It’s never too late for a family

 QUESTION: Dear Adele, My husband and I married in our thirties and Mother Nature did not provide us a biological child, though we dearly wanted one. We are closing in on 40 years of age and wonder if creating a family through adoption is realistic or simply a pipe dream.

Remembering Remembrance Day with your children

 Question: Dear Adele, November 11 is fast approaching. We are looking for ideas to commemorate Remembrance Day with our older children and teenagers. Can you help? Grateful Answer: Dear Grateful, Kudos to you for thinking about this extremely important day in Canada and looking for ways to educate your children

The case for cursive — why kids should be taught handwriting

 QUESTION Dear Adele, I recently asked my 10-year-old granddaughter to read the cursive written message on a card prepared for her father’s birthday. I was surprised that she was unable to read the few sentences and had to ask an adult at the table to explain what I had written.

Turn Halloween at home into a wonderful evening for the whole family

 Question: Heart to Heart with Adele- Halloween at home Dear Adele, The witches, goblins and ghouls will soon be coming to town. Our children are already disappointed that trick or treating is off the table this year for celebration. Have you any ideas to help our children over the frustration

Avoiding videogame addiction in children

 QUESTION Dear Adele Our two children, ages nine and 12 seem to spend a lot of their free time playing video games or on apps on their smart phones. We are beginning to wonder if they might be getting addicted. We also are unsure what is a reasonable amount of

The Yin and the Yang of children and competitive sport

 Question: Dear Adele, Our primary school aged son is displaying exceptional athletic abilities. We have had him in numerous house league sporting activities such as T-ball, soccer, hockey and swimming. We have heard mixed reviews about competitive sport, in which we feel he may best reach his potential. What say

The value of homework and developing a good work ethic

 Question: Dear Adele Our son has just returned to physical school after many months of virtual learning. He will also be resuming extracurricular hockey which will leave him short on free time. Soon he will be getting homework as well. Some parents we know say they do not do homework at

Is your child ready for the responsibility of a furry friend

 QUESTION: Dear Adele, I’m just about worn down by the pleading of my child for a pet. While the puppy he has in mind is adorable, I toss and turn in my bed at night thinking about shedding hair, morning and evening walks and little wet mistakes on the living

Pondering the ‘One and Done’ club

 Question Dear Adele, My husband and I are considering a membership in the ‘One and Done’ club. We are however feeling pressure from our parents, siblings and friends to provide our son with a biological playmate. Are the stereotypes about only children true do you think? Are we going to

Helping your child deal with death and dying

 Question: Dear Adele, We are living in extremely tough times as parents. We thought we had this parenting thing down pat, but the coronavirus pandemic has humbled us, mightily. Stories of death and dying are all over our television, in every newspaper and magazine we receive, and seemingly come up

The challenge of raising gifted girls

 Question: Dear Adele, We have three children so are not inexperienced parents. However, our third child seems to be out of step with the norms for development. She is only four years old and can name all the elements in The Periodic Table, can point to and name correctly dozens

The Perseid meteor shower peaks tonight and the weather looks good

 Tonight is the night, the show of the summer sky so gather up the kids and head outside somewhere dark where you can see the stars to witness the Perseid meteor shower. It peaks tonight and the weather forecast looks good. The Perseids, named after the Perseus constellation, are bits

When your children prefer the family bed

 Question: Dear Adele, We have a new baby at our home and a set of preschool twins. My wife often brings the baby to our bed as she finds nursing easier there. The twins seem to think our double bed belongs to them. When our family black lab decides to

Your teenager and the dating dilemma

 Question Dear Adele, Our seventh grade daughter has a crush on a classmate and wants to start dating. We know It is a normal part of adolescence but wonder exactly when is the best time to allow our young teenager the experience of dating. This is uncharted territory for her

Things to consider when ‘birthing’ a blended family

 Question: Dear Adele, I am a divorcee with two children ages 6 and 9, who finally allowed herself the freedom to date. I have recently met a super guy with two teenagers, who is also divorced. We have started to talk seriously about a future together with our four kids.

Dealing with stigma and mental health

 QUESTION: Dear Adele, My teenaged son lives with anxiety and depression. Last year his physician thought he needed some time away from school. Upon his return, my son felt that many of his fellow students were avoiding him and/or judging him. Are attitudes of shame and blame common? How can

Strategies for homeschooling during the pandemic and beyond

 Question: Dear Adele, My husband and I have reached out limit with our eight year old and his schoolwork. Being cooped up with COVID-19 and responsible for his education, we are at our wits end trying to get him to sit down, focus and apply himself. Do we ever have

Prize fighting with the picky eater

 Question: Dear Adele, Our preschooler is the pickiest eater on earth, we swear! He is driving us bananas at mealtimes, rejecting this and that, and demanding stuff he tends to like. Sometimes when mealtime comes around we feel we must be prepared to go ten rounds with our little Mohammed

When sibling rivalry is like taming a Green-Eyed Monster

 Question Dear Adele, My husband and I always wanted three children. To tell the truth, sometimes we would like to send two of them back. Any two would do, actually. Having just one child would eliminate the constant fighting, bickering, competing, and sometimes hatefulness that seems to rear its ugly

Heart to Heart with Adele: Dealing with death and dying

 Question: Dear Adele, We are living in extremely tough times as parents. We thought we had this parenting thing down pat, but the coronavirus pandemic has humbled us, mightily. Stories of death and dying are all over our television, in every newspaper and magazine we receive, and seemingly come up

Heart to Heart with Adele: Lockdown, emotions and your kids

 QUESTION: Dear Adele, Covid-19 is hijacking our family’s positivity, general contentment and happiness with life. We have been isolating and social distancing ourselves, and to tell you the truth its beginning to suck! Cabin fever has never been so contagious, all-encompassing or so overwhelming before! We need a mental health

Heart to Heart with Adele: Online predators and your kids!

 Question: Dear Adele. Our family is cooped up in quarantine due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While the world is in disarray and frantically trying to stop the spread of the virus, my husband and I are barely coping with our three crazy-making kids, at home. We are also frantically trying

Heart to Heart: How Covid-19 can strengthen your family

 Question Heart to heart with Adele- How Covid-19 can strengthen your family! Dear Adele, The Coronavirus pandemic is frightening us greatly. My husband and I have been glued to the television set all day and all night for weeks, switching from channel to channel, trying to understand the magnitude of

Heart to Heart with Adele: When your child becomes a Pinocchio

 Question: Dear Adele, My husband and I are getting quite concerned because our school-aged children seem to be getting better and better at duping us, by lying. We both really value integrity, and are aware that it is not all that common anymore. We need a bit of direction about

Heart to Heart: When your graduate has “zero” direction

 QUESTION Dear Adele, My son is in grade 11 and has zero idea about what he wants to do after high school. I am having a mild panic attack trying to help him choose his courses for grade 12. Everyone else’s boy or girl seems to have it all laid