be honest summer didn’t change for me in the first few years of motherhood. I was working full-time, and if there was vacation, Yay! Otherwise there was always day care! And then I had my second little pumpkin, we moved to Toronto and I decided to work from home. That’s when reality hit me like a ton of bricks: moms hate summer.
Generation Z is defined as people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000’s and makes up 25% of the North American population, making them a larger cohort than the Baby Boomers or Millennials, and we have made a 2018 gen z gift guide in their honour. These kids are growing up in a world not defined by geographical borders, where influencers are bigger celebrities than movie stars, and where dating is more likely to happen in a group than one on one. There is also a ton of brand loyalty, mem fandom, and a deep dedication to saving the planet. Here are our picks. For the record, I ran them by my 2 Gen Z boys and got a double thumbs-up. I learned so much from Trendera at the Beaches Resorts Social Media on the Sand Conference and needed to share! Oh – and a few contain affiliate links, allowing us to keep running this site and bringing you great editorial.
The outdoor movie night concept has entertained families for generations. I remember watching old black and white family movies on reels with a huge screen as a little girl. Thankfully, technology has advanced and these fun evenings aren’t so much of a production – so to speak. The invites, snacks and technology are now the easy part. The only challenge is choosing the film! Here’s what we used for a recent impromptu event.
When it comes to ‘Back to School’, I slump into sadness at another summer gone. In a way, though, September can be a time of rebirth and renewal, and a great opportunity to get the family organized. This year we have a few tricks up our sleeve to transition seamlessly into school and work life. Here are a few ideas we are implementing this year in order to streamline and succeed!
Summer in Vancouver means the annual Honda Celebration of Lights is near! With kids in tow, fireworks can sometimes be daunting. Parking and transit need to be figured out, snacks packed and a plan set in place. While English Bay and Kitsilano Beach are the uber-popular viewing areas, there are a few more family-friendly venues to observe the spectacle around Vancouver.