Next season Family Matters will dedicate an episode to Parenting Teens. Adolescence is a challenging time for both parents and their teens, fraught with issues around substance abuse, sexuality, peer pressure, and self image. Parents have to help their teen to become independent, responsible adults; this involves a difficult balance between giving their teen reasonable boundaries, but also the room to grow and develop their own identity and independence.
Next season, Family Matters is dedicating an episode to the topic of high conflict divorce. Only 5% of separated couples end up litigating against each other in a courtroom. These long, drawn out battles can be damaging to any children involved in the divorce, a severe issue many experts are calling attention to. Children get trapped in the “war zone” between the parents that these divorces create, either forced to pick sides or scared from telling the truth of the situation.
In response to the suicide of teenager and British Columbian Amanda Todd last year, who suffered from physical and online bullying and sexual torment, provinces across the country have acted to strengthen anti-bullying laws. However, the definition of what is “bullying” has not been uniform, and while some critics suggest that the definition is too vague, others question if the new laws will have any effect at all on bullying.
Leaders of Canadian forensic mental health organizations are drafting letters, expressing their concerns in the Conservative government’s tough stance on mentally ill offenders. The centerpiece of the reforms to the Criminal Code in the Not Criminally Responsible section is the introduction of “high-risk offender.” Offenders labeled “high-risk” will not be discharged until a court lifts their designation. Furthermore, high-risk offenders will not be eligible for unescorted passes into the community. Finally, while non-high-risk offenders will have a periodic review every year, high-risk offenders may only be reviewed once every three years.
Lorne Maclean gives us a look behind the scenes of Family Matters as the Season 2 set is being dismantled in the background. First air date: May 4, 2013 on CHEK.
While the FBI has announced it now knows who’s behind one of the biggest art heists in history, there are a couple of things impeding their pursuit of the suspects. In 1990, two men dressed as Boston police officers broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, tied up the watchmen on duty, and made off with 13 works of art – valued at $500 million.
One of our episodes next season will be on the topic of family finances. The following is an introduction to the topic with some tips on family budgeting.
Given the shaky state of the global economy and uncertain market forecasts, many hard-hit Canadian families are re-evaluating their approach to family finances. Whether a family is struggling with credit card debt, seeking to pay off their mortgage, or barely staying afloat due to sudden or persistent unemployment, proactive budgeting and financial planning can assist families to improve their financial situations. For those with the resources to do so, personal financial planners can assist with a general overview of a family’s financial situation and advice on the best ways to meet their financial goals. Investment advisers are also available to assist families seeking to navigate the stock market or manage other investments. But for everyone, a personal budgeting plan can stretch a dollar, provide some debt relief and reduce some of the stress that can accompany hits to the family finances.
Next season, one of our episodes will be on the topic of internet dating. The following is an overview of this topic.
With the ubiquity of technology increasing the amount of time Canadians spend online, it is small wonder that internet dating sites have exploded in popularity. The online dating giants can boast subscribers in the millions, such as eHarmony (33 million members since inception), Match.com (over a million active subscribers, 96 million registered since inception), Lavalife (10 million members), OkCupid (5.6 million active), and PlentyofFish (40 million registered). Hundreds of smaller, more specific sites have also arisen to meet niche markets. These cater to specific subscribers seeking, for example, to meet another person of the Christian faith (as on ChristianMingle.com), Jewish faith or heritage (JDate.com) or someone seeking a same-sex partnership (Chemistry.com, Grindr, PinkCupid.com).
Next season, one of our episodes will be on the challenges that arise when a spouse in a heterosexual marriage comes out of the closet. The following is an overview of that topic.
When a married individual thought to be heterosexual comes out of the closet, it can have a significant impact on their spouse and family. It is likely to be a time of heightened, intense emotions for the newly out gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered or queer-identified individual. These emotions can collide with the feelings of the spouse facing the news, who is often experiencing shock, disbelief and confusion.
Justice Brownstone, in this behind-the-scenes exclusive, talks about wrapping up Season 2 of the show. He’s a little sad that it’s over. It was a lot of fun for all of us…