Is ‘good job’ really a terrible thing to say to our kids?
When my five-year-old daughter brought home her end-of-year project – I was beside myself.
hi, hello.
I’m a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail, and my work has appeared in most major Canadian publications.
Here's a sample:
When nothing else worked, ChatGPT helped me be a better parent
For months now, whenever I ask my mom friends the usual questions – How are we tricking a stubborn toddler into potty training? What on earth are we making for dinner tonight? – their responses have been uniform: “I don’t know, I just ask ChatGPT.”
But as someone who writes words for a living, artificial intelligence, and specifically generative applications of it such as ChatGPT, feel ominous. The more they’re used, the better they get at sounding like a real person, or a columnist – so I’ve t...
But as someone who writes words for a living, artificial intelligence, and specifically generative applications of it such as ChatGPT, feel ominous. The more they’re used, the better they get at sounding like a real person, or a columnist – so I’ve t...
Talking turkey: When my vegetarian kid speaks up at family meals
“Mommmmm!” My four-year-old burst through the front door one afternoon after kindergarten in hysterics. “You’re never going to believe this: My best friend likes hurting animals!”
She was in disbelief that her bestie ate a turkey sandwich for lunch. Raised as a vegetarian since birth, my daughter believes animals are our friends, not our food. There are wild turkeys on the way to our family’s cottage, and she likes to pull over to talk to them, promise that we won’t ever hurt them and wish them...
She was in disbelief that her bestie ate a turkey sandwich for lunch. Raised as a vegetarian since birth, my daughter believes animals are our friends, not our food. There are wild turkeys on the way to our family’s cottage, and she likes to pull over to talk to them, promise that we won’t ever hurt them and wish them...
Podcast: The case for teaching your child it’s okay not to share
Amberly McAteer is a contributing parenting columnist for The Globe. She joins The Decibel to talk about what it looks like to teach your kids it’s okay not to share all the time
Give it a rest: Does a little kid need to sleep in their own bed?
I didn’t think I was going to be able to write this column. Not for the controversial subject matter, but because I’m tired. No, I’m exhausted. No, I’m in a state of wild fatigue, bordering on delirium. My brainy no worky.
Not to be a buzzkill, but moms shouldn’t need to drink wine to find real community
Wine is the seemingly natural antidote to our motherly stresses. At playdates, the host always covertly whispers “Is it too early?” as she opens the fridge door.
The Tim Powers Show: Why millennial parents are flipping the script on sharing
Amberly McAteer joins the show to discuss if kids need to share - and what message we're sending
What if not sharing is actually caring?
I told my daughter then and there that sharing is not actually caring – or, more accurately, caring about someone does not mean you have to share with them. You earned your marbles, kid. And guess what? Mom often doesn’t want to share her things either – and I can’t actually remember the last time I did.
Parenting while sick is a lousy rite of passage – but holds a valuable lesson
Parenting is the ultimate humbling experience. Just when you start to feel like you’ve got it figured out, your kids bring you down a notch – or 10
I want to be a more self-centred mom. But is selfish motherhood even possible?
Why did I stop doing things purely for my own advantage?
Opinion: What's the defining device of your generation?
Three writers – Boomer, Gen X and Millennial – make the case for the device that defines their cohort
How many activities are too many for kids?
Amberly McAteer, a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail, joins The Decibel to discuss what the research says about programming too many activities for your kids.
The Globe’s annual pet gift guide, featuring the 12 best rescue models
If the winter blues have got you down, or the state of the world seems extra terrifying these days, allow me to recommend a day at your local animal shelter.
Can we teach kids about the most wonderful - and most sorrowful - time of the year?
When I saw it, time stopped. The ceramic tree behind the counter was a near replica of the one my grandma owned. I could hear her calm voice and feel her soft hands guiding me away from the hot bulbs.
Podcast: Gentle parenting is much harder than it sounds
Even a shoe to the head hasn't stopped Globe and Mail writer Amberly McAteer from thinking gentle parenting is a better way forward for families.
Dance, soccer, piano, swim, repeat: We’re not helping our kids by keeping them busy
“Mama, is this a handstand?” my four-year-old asked for approximately the 37th time that morning, wedging herself upside-down between the wall and the sofa. She had been parkouring around the living room for days, with a sudden enthusiasm for acrobatics I hadn’t seen before.
The new ‘rosé all day' and the stress of modern motherhood
Amberly McAteer joins the podcast to discuss microdosing moms and why parenting is more stressful than ever
Is ‘gentle parenting’ really a better way to raise kids?
The millennial parenting craze of the moment emphasizes empathy and compassion, but do we really know better than our parents?
Microdosing mushrooms: The new tonic for stressed-out moms
Advocates say microdosing allows for calmer parenting, but scientific research is lacking
After I had a real kid, I despised my fur babies
“Oh.”
