Failing is good for kids, if only parents knew how to let them
Words no parent wants to hear from the kindergarten teacher at pick up: “I need a quick word with you.”
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:
Does Valentine’s Day actually do any good for our kids?
Aside from the waste of it all, we’re teaching kids to conflate love with stuff
Little kids can play with makeup and skincare – and still know they’re beautiful without it
“Whoa.”
That was all I could say one January morning when my five-year-old daughter emerged from her bedroom with a full face of makeup – emphasis on full
That was all I could say one January morning when my five-year-old daughter emerged from her bedroom with a full face of makeup – emphasis on full
Why does the heavy lifting of Christmas mostly fall on moms?
“Mom, can we have hot chocolate?” my kids pleaded one night as we got in the door from a neighbourhood walk to see the Christmas lights
The Globe's all-Canadian pet gift guide, modelled by shelter animals ready for a home
You’d think that an animal shelter during the holidays might not be a jolly place, with dogs in kennels and cats in cages, no home to call their own or fireside lap to curl into.
Q&A: How can parents can manage their families’ busy schedules?
Contributing columnists Amberly McAteer and Katherine Martinko joined Zosia Bielski to answer reader questions and share tips on how to manage the busy schedules of their families, especially as we near the overloaded holiday season
If mean girl antics start in kindergarten, maybe it’s time the adults do better
It began as an ordinary scene: My girls, 5 and 3, were in line for the trampoline at gymnastics, while my husband and I watched from the bleachers.
Suddenly, a trio of girls now in front of my kid spun around, hands on hips, like miniature chickens, and started pecking – sharp little words, fast and synchronized.
Suddenly, a trio of girls now in front of my kid spun around, hands on hips, like miniature chickens, and started pecking – sharp little words, fast and synchronized.
Gentle parenting v. FAFO: Why I’m done with useless ‘styles’ entirely
The morning scene is frustratingly familiar: One kid is ready to go to school – eager to get her shoes on, hop in the car and sing the new Taylor Swift album with me at full blast along the way.
The other kid is rolling around on the living-room floor, moaning about how she’d like to stay home today.
The other kid is rolling around on the living-room floor, moaning about how she’d like to stay home today.
When companies force workers back to the office, working moms are left behind
It’s a phrase often mumbled by working mothers like me, whether it’s at rushed school drop-offs or while stirring the pasta, booking the dentist appointment and answering e-mails from the boss: work-life balance. And it’s usually the punchline, followed by an eye roll, because for most of us balance has always been hilariously elusive.
Pandemic times, scarce in silver linings, gave us the closest thing yet. Remote work didn’t make balance easy, but it certainly gave career-focused primary careg...
Pandemic times, scarce in silver linings, gave us the closest thing yet. Remote work didn’t make balance easy, but it certainly gave career-focused primary careg...
The benefits - and dangers - of generative AI and parenting
Contributing columnist Amberly McAteer joins the podcast to discuss how robots can change profoundly human interactions
Dads are stepping up to the hard work of parenting. Are we recognizing their efforts?
Dads are making a real effort to be present and emotionally engaged. And yet, the common belief that dads can’t provide the same standard of child care as moms persists.
How to talk to kids about climate change
Amberly McAteer is a contributing columnist for The Globe, and she joins the show to talk about the challenging conversations we must have with our kids about the state of the world - and what to do about it
Moms, let’s stop curating picture-perfect summers for our kids
I had barely given birth to my first daughter when, on one of my first walks with her in the early days of summer, a neighbour stopped me to give me a piece of unsolicited advice: You only get 18 summers with your kids; you have to make them count. It’s all so fleeting!
It was the first time I had heard this – but it wouldn’t be the last. The phrase has become commonplace, and it springs to mind whenever the good weather hits, along with the psychological burden it implies: Are we making the mo...
It was the first time I had heard this – but it wouldn’t be the last. The phrase has become commonplace, and it springs to mind whenever the good weather hits, along with the psychological burden it implies: Are we making the mo...
The world is burning. Should we tell our kids?
There’s not a lot I shield my young kids from. They are 5 and 3, and I try to answer any question they have with age-appropriate honesty. In broad strokes, they know how babies are made, what happens when our bodies stop working and the vague origin story of Santa Claus.
But one recent query stopped me in my tracks: “Why is the sky orange?”
Smoke from wildfires burning across Canada was turning our sunny Toronto day a mildly apocalyptic hue. Instead of being honest – and potentially causing pa...
But one recent query stopped me in my tracks: “Why is the sky orange?”
Smoke from wildfires burning across Canada was turning our sunny Toronto day a mildly apocalyptic hue. Instead of being honest – and potentially causing pa...
Kids’ birthday parties are out of control, thank you fairy much
I had been planning the event for months. There was a theme, a guest list, a curated three-course menu. There was a colour scheme, a carefully arranged playlist and detailed sketches of the three-tier cake. It wasn’t my wedding – yet it felt just as stressful. It was my daughter’s “fairy sweet” fifth birthday party, with 42 people invited to our backyard.
My bold, imaginative, fearless firstborn was turning five – a momentous milestone marking the end of toddlerhood and the beginning of her big...
My bold, imaginative, fearless firstborn was turning five – a momentous milestone marking the end of toddlerhood and the beginning of her big...
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.
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...
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 podcast 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
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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.
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...
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 podcast 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
Load More
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 podcast 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
Load More