Archive - 2013

1
Her First Haircut
2
Loom Lemmings
3
Little People, Big Discoveries
4
Special Needs — Learning the Lingo
5
Is This Too Much Bubble Wrap?

Her First Haircut

My daughter is seven and she’s never had a haircut. Not really. Her aunt gave her a trim one summer, but other than that, no snippy snippy. And no, she’s not all Rapunzel with hair past her waist. It falls just below her shoulders in baby fine waves. It’s beautiful and I’m in no rush to cut it. She was virtually bald when she was born. Her peach fuzz head was a surprise after her brother’s shock of thick black spiky baby hair. Her hair took years to grow even past her ears. Yesterday I took my son to the barber to tame his unruly mop. Usually his dad takes him, but after coming home last time with a mullet I thought it best to go to offer some guidelines. Avery came along and watched as her brother got spritzed and said, “It’s mine turn next. I so excited!” Oh dear. Now what? After she asked me several (28) more times if it was her turn yet, I asked the barber if they cut girl’s hair. He suggested I ask Joe the owner. This is an old school Italian barber shop. I was the only woman in the place and[…]

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Loom Lemmings

  If you have children within the ages of 4 and 14 you’ve heard of the Rainbow Loom. In fact, you’ve probably gone out with the throngs of other zombie-like parents to buy one and you now have a little sweatshop in your home where your children are pumping out bracelets by the dozens. How many elastic bracelets does one need anyway? Apparently a lot. In every possible colour combination. The story of the Rainbow Loom is an interesting — why the hell didn’t I think of it?! — kind of tale. Choon Ng, the toy’s inventor and the dude who came up with Silly Bands are laughing their way to the bank right now. And if you try to mock them, it won’t work because they’re rubber and you’re glue and whatever you say bounces off them and sticks to you. I was oblivious to this new craft craze until my daughter started coming home with dozens of colourful fishtailed bracelets up her arm. “My friends made them for me!” she told me proudly