That was my reaction as my dogs ran toward me, folding in half with excitement at my feet, after our time apart. The wiggles, the kisses all would have made me swoon just days earlier, and I likely would have recorded their reactions. But this time, this reunion, I felt nothing.
When we had parted, I had been on my way to the hospital to have my first baby and had squeezed them both so tightly, promised it would only be a few days, and gave the dogsitter pages and pages of instructions o...
That was my reaction as my dogs ran toward me, folding in half with excitement at my feet, after our time apart. The wiggles, the kisses all would have made me swoon just days earlier, and I likely would have recorded their reactions. But this time, this reunion, I felt nothing.
When we had parted, I had been on my way to the hospital to have my first baby and had squeezed them both so tightly, promised it would only be a few days, and gave the dogsitter pages and pages of instructions o...
Opinion: Swing, slide, yawn: Why are our playgrounds so boring?
Amberly McAteer is a writer in Toronto, and a former editor in the Opinion section at The Globe and Mail.
It’s a scene that has played out dozens of times this summer: My husband pushes our two-year-old daughter on the swing at our local park, in sync with all the other dads. They all stand behind their vaguely entertained kids, stare out into the abyss, and say nothing. Meanwhile I try, and fail, to have a basic conversation with another mom while my older daughter is climbing up a slide.
“Ho...
It’s a scene that has played out dozens of times this summer: My husband pushes our two-year-old daughter on the swing at our local park, in sync with all the other dads. They all stand behind their vaguely entertained kids, stare out into the abyss, and say nothing. Meanwhile I try, and fail, to have a basic conversation with another mom while my older daughter is climbing up a slide.
“Ho...
Why I Pulled My Kid Out of Montessori School - Today's Parent
When I finally learned to “follow the child”, I realized this method was trendy and expensive - but not the right fit for us
Can I have a magical summer with my kids, without ruining their sleep?
“I’ve made a terrible mistake,” I thought, watching my two toddlers buzz around the room, jump on the beds and refuse to get into their pyjamas. An hour past their usual bedtime with no end in sight to the madness.
Hours earlier, my four-year-old had her first soccer game – and I use that term loosely. It felt like the first real night of the summer. I took in the warm night air with my mom friends as we cheered our older kids on and the little ones ate watermelon on the sidelines. And then, on
Hours earlier, my four-year-old had her first soccer game – and I use that term loosely. It felt like the first real night of the summer. I took in the warm night air with my mom friends as we cheered our older kids on and the little ones ate watermelon on the sidelines. And then, on
If we value mothers and motherhood, excellent postpartum care should be standard
The first of its kind in Canada, a new postpartum retreat wants to revolutionize the care mothers receive in the days and weeks after giving birth. But why isn’t this standard practice, instead of an elective luxury?
Thomassen had heard the “horror stories” of early motherhood—trying to keep a new human alive on little sleep, little food and high anxiety—and wanted something better. “What was giving me the most anxiety was not having baby expertise,” she says. “My mom is wonderful, but she hadn
Thomassen had heard the “horror stories” of early motherhood—trying to keep a new human alive on little sleep, little food and high anxiety—and wanted something better. “What was giving me the most anxiety was not having baby expertise,” she says. “My mom is wonderful, but she hadn
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Podcast: The case for teaching your child it’s okay not to share
Amberly McAteer is a contributing parenting columnist for The Globe. She joins The Decibel to talk about what it looks like to teach your kids it’s okay not to share all the time
Give it a rest: Does a little kid need to sleep in their own bed?
I didn’t think I was going to be able to write this column. Not for the controversial subject matter, but because I’m tired. No, I’m exhausted. No, I’m in a state of wild fatigue, bordering on delirium. My brainy no worky.
Not to be a buzzkill, but moms shouldn’t need to drink wine to find real community
Wine is the seemingly natural antidote to our motherly stresses. At playdates, the host always covertly whispers “Is it too early?” as she opens the fridge door.
The Tim Powers Show: Why millennial parents are flipping the script on sharing
Amberly McAteer joins the show to discuss if kids need to share - and what message we're sending
What if not sharing is actually caring?
I told my daughter then and there that sharing is not actually caring – or, more accurately, caring about someone does not mean you have to share with them. You earned your marbles, kid. And guess what? Mom often doesn’t want to share her things either – and I can’t actually remember the last time I did.
Parenting while sick is a lousy rite of passage – but holds a valuable lesson
Parenting is the ultimate humbling experience. Just when you start to feel like you’ve got it figured out, your kids bring you down a notch – or 10
I want to be a more self-centred mom. But is selfish motherhood even possible?
Why did I stop doing things purely for my own advantage?
Opinion: What's the defining device of your generation?
Three writers – Boomer, Gen X and Millennial – make the case for the device that defines their cohort
How many activities are too many for kids?
