Nothing you have done for your elderly father is as significant or pertinent to his well-being as are those long hours when he talks and you listen.
Tag Archives Speaking of Life column
Children who read for fun have higher rates of empathy
2020 figures suggest that about 13 percent fewer children were reading than did so a mere 10-plus years ago.
Smoker must ultimately make the decision to quit
Q: We are trying to help our granddaughter quit smoking, and even offered her $5,000 if she could go for six months without smoking. It did not work. What else can we do? A: Addictions counsellors with whom I have met tell me that of all the addictions there are, including heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, beer, […] Read more
Men in mid-50s must shift the centre of their universe
Q: I am 56 years old, married with two successful adult children. I get along with my wife and my career is doing well. However, I am depressed. Why? A: At one time we talked about midlife crises hitting people who were somewhere between 45 and 60 years old. Although the criteria for a mid-life […] Read more
How we learn often more important than what we learn
Q: One of our teen-aged grandchildren will be staying with us for the next four months while his parents are overseas. They want him to stay home because he’s not doing well academically and they don’t want him to miss school. We’re worried about this because school is different than it was when we were […] Read more
Loving a spouse means living with their faults
Q: How do I get my wife to stop nagging me all the time? A: The reality is that you cannot force your wife to change. If it is bothering you, you have two options: you can leave her, ending the marriage, or you can learn to live with it. Living with it might not […] Read more
Measuring success does not mean focusing on failure
Q: As I prepare for retirement, I look back at my life and wonder if I have been successful. How does one know? A: Success is not something to be determined by someone else. This is ironic because we spend so much time trying to please other people. It starts in grade school. That sweet […] Read more
Child anxiety problems often fix themselves on their own
Q: Our three-year-old had a terrible reaction during a recent visit to her grandmother. She screamed the moment we walked in the door, would not let Grandma pick her up and clung on to her father and me just about the whole time we were there. How do we get on top of our daughter’s […] Read more
Too much responsibility is not healthy for young children
Q: My sister drinks and parties too much, loses job after job and neglects her children. This has forced her 11-year-old son to take over many of the responsibilities of running the household, preparing meals for his siblings and making sure they get to the school bus on time. I wish my two boys were […] Read more
Employers can create happy, healthy work environments
Q: I would like to incorporate mental health care into my 97-employee business. How do I do that? A: This is a complex and demanding issue, and what I am going to suggest is only a beginning. You should consult with more experts to help you build a psychologically safe and productive working environment. Let’s […] Read more
