Last month, I snapped.
Like so many people, I was outraged to learn that the parents of more than 500 children separated from their families at the US border in 2017 and 2018 could not be found. That’s more than 500 families torn apart by cruel, “zero tolerance” government policies. I couldn’t stop thinking: who’s comforting these children? Who’s in charge of reuniting these families? What’s being done?
Unprecedented. Unpredictable. Uncertain. Unusual. Unheard of.
These days, it’s hard to tell between fact and fiction. Halloween is just days away and yet it can feel like the zombie apocalypse is already here.
Unfortunately for many regions across Ontario, Covid-19 has officially crashed the Halloween party! In a media presentation last week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Williams made it official – traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating is not recommended for the regions of Toronto, York, Peel and Ottawa.
For more than half a year, we’ve been living in pandemic mode. In conversation with others, we barely know how to describe our current reality. We overuse words like “unprecedented” and “uncertainty,” while awkwardly encouraging each other to “stay safe.”
Fall is upon us! And you know what that means – pumpkin spice season!
So, you’re having a baby! Whether you’re expecting your first little bundle of joy or you’re adding another child to your growing family, choosing a baby name can be a little overwhelming and stressful. There are thousands of top baby name lists you can browse online and baby name books you can read, but it often ends up feeling like you’re looking for the needle in a haystack!
We did it, everyone. We made it to October. Fall has truly arrived and despite the ever-evolving state of chaos that is the year 2020, we’re still moving forward and we’re okay, more or less. At least, that’s the answer that rolls off most of our tongues when asked. We’re fine, we tell each other, shrugging. You know, we’re managing. But how are we really doing?
I think parents can unanimously agree that when our kids are sick, it’s the absolute pits. No one likes seeing their little ones suffer. Recently, my little fellow had to go to the Children’s Hospital to have surgery. He had kidney stones that were not passing and were extremely painful. The time came to operate. I was feeling very sorry for my little man.
Our kids’ learning is more screen-based than ever before. This is the age of educational apps, games, websites and video tutorials, which can all be useful learning tools. At the same time, it is extremely important to expose young children to tangible objects – like toys – that promote learning through touch, discovery, repetition and experimentation. Here are some recommended educational toys, organized by age group. (By the way, they’re also a lot of fun!)