Many Canadian parents are familiar with the painful tradition of the seven a.m. practice. It is enacted weekly across the country – hours before most sane people think of rising from their beds – as long-suffering mothers and fathers bundle sleepy children into the family car or minivan, then drive their budding athletes to the arena, the pool, the field, the gym… Roy MacGregor knows the joys and frustrations of cheering on a sporting child. He has, in particular, become known as an expert on the subject of fathers, sons, and the game of hockey, where parent and child often find a rare opportunity to meet on common ground and forge a relationship mediated by their love of the sport. But Roy MacGregor also has some first-hand experience on the subject of fathers, sons, and ear-piercing; fathers, daughters, and the pre-teen dance. In the funny, sometimes hair-raising stories collected in The Seven A.M. Practice, in which he describes life at home with his own four children, Roy MacGregor brings his gently affectionate eye to the relationship of parent and child in every aspect of their lives. With bemused good humour, MacGregor charts the highs and lows of being a parent – from the cherished time when he is the centre of his child’s life to the sad day when it dawns on him that he is being gently nudged ever further to one side.