Amberly McAteer, a contributing columnist for The Globe and Mail, joins The Decibel to discuss what the research says about programming too many activities for your kids.
The Globe’s annual pet gift guide, featuring the 12 best rescue models
If the winter blues have got you down, or the state of the world seems extra terrifying these days, allow me to recommend a day at your local animal shelter.
Can we teach kids about the most wonderful - and most sorrowful - time of the year?
When I saw it, time stopped. The ceramic tree behind the counter was a near replica of the one my grandma owned. I could hear her calm voice and feel her soft hands guiding me away from the hot bulbs.
Podcast: Gentle parenting is much harder than it sounds
Even a shoe to the head hasn't stopped Globe and Mail writer Amberly McAteer from thinking gentle parenting is a better way forward for families.
Dance, soccer, piano, swim, repeat: We’re not helping our kids by keeping them busy
“Mama, is this a handstand?” my four-year-old asked for approximately the 37th time that morning, wedging herself upside-down between the wall and the sofa. She had been parkouring around the living room for days, with a sudden enthusiasm for acrobatics I hadn’t seen before.
The new ‘rosé all day' and the stress of modern motherhood
Amberly McAteer joins the podcast to discuss microdosing moms and why parenting is more stressful than ever
Is ‘gentle parenting’ really a better way to raise kids?
The millennial parenting craze of the moment emphasizes empathy and compassion, but do we really know better than our parents?
Microdosing mushrooms: The new tonic for stressed-out moms
Advocates say microdosing allows for calmer parenting, but scientific research is lacking
After I had a real kid, I despised my fur babies
“Oh.”
That was my reaction as my dogs ran toward me, folding in half with excitement at my feet, after our time apart. The wiggles, the kisses all would have made me swoon just days earlier, and I likely would have recorded their reactions. But this time, this reunion, I felt nothing.
When we had parted, I had been on my way to the hospital to have my first baby and had squeezed them both so tightly, promised it would only be a few days, and gave the dogsitter pages and pages of instructions o...
That was my reaction as my dogs ran toward me, folding in half with excitement at my feet, after our time apart. The wiggles, the kisses all would have made me swoon just days earlier, and I likely would have recorded their reactions. But this time, this reunion, I felt nothing.
When we had parted, I had been on my way to the hospital to have my first baby and had squeezed them both so tightly, promised it would only be a few days, and gave the dogsitter pages and pages of instructions o...
Opinion: Swing, slide, yawn: Why are our playgrounds so boring?
Amberly McAteer is a writer in Toronto, and a former editor in the Opinion section at The Globe and Mail.
It’s a scene that has played out dozens of times this summer: My husband pushes our two-year-old daughter on the swing at our local park, in sync with all the other dads. They all stand behind their vaguely entertained kids, stare out into the abyss, and say nothing. Meanwhile I try, and fail, to have a basic conversation with another mom while my older daughter is climbing up a slide.
“Ho...
It’s a scene that has played out dozens of times this summer: My husband pushes our two-year-old daughter on the swing at our local park, in sync with all the other dads. They all stand behind their vaguely entertained kids, stare out into the abyss, and say nothing. Meanwhile I try, and fail, to have a basic conversation with another mom while my older daughter is climbing up a slide.
“Ho...
Why I Pulled My Kid Out of Montessori School - Today's Parent
When I finally learned to “follow the child”, I realized this method was trendy and expensive - but not the right fit for us
Can I have a magical summer with my kids, without ruining their sleep?
“I’ve made a terrible mistake,” I thought, watching my two toddlers buzz around the room, jump on the beds and refuse to get into their pyjamas. An hour past their usual bedtime with no end in sight to the madness.
Hours earlier, my four-year-old had her first soccer game – and I use that term loosely. It felt like the first real night of the summer. I took in the warm night air with my mom friends as we cheered our older kids on and the little ones ate watermelon on the sidelines. And then, on
Hours earlier, my four-year-old had her first soccer game – and I use that term loosely. It felt like the first real night of the summer. I took in the warm night air with my mom friends as we cheered our older kids on and the little ones ate watermelon on the sidelines. And then, on
If we value mothers and motherhood, excellent postpartum care should be standard
The first of its kind in Canada, a new postpartum retreat wants to revolutionize the care mothers receive in the days and weeks after giving birth. But why isn’t this standard practice, instead of an elective luxury?
Thomassen had heard the “horror stories” of early motherhood—trying to keep a new human alive on little sleep, little food and high anxiety—and wanted something better. “What was giving me the most anxiety was not having baby expertise,” she says. “My mom is wonderful, but she hadn
Thomassen had heard the “horror stories” of early motherhood—trying to keep a new human alive on little sleep, little food and high anxiety—and wanted something better. “What was giving me the most anxiety was not having baby expertise,” she says. “My mom is wonderful, but she hadn
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