A couple of years ago we signed our son up for Navigators USA which was an alternative to the existing scouting organizations. What impressed me most about the Navigators was their moral compass which states, "As a Navigator I promise to do my best to create a world free of prejudice and ignorance, to treat people of every race, creed, lifestyle and ability with dignity and respect, to strengthen my body and improve my mind to reach my full potential, to protect our planet a

So my son was potty trained at age 4...okay he was almost 5. Whatchu gonna do? Does it make me a bad parent? No. Circumstances in our lives at that time did not permit me to tackle that milestone head on. I didn't have the time or the emotional strength to commit to that undertaking as I had uprooted my son and I to Toronto for 10 months to care for my ailing mother. Upon our return I had to re-enroll him in pre-school but their rule was that he had to be potty-trained.

As a parent, if you’re like me, you obsess about your child being ahead of the curve when it comes to learning everything from reading and writing to potty training and manners. You also want to ensure that any obstacle they face will be easily overcome with the skills you provide them with. In my experience, music has been my greatest collaborator. Not only in the “play classical music for my baby to make him a genius” kind of way, but actually using music to teach any ty