Family Issues Archive

Avoiding chore wars

by Sally Foran
Family Issues, Inspiration — Oct 18, 2012 — 1

“Success in marriage does not come merely through finding the right mate, but through being the right mate.” Ahhh love. When first dating, there’s hand-holding, endless conversation, and romantic gestures. That is until reality steps in (i.e. marriage) and she finds out her superhero has lost his cape and he realizes she’s a complicated puzzle…

Why family vacation is important

by Sally Foran
Family Issues — Aug 16, 2012 — 2

Family vacation. Talk about two words that can strike fear in the hearts of many parents who have had their share of “Griswold-worthy” family holidays where they were plagued with continual disasters in their attempts to have THE best vacation ever. (Do you remember those hilarious National Lampoon movies?!) And then there are parents who…

If you’re early, you’re on time

by Sally Foran
Family Issues, Inspiration — Jun 17, 2012 — 4

The great football coach Vince Lombardi said it best. “If you’re early, you’re on time. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you’re late…don’t bother showing up”. That sure packs a powerful punch about being on time. I have to admit one of my biggest pet peeves is people being late. We’re all late once…

The Family: school of leadership skills

by Nuria Chinchilla
Family Issues, Work Issues — May 1, 2012

At a time when many people in Spain are having a very difficult time finding employment, there is still plenty of work for everyone in the home. And as this video shows, with the perspective of time, one can easily recognize the positive impact of raising well our children: industriousness, constancy, responsibility, will power, and…

The unexpected joy in a kid’s sick day

by Sally Foran
Family Issues, Home — Mar 15, 2012 — 9

Many of us can probably recall putting on the occasional ‘sick day’ performance (ahem) to stay home from school. My mom would bring me chicken noodle soup and make me all cozy. It ranks up there as one of my favourite childhood memories. Now I’m nursing my three kids through the flu. (Isn’t there a…

Recipe for a long, happy marriage

by Sally Foran
Family Issues, Inspiration — Jan 25, 2012 — 5

Good recipes for a long, happy marriage can be hard to come by. Some recipes whip up perfect wedded bliss, while other recipes call for too much salt ruining the whole batch. My parent’s recipe for their 55 years of marriage has always been easy to follow with no fancy ingredients. They took a large…

The power of touch

by Sally Foran
Family Issues — Jan 14, 2012 — 12

Human touch is often a neglected subject yet it is so vital to our everyday lives. Touch is a fundamental part of human relationships, and life without physical contact is a lonely life indeed. (I’m talking about the nourishing, wholesome kind of touch and not the “bad” touch we warn our children about). From the…

The bride who was groomed for a career

by Lea Singh
Career Issues, Family Issues — Dec 8, 2011 — 2

Recently, a possibly tragic event took place: a highly educated young woman I know got married. Radiant in her delicate lace dress, full of joy and optimism about the future, this blushing bride was not yet aware of the reality of her situation: that she has been groomed through her many years of education to…

Parents’ stress affects children’s genes

by Eloise Cataudella
Family Issues, Health Issues — Sep 14, 2011

One would assume that children are affected by their parents’ stress. But a fascinating new study shows that parents’ stress actually forms an imprint on children’s genes, and the effects last a very long time. I won’t pretend to understand all of the science involved here, but basically, the study deals with gene expression. The scientists measured…

Working dads: a tipping point?

by Reva Seth
Career Issues, Family Issues — Jun 21, 2011

I’m deliberately late on my Father’s Day post. The reason? I thought I should wait until after the holiday to say that I’m happy that it increasingly seems as though dads today are struggling to manage their work and family commitments. The reality is that as long as work-life balance and alternative work options are considered “women’s…