BC Council for Families

Articles

• • Creating Safer Communities
  • by Carol Matusicky. To reduce crime, we must support families and provide opportunities for children
  • Read More
• • Children of Parents with Mental Illness
  • by Diane T. Marsh Parental mental illness has a profound impact on children. 
  • Read More
• • Living on the Edge: Families with technology dependent children at home
  • by Jan Radford and Sally Thorne
  • Read More
• • Stress and the Caregiver
  • by Karen Henderson
  • Read More
• • Value Wars: Battle of the generations
  • by Gwenn Cutler
  • Read More
• • Couple Relationships
  • www.bettermarriages.orgThe Web site for the Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment (ACME) features a new marriage enrichment exercise every week. Dealing with separation and divorce
  • Read More
• • Affair-Proofing Marriages: Learning the ABC’s
  • by Rosanne Farnden Lyster There's no guarantee that affairs won't happen.  But you can reduce the risks.
  • Read More
• • Gender issues in marriage preparation
  • by Mary Russell Today's marriages are pioneering new ways of relating
  • Read More
• • Marriage preparation: What you need to know
  • Adapted with permission from the Australian Association for Marriage Education. Marriage preparation … who needs it?
  • Read More
• • Sliding down a slippery slope: Predictors of divorce
  • by Rosanne Farnden Lyster Whether directly or indirectly, all of us have experienced the pain of divorce. When it is projected that close to one-third of all Canadian first marriages will end in divorce, we don't have to look far to find one. But why is this? Why is divorce so prevalent?
  • Read More
• • Variety isn’t always the spice of life
  • by Rosanne Farnden Lyster
  • Read More
• • Enriching Your Marriage: Relationship Exercises for Couples
  • Communication is the lifeblood of a healthy marriage or couple relationship. Part of being a good communicator is to take responsibility for our own needs, feelings and desires and to share them with our spouse or partner.
  • Read More
• • Stepfamily life…and then some
  • By Susan Gamache Recent demographic information suggests that 25-30% of Canadian children have either already experienced living in a stepfamily or will likely do so before they reach adulthood. In the U.S., stepfamilies are expected to outnumber nuclear families by the year 2010. In other words,...
  • Read More
• • Full-time Dad: Part-time Kids
  • All children have basic needs which are the same in all family structures. Fathers meet these needs through the different roles they play.
  • Read More
• • Involved Fathers: A Guide for Today's Dad
  • What’s a Father For? Provider Father
  • Read More
• • Quick Facts on Grandparenting
  • Grandparenting Numbers There were 5.7 million grandparents in Canada in 2001. Each grandparent had on average 4.7 grandchildren. First-time grandparenthood is a mid-life event: Canadians typically become grandparents in their late 40s or early 50s. The average age of Canadian grandparents is about...
  • Read More
• • Doulas: Making a Difference
  • by Carolyn M. Usher The newest participants in childbirth have a long history Doula is a Greek work meaning “women's servant.”
  • Read More
• • Giving Children a Healthy Start ... We're all in this together
  • By Dana Brynelsen Our childhood experiences determine how each of us express our unique potential
  • Read More
• • Parenting the difficult child
  • By Kate Andersen Kate Andersen is a sessional instructor with the School of Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria. She pioneered efforts to help parents of temperamentally difficult children in British Columbia and has worked with such families for over a decade. She recently conducted...
  • Read More
• • Pre-teens: they’re all originals!
  • by Carolyn M. Usher Carolyn M. Usher was Director, Affiliate Operations, for the BC Council for Families and is the author of Are You Losing Control? The Common Sense Guide to Parenting Teens.
  • Read More
• • Supporting our Teens by Challenging the Myths of Adolescence
  • by Maria Weatherby Taking a closer look at the changes of adolescence, and the ways we can build support and offer assistance to teens.
  • Read More
• • Are you losing control of your teen?
  • by Carolyn Bergmann If it feels like you are losing control of your teen, you are.
  • Read More
• • Co-parenting After Divorce
  • by Dianne Noort The important ingredients to quality parenting can still be there no matter what the makeup of your family.
  • Read More
• • Parenting in stepfamilies
  • by Jean McBride Parents in step-families have special roles and responsibilities.  Find out what it take to succeed in these unique families.
  • Read More
• • Parenting through divorce
  • by Marie O'NeillUnderstanding your children's reactions to your divorce and how you can support them during the transition.
  • Read More
• • Teaching money management skills to children
  • by Carolyn M. Usher Teaching children to be “wise consumers” and use money responsibly requires different tactics at different ages.
  • Read More
• • Balancing Work and Family… You’ve Got the Power
  • by Carolyn M. Usher We're the ones with the most power to balance work and family.  How can we start?
  • Read More
• • Suggested Grandparenting Books
  • A Boomer’s Guide: Intentional Grandparenting. Edwards, P. and M. J. Sterne. Toronto: McClelland&Stewart Ltd., 2005
  • Read More
• • Work and Family
  • The BC Council for Families recognizes that today's families are challenged by the task of balancing paid work with the responsibilities of family life. Dealing with this concern is key to strengthening families, the economy, and our communities.
