See a parent sitting quietly at a game?
Often, that’s the one who gets it.
No complaining.
No criticizing coaches.
No yelling at refs.
No drama.
Just watching their kid compete.
Youth sports need more parents like those.
Be part of the solution.
There’s a mom at our school drop-off. Messy bun, always three minutes late, kids usually eating dry cereal out of a Ziploc. The "Pinterest moms" always whispered about her. I honestly felt a little bad for her.
Then one day at the playground, my neurodivergent son had a massive, violent sensory meltdown. I’m sitting in the dirt, crying, totally paralyzed.
The "perfect" moms just stared and pulled their kids away.
Suddenly, she’s there. The messy mom.
She drops her giant bag, sits right in the dirt next to us, pulls a heavy sensory toy out of her purse, and calmly shields my son from the crowd. No panic. No judgment. He regulated in three minutes. I was speechless.
We had coffee after. She told me her house is a disaster and she has severe ADHD, but she knows exactly what a nervous system collapse looks like.
I asked her how she deals with the judgmental stares from the other moms.
She took a sip of her cold coffee and said: "Perfect moms know how to bake organic muffins. Chaotic moms know how to survive the trenches."
Every time I see her running late now, I just smile. Girls, be like the messy mom. Stop apologizing for your chaos.
Early in my career, an associate Dean I admired gave me this advice: don't spend your time trying to change the minds of the ~10% who will never change. We'll turn this math education ship around, but we need to focus our efforts on the educators who are open to changing course.
Wins fade. Relationships don’t.
Brad Underwood gets it. 🔥
“25 years from now, I want them to pick up the phone and call me because they need me.”
Coach accordingly.
We went to dinner at another family's house last week.
Their kids talked back to their mom.
Ignored direct instructions.
Interrupted adult conversations constantly.
Demanded screens when they got bored.
And the parents just... let it happen.
"Oh, he's just tired."
"She's going through a phase."
"We're working on it."
No you're not.
You're avoiding it.
Because actually addressing it would mean being the bad guy.
And you're more worried about being liked than being respected.
My kids aren't perfect.
But they know:
• You don't interrupt adults
• You respond the first time you're asked
• You don't demand things
• Screens aren't a right
Not because I'm some drill sergeant.
Because I decided a long time ago that my job isn't to be their friend.
It's to raise them into adults other people actually want to be around.
HERE'S WHAT I DO DIFFERENTLY:
I limit technology and screens.
Not because I think iPads are evil.
Because unlimited access teaches kids:
• Boredom is an emergency
• Instant gratification is normal
• They're entitled to entertainment on demand
So we don't do it.
No phones at dinner.
No tablets to keep them quiet in public.
No handing them a screen the second they complain they're bored.
And yeah, other parents notice.
They notice my kids can sit through a meal without melting down.
They notice my kids play outside instead of staring at a screen.
They notice my kids can entertain themselves.
Some of them respect it.
Others think I'm too strict.
Too old-school.
Too controlling.
I don't care.
Because here's what I know:
The parents who let their kids run wild today are the same ones who'll be shocked when those kids can't function as teenagers.
Can't handle boredom.
Can't respect authority.
Can't delay gratification.
And by then? It's way harder to fix.
I'M NOT RAISING KIDS WHO ARE EASY RIGHT NOW.
I'm raising kids who'll be capable adults later.
That means:
• Boundaries that feel strict to other parents
• Expectations that seem too high
• Consequences that actually follow through
It's uncomfortable.
Especially when you're the only parent in the room doing it.
But you know what's more uncomfortable?
Raising a 16-year-old who never learned respect because you were too afraid to enforce it at 6.
You don't have to parent like everyone else.
You just have to be willing to look different.
And trust that what feels hard now is exactly what your kids need.
Support Jonathan Castagna, a 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award nominee.
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If you work with teacher candidates, student teachers, whatever we are calling them these days…tell them they need to take initiative in the classroom and not just do the bare minimum.
We are seeing a terrible lack of ambition and work ethic in these future teachers.
See a ‘Sports Parent’ sitting alone?
There is a reason.
- No drama.
- No negativity.
- No ignorance.
- No complaining.
- No badmouthing coaches or refs.
They just want to enjoy watching their child play.
@alyssamalette4 I am so sorry to read this this morning but there’s not a family that was built on more love than yours. His love will always be with each of you forever and ever. Sending our love to your whole family.
15 things to do with your father while he is still alive. I lost mine 8 years ago.
1. Ask him what he was like at your age because once he was the same age you are right now & Watch his face light up as he tells you stories from when he was younger
2. Record his laugh when he tells one of his signature jokes. Someday you will replay the video over and over just to hear it again
3. Ask him about the proudest moment of his life. (Odds are he will say when you were born)
4. Ask him his favourite songs
Listen to them together, laugh, sing and be happy. These will become your most cherished memories in years to come
5. Take a picture of him doing something he loves. Watching tv, gardening, playing the guitar, anything. When you look back these will be the pictures that will make you smile the most
6. Tell him you love him even if it's something you don't normally do.
7. Tell him you are proud to be his son/daughter This will mean more to him than you realise (even if he doesn't show it)
8. Listen to music from his youth and watch him turn from dad into a young man again
9. Take a short video of him talking about something random sacred Someday even the ordinary things he said become
10. Bring up something you are thankful for from years ago
11. Ask him what it was like for him growing up
12. Call him for no reason
Don't take being able to do this for granted.
Someday you would give anything to hear his voice again.
13. Take a picture of just the 2 of you together
14. Ask him to show you an old photo of him because seeing him young will remind you that he wasn't always Dad
15. Tell him something you are struggling with, no matter what age you are Because even when your grown it means the world to him to feel like he can still help
Let him give you advice, even if you don't need it because one day you will give anything to hear his voice guiding you again
❗️ School Transportation Update:Thursday, January 15, 2026
A weather assessment was conducted this morning, Thurs. January 15, 2026.
Please be advised that school bus/van transportation is cancelled today for the English and French school boards operating within the City of Ottawa:
Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB)
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB)
Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE)
Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario (CEPEO)
For students assigned to public transit (OC Transpo), while public transit is running, there may be delays.
Schools remain open.