“How’s your relationship these days?” is not a question most of us ever ask people. I’ve probably only ever asked it of newlyweds (where it’s more like “How’s married life?” nudge-nudge) or of very close friends with whom I have a precedent of relationship discussions. It is a bit odd, though. Among parents, there are the constant… Continue reading
Tag: decisions
National Holidays and Life’s Trajectory
Happy Canada Day, Canadians! And happy strawberry season, to everyone who can get ’em locally. (The smell of the warm strawberry field yesterday evening, when we went picking, was delectable. You can’t beat strawberries that were picked minutes ago, just a few blocks away.) While I’m at it, happy early Independence Day, Americans! I don’t… Continue reading
The Baby Name Game
I’m always amazed when parents (-to-be) are able to agree on the name of their impending child many months ahead of time. I know two expectant couples, both due to have daughters in August, who had names ready (boy and girl options) even before they knew the sex of their baby. They make it seem so… Continue reading
Okay Stephen, now I’m ******* ticked off.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper Langevin Building 80 Wellington Street Ottawa ON K1A 0A6 Mr. Harper: As a polite Canadian, I’d like to be able to write a proper, respectful salutation; unfortunately, I have seen no evidence of respectful governance to warrant one. This is my second open letter to you. You obviously did not heed… Continue reading
Committing Your Heart: please share your wisdom
There’s this couple I know who’s going through a rough time. I love them dearly, and more importantly, they love each other – they have for years. They are one of the best, cutest teams I know. But right now, there’s heartbreak. One half of this couple looks forward to a future of happiness together,… Continue reading
The Christmas Conundrum
When I first started thinking about the Santa Claus myth in relation to my own child, I wasn’t sure I liked the idea. A bit of a bleeding-heart “How can I lie to my child?” thing. Why would I bother with this farce, this deception? Now that my child is old enough to start getting… Continue reading
Why I Vaccinate My Child
I first became truly aware of vaccination when I was about eleven. I’d had my standard (Ontario) childhood vaccinations, but didn’t remember them, and hadn’t actually thought about them. Then I read a story about Edward Jenner in Cricket magazine – and I never forgot it. As you may know, Jenner was the English scientist… Continue reading
School Snippets: Student Elections and the stuff we really want from our world
The other week at my school, Grade 5s and 6s participated in hypothetical democracy: student “elections”. I put that in quotes because they don’t actually get to elect anyone – there is no student council or anything – but they get to hear speeches and platforms and read campaign signs, and then vote. One of… Continue reading
How Am I?
Disclaimer: As I reread this post, I see that it is on the grumpy side. It is not beautiful. I’m still gonna post it, because, well, blogging has become my therapy and there’s no turning back now. You’re stuck with me. (And if you don’t read this, I’ll never know.) When people ask me “How… Continue reading
Canadian Election 2011: Stuff that’s Cool
This March, when the current federal Conservatives were found in contempt of Parliament and the government fell, a widespread reaction was, “We’re going to the polls again?? This is a stupid waste of money – we’re just going to end up with exactly the same situation.” (It’s been less than 3 years since the last… Continue reading