HEATHER McCUEN

As a parent, teaching your small child to approach a stranger’s house with an outstretched bag feels a little like designating a day when it’s okay to touch all the burners on the stove.

Kids are awesome. Our childless friends, though, may not always feel the same. Here’s how to make sure your child-heavy priorities don’t result in strained friendships.

Montrealers know how to make the most of every season, and the coming of the fall — sorry for using the F-word — brings with it a whole new list of cheap, kid-friendly stuff to do. The apple-picking season has begun, so here are five reasons to put your tam tams and white pants back into storage and head to the orchards with your children in tow.

I like to tell myself that I’ve worked pretty hard to make sure my kid knows some fundamental rules about life, especially that golden oldie about treating others the way you would like to be treated. But what happens when you realize that your kid was actually listening, and that by the beginning of first grade they’ve turned out to be a better person than you?

If I’m going to save my pennies and fork over that kind of money to be a good parent, it better be the kind of awesome, childhood-memory-creating experience that will keep my kid out of therapy.