Family Matters

How have children’s books evolved over time? And does that mean we are getting better books? That’s what we asked two award-winning Canadian authors. Barbara Reid has over 35 years of experience crafting children’s picture books. She joins us to talk about the evolution and even pinpoints some big changes she’s made to her own work. You can connect with Reid by clicking here. We also hear from Jon Klassen. He is the man behind the books I Want My Hat Back, This Is Not My Hat and We Found a Hat. He believes newer books have redefined how stories end. He joins us to explain and lets us in on his next project. You can follow Klassen on twitter, by clicking here.

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Linda Hoang appears to have it all, at least on social media. Her page is filled with photos of her family, friends, food, travel but she admits something is missing. “It's sort of like we are living this half or fake life,” explains Linda. “We are very happy about the life we have, but it's not the life that we have wanted for the last five years.”  She and her husband Mike have been diagnosed with ‘unexplained infertility’ and for the past five years have been trying to conceive. Linda joins us to talk about the diagnosis and her options for starting a family. You can learn more about Linda by connecting with her through twitter or her website, Linda-Hoang.com.

Dr. Shannon Corbett is a fertility specialist and medical director at the Reproductive Care Centre in Mississauga, Ontario. She says one in four couples who enter a fertility clinic will leave with a diagnosis of “unexplained infertility.” She is also a guest on this Family Matters episode to talk about options for couples and why it’s her job to make sure they never lose hope.

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Some Alberta dads found the perfect way to say “I love you” to their tween and teen daughters.  It involved cartwheels, dismounts and plenty of choreography. The surprise performance took place at a year-end showcase of the Perfect Storm teams, but it was the 18 dads who stole the show. One of the cheer dads turned cheerleaders is two-time Olympian Marc Kennedy. He joins us to talk about the two minute routine and what followed after. You can find out more about Marc by clicking here.

The routine is also garnering applause from two parenting experts. Jennifer Kolari is a family therapist and the author of ‘You're Ruining My Life!: Surviving The Teenage Years With Connected Parenting’. She calls it a gift. While Linda Nielsen, a renowned expert on  father-daughter relationships, says more dads need to show this side of them. Why? Because dads have a huge influence on their daughters possibly more than their mothers. Both are guests on this episode of Family Matters.

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You can’t be in the operating room with them, but you do play an important role in your child’s surgical experience. A team of researchers at the University of Calgary found parental anxiety around surgery can have a long-lasting impact on how your child remembers the pain. Dr. Melanie Noel is behind the study and joins us to share the findings and her advice for parents preparing for a procedure. You can find out more about Dr. Noel by clicking here. 

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“There’s no hurry. They don’t know how to hurry.” This is the feedback Alberta mom Deb Zinck has about her two sons aged 12 and 14. They miss their bus at least a few times a week forcing their mom to drive them to school. She wonders where is their sense of urgency? We took that question to psychologist Dr. Caroline Buzanko. She believes teens do have a sense of urgency, it’s just that their priorities are different than their parents. You can find out more about Dr. Buzanko by clicking here.

hind the book How to be a Productivity Ninja, Graham Allcott, shares some of his secrets to unlocking your inner productivity ninja. And guess what? He says it’s okay to be late. You can find out more by visiting his company Think Productive.

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Producer Christine Meadows son hates sweats. Refuses to wear them. He only wants to wear jeans to school, to birthday parties, at trampoline parks, and even tobogganing. The seven-year-old says he hates the way sweats feel. So will he one day just get used to it or is he a ‘highly sensitive’ kid? One in five Canadian children are considered highly sensitive. Registered psychologist Tammy Auten-Dye, who has a practice in Ponoka, Alta., helps us understand what the world is like for a highly sensitive kid. Auten-Dye offers up some tips for parents to help their kids cope. You can connect with Tammy Auten-Dye on her Facebook page or website.

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Why do vacation hotspots charge more for a family of five versus four? We search for the answer and find some advice on saving money from travel expert Claire Newell. Newell is the president of Travel Best Bets. You can find out more about her by visiting her website.

Plus, we check in with the Eliuk Family who is heading home after travelling the world for six months. The family of five from Edmonton started in Bali and are now ending in France, sometimes visiting as many as three countries in one day. We hear about their adventure and they share some of the lessons they’ve learned along the way. You can find out more about their adventure by clicking here.

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If you spend any amount of time on social media, especially on Facebook, you will see plenty of marketing. And a lot of it is probably coming from your friends and family. Multi-level marketing is big business in Canada. But how exactly does direct selling work and can you really make a living off of it?  Derek Hassay is an assistant professor in entrepreneurial thinking at the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. He offers his answers to those questions. And we hear from Lori Wolny who is a direct marketing success story, earning more than $1 million dollars selling Isagenix. She offers her tips.  You can connect with Lisa on Facebook.

And have you heard of ‘Container Baby Syndrome’? Experts describe it as the overuse of restrictive baby equipment. Experts like Lori Grisez, a paediatrics clinical specialist and developmental therapist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. She joins us to talk about it and how to spot it.

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A 14 member curling squad. A 37 person basketball team. These are the real rosters at Michael Phair Junior High School in Edmonton where if you want to play, you can play. Nearly half the school’s population is now on a team.  Assistant principal Kim Hordal-Hlewka shares how her school eliminated cuts without eliminating competition. What about the argument that tryouts build character and resiliency? Lauren Sulz is an assistant professor at the University of Alberta in the faculty of education. She is researching this very topic and believes students benefit way more from actually playing than the experience of being cut. You can find out more about Lauren Sulz by following her on twitter.

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Could you be together but live apart? Edmonton mom Olivia Weaver Pilip is doing just that. She has been in a ‘long term, long distance’ relationship for more than two years and because of children, there are no immediate plans to move under one roof. Weaver Pilip is part of a growing number of Canadian couples living-apart-together. We profile her story and hear from Dr. Jess O’Reilly of ‘Sex with Dr. Jess’. She weighs in on the relationship trend and offers advice for making it work. You can connect with Dr. O’Reilly by clicking here.

And Carolyn MacKenzie is the host of the newly expanded The Morning Show. She joins us to talk motherhood and work-life balance. You can follow MacKenzie on Instagram or Twitter.

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