Category filter: Family Issues & Dynamics

  One of my favourite cartoons shows a man lying down on a couch in a therapist’s office. The therapist is taking notes. The man says to the therapist, “I love my Dad but he is really difficult to talk to. By the way, are you going to bill me full price for this session,… Read more…

It’s hard for me to get used to these changing times. I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty.” – George Burns A grandson is excitedly showing his grandfather his new phone and says, “These phones are so cool Grampy; they don’t have any buttons.” The grandfather reminisces and tells his… Read more…

“I feel like I’m the parent now and my mother is the child” is a statement I hear by many a worried and stressed out caregiver caring for an ailing parent. When my father had his first of three strokes, a defining moment in how he was cared for is forever etched in memory. We… Read more…

Being a parent gives new meaning to the word exhausted. When my three-and-a-half-year-old, falls to the ground after a quick trip to the grocery store and says, “Mommy – my legs won’t work and I’m ‘hausted”, I can’t help but smile inside. If she only knew! I don’t know about you, but some mornings I… Read more…

“I do remember, and then when I try to remember, I forget.” – Winnie-the-Pooh “Why does Nana call me your name Mommy instead of mine?” “How come Grandpa doesn’t know how to use his knife or fork anymore?” “Dad, what’s wrong with Grandma? She called the toaster a counter and tried to toast her apple.”… Read more…

  “I’m among the forgetters. But I’m not an empty shell”. – Richard Taylor, author of Alzheimer’s from the INSIDE OUT Do you remember the first time you stepped into a residential care facility (or in my day, we referred to them as nursing homes, old folk’s homes or lodges)? Was it positive or negative… Read more…

I think it’s safe to say, “Death isn’t easy to deal with at any age”. So how do you explain it to your three-year-old? How do you comfort your eight-year-old when their grandparent dies? How comfortable are you with the whole concept of death? What are you beliefs regarding after-life, if any? How do you… Read more…

It’s been a flurry of activity and excitement for Carly around our house for the past 3 weeks. (Actually, if any of you know me personally, there’s never a shortage of excitement and flurry in our house). However, the charge in our house is different than the normal daily wattage. WHY? Carly and I are… Read more…