Paul expects his children to obtain a university degree. His wife reads books and he reads the newspaper daily and they place a great deal of emphasis on reading. Paul said, “I’m an avid reader. My son reads hours every day but my daughter not as much.” Both of his children have library cards and they take out 10 to 15 books every second week. The family has a lot of books and Paul and his wife used to read to their children every night until they could read by themselves at approximately five or six years of age. His wife also used to sing and rhyme with the children when they were younger.

Paul did not report a great deal of writing behavior although his wife does the family’s bills and is involved with computer correspondence.

If the children have homework, “we sit down with them if they need help. We check up on a daily basis to see if they are doing homework and have to sign a form to say it’s done.”

Paul and his wife do not watch television around their children; “They don’t see us watching TV. We watch after they are in bed.” The children do not watch television during the week and watch four to six hours on weekends; they watch primarily reality television shows. Paul’s son plays X-Box for one to two hours a week and the children play on the internet for approximately two hours a week, chatting on MSN but mostly participating in recreational games.

The family goes on social excursions once a month. Paul and his wife “want the kids to have fun but also do well in school. I want my kids to be successful but also have fun.” The family has been to the museum and the TELUS World of Science and they participate in children’s programs at the Citadel Theatre three or four times a year. The family skis a lot in the winter. Both children have piano lessons once a week and play recitals, and both take Karate twice a week. Paul’s daughter also participates in Brownies once a week.