  • Read More
• • Resolving work-family conflict: it's a shared responsibility
  • by Alan Mirabelli Families today are being squeezed by an ever-tightening noose of time, money, work, and responsibility. Many of us feel the knot will never loosen. “How do I find time for myself and my family?” we wonder. “How are we going to make ends meet? Why does the future seem so insecure...
  • Read More
• • Apples and Oranges: Another Look at Couple Violence
  • by Rosanne Farnden Lyster 
Which is true? Violence in intimate couple relationships is the result of the dynamics of the relationship - or the outcome of systematic, patriarchal attempts by males for control? Not an easy answer to provide is it?
  • Read More
• • Young Parents: The Importance of Support and Recognition
  • By Julie NortonOriginally published in Family Connections Volume XI Issue One Spring 2007
  • Read More
• • Affordable Housing and Quality Child Care: Essential Resources for Young Families
  • By Merissa Myles Parenthood is a role that brings a host of new responsibilities and choices that can make even the most prepared person feel overwhelmed. Children need a healthy home and community to thrive, yet today in Canada many parents find that crucial resources such as clean, safe and...
  • Read More
• • Reframed Family Portraits
  • By Kerry Daly
  • Read More
• • Grand(re)parents
  • By Alvina Snell
  • Read More
• • Maintaining Family Life:
 Meeting the Challenge of Parenting Children with Chronic Health Conditions
  • By Connie Canam For parents of children with chronic health conditions, daily life can be an ongoing challenge: how do you balance the ongoing care of your child while maintaining a ‘normal’ family life?
  • Read More
• • Generation Y: Challenging Employers to Provide Balance
  • Who are Generation Y and do employers and managers in the non-profit sector really need to fear them?
  • Read More
• • Is this normal?
  • By John Hoffman, columnist and contributing editor to Today’s Parent
  • Read More
• • When Work Takes Over
  • by Marilee Peters Did you take a vacation this summer? If you did go on holiday, how many times did you check your blackberry?  Were you tempted to call work to listen to your phone messages?  What about those “really important” emails that you just had to answer?
  • Read More
• • Weaving the safety net(work): The Alberta Home Visitation Network Association
  • By Lavonne Roloff Lavonne Roloff  is the Provincial Director for the Alberta Home Visitation Network Association. For more information about AHVNA, check out the association’s website at www.ahvna.org.
  • Read More
• • Sharing and Caring: A Multicultural Perspective
  • By Barbara A. Mitchell Family  support professionals can face real challenges in providing culturally-relevant services.  SFU’s Barbara Mitchell analyzes the issues and offers solutions that avoid ethnic stereotyping.
  • Read More
• • Do Parent Education Programs Make a Difference?
  • By Berna J. Skrypnek Over 50 years of scientific research now confirms the wisdom of the ages—PARENTS MATTER ! How we parent impacts our children’s development in important ways. Yet, parenting does not come instinctively to many parents and babies do not come with a manual. Many parents find...
  • Read More
• • Generation Who, What , Y? Reaching Out to Young People in a Changing World
  • Do you know what these mean?   PSOS, P911, ROTFLUTS, TCOY, WYHAM. Your answer reveals two things about yourself:  1) how frequently, if at all, you’re communicating with instant messaging (all of the above are common texting shorthand), and 2) which side of the generational divide you’re...
  • Read More
• • Beyond the Birds and Bees: Talking with Kids about Sex and Relationships
  • By Saleema Noon “If I teach my kids about sex, are they going to want to go out and do it?” “I want my child to stay innocent!” “It will make them grow up too fast!” “You want me to talk about WHAT?!”
  • Read More
• • Women and Work: The coming revolution
  • by Marilee Peters Exhausted by trying to juggle career and motherhood?  Discover (and use) your workplace leverage.
  • Read More
• • Good to Know
  • Benefits of Outdoor Play In a 2007 study of rates of outdoor play among inner-city children, researchers provided adult supervision in a schoolyard after school hours. Results showed that: The area was used consistently during out-of-school hours Two-thirds of the children were physically active...
  • Read More
• • Writing Motherhood
  •  By Cori Howard  Mothers have a lot of stories to tell.  From birth stories to breastfeeding, fertility struggles, adoption, circumcision, miscarriage, joy, depression, --  the list keeps growing.  And so does the audience.  
  • Read More
• • Children, Families and the Urban Environment
  • By Marilee Peters
  • Read More
• • One Caregiver Sandwich … to go: Family, career, friends, volunteer commitments … we explore the challenges of keeping life in balance.
  • by Marilee Peters Remember as a kid, when you thought your parents were invincible?
  • Read More
• • Parenting Skills and Parenting Stress – How do Mothers and Fathers Compare?
  • Experts, academics and parents agree: parenting is one of the most challenging roles of adulthood.
  • Read More