What's the etiquette on cheering your kids in a sports blowout?
To celebrate or not, that is the question
Image by Damon Nofar from Pixabay
A steady breeze cooled our pores on a beautiful, sunny June day at Millennium soccer park in Ottawa.
My son's U-12 soccer team was playing in the U-13 bracket of the Ottawa TFC Capital Cup soccer tournament. Their third round-robin game of the day. Off to a quick start, my son's team . . .
Posted in: cheeringcompetitionsoccersports
I can appreciate now what my grandfather taught me
Grandpa helped me realize it's vital to appreciate life's simple pleasures
Image by A. Debus from Pixabay
This essay also appeared in The Globe and Mail.
I relish the quiet of a predawn run. I focus on the cadence of my footfalls, breathe the crisp morning air.
I pass the local technical college and notice an older gentleman, leaning on a pillar. He sports glasses; his frame, slight, thin; grey hair . . .
How a chat about sardines took me off autopilot
Costco is a great place to people-watch and slow down a bit
Image by Lola Rudolphi from Pixabay
Every time I go to Costco I feel like an ant.
Thousands of us descend upon our local big-box store every day, find parking spots, grab shopping carts in orderly fashion. Forage for food, inspect labels, fill carts. As if with a collective consciousness, we pick up on cues, movements, stay in . . .
Posted in: autopilotcostcofriendlinesssardines
Confession of a Grade 8 bully
We are all capable of horrible and beautiful things
Image by Dean Moriarty from Pixabay
I remember Mike from my Grade 8 class. He had a spiky, longer brush cut. His front teeth stuck out slightly. It was 1986. Bryan Adams and Corey Hart were big. So were the Beastie Boys.
Now, kids being kids (that's no excuse!), Mike got teased. Someone gave him a not-too-nice nickname and it . . .
Posted in: bullyingempathymy name is earlsocial media
My brother is turning 43—I miss him dearly
My kids remind me of my little bro and myself
I still enjoy seeing my boys walk down the street to catch their school bus. I don't need to accompany them, but I love to sneak a peek from our picture window as they waddle to their stop. I imagine their conversations. Sometimes they jostle, punch each other playfully. Sometimes they race to the end of the street. I can't help but . . .
Posted in: birthdaybrothersriskrisk-taking
Watch out for this telephone credit card scam
A fraudster tried to rip me off. I'll still tell my kids to give people the benefit of the doubt
I teach my kids that people are generally kind. Give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe I'm a bit naive, but I choose to live this way.
I know it's not all rainbows and unicorns. There are bad people in this world. So I teach my kids to be skeptical, too. It's a good thing to know when to raise your shields.
One morning, . . .
Posted in: con artistcredit card scamscamvisa
I'm getting better at letting my kids fail
Sometimes it's better to step outside our comfort zones
I find it hard as a parent to let my kids fail.
My son was getting ready for soccer practice. I used to remind him, item by item, to pack all his things.
"Do you have your water bottle? How about your cleats? Your shin pads? Ball? Socks?"
I got tired of reminding him. To be more accurate, I got tired of needing to know. One . . .
Posted in: comfort zonefailuresoccersports
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