Aiming to prevent child abuse, the South Korean government is planning to provide lifelong parenting education, starting with lessons in school. Not only will children be learning these vital skills, but the government also hopes to see parenting lessons given to couples close to marriage, … [Read more...]
Book Review: “Hope and Other Luxuries” By Clare B. Dunkle
My daughter was three years old when her foot was mangled in an escalator. A friend and I had taken our daughters to the movies and we were enjoying listening to them talk excitedly about the characters while we walked out of the theatre. They were still young enough to believe wholeheartedly in the … [Read more...]
Book Review: “Every Fifteen Minutes” By Lisa Scottoline
My 16-year-old niece mentioned to me the other day that she is thinking about taking a summer job. She’s been offered a nanny position and is contemplating whether or not the long hours and lack of freedom will be worth the money. We discussed the pros and cons and when she mentioned that the job … [Read more...]
A Young Woman of Great Promise
Any parent of a daughter (and let's face it: parents of sons, too) should be justifiably frightened by the emerging details of the Rehtaeh Parsons case. Pretty much any of us can imagine it: a fifteen year-old girl goes to a high school party, maybe even her first big party. Some booze is passed … [Read more...]
Thank You Kaitlin Hrudey
There has been a lot of media coverage lately of the youth mental health crisis, which is particularly bad here in Calgary. And it's about damn time. I've known about this crisis for a long time now, because I've been part of it. And it's getting worse, not better.My oldest daughter has anxiety. And … [Read more...]
Taking Back the Power
Bottom line: dealing with severe anxiety and school refusal (my daughter has been diagnosed with severe Social Anxiety Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder - along with a few other things) is no easy task for either the child suffering from them or the parents. So in order to help me understand … [Read more...]
Last Friday
The sadness has followed me around since last Friday. It's just there. I'm having a really hard time falling asleep. It's so hard to shut down mentally. I feel a little bit like I did back in that second week of September in 2001 when the world changed forever. The world has changed again. Last … [Read more...]
It was a regular Friday
One of the very hardest sights in the wake of the horrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary is the survivors with their steady, young voices, who have said, with confusion "It was a regular Friday" I can barely stand to watch these children describe how the regular was yanked out of their lives … [Read more...]
Media Madness – Literally
In the aftermath of the recent tragic theatre shooting in Aurora, Colorado, a lot of the social media reaction seemed to centre around the presence of Veronica Moser-Sullivan, aged six, at the midnight screening of the PG-13 rated movie The Dark Knight Rises. The reactions ranged from … [Read more...]
MY NEW HERO
If anyone had told me a few years back that my now almost 13 year old son would be in the place he is today I seriously would have laughed in their face and probably told them where to go. In no way shape or form did I ever think he would be able to overcome so many of the issues that plagued … [Read more...]