I was sitting on the first row of wooden bleachers in the small elementary school gym. It was 9am on a Saturday morning and my fifth-grade daughter, Gabriela (my oldest), was standing on the volleyball court about to play the first game of the season with her school team. It was her first volleyball game ever, and the first competitive athletic event of her life.
I had a knot in my stomach. “Is she going to get her serves over the net?” “Is she going to shank the first ball that comes to her?” “Is she going to feel humiliated when she makes a mistake in front of all of these people?”
When families restructure (separate, divorce) there are many changes for everyone involved. Whenever possible, it’s important that kids are permitted to maintain a loving relationship with both parents.
As child(ren) go between both homes, it’s easy to slide down a slippery slope of getting the kids to do these three examples of adults’ heavy lifting:
Kids need to be well-rested to make it through the long school day ahead of them. Unfortunately, many kids have sleep issues. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, approximately 15 to 25 percent of kids struggle to fall or stay asleep on a regular basis. The good news is that there are many steps parents can take to help their kids get a good night’s sleep. Here’s what the experts suggest:
As parents, we often find ourselves planning structured, educational and organized play opportunities for our kids in the summer, and there are some amazing summer programs offered in the Calgary area. But research is beginning to show that there is something even more beneficial for your child’s healthy development – unstructured play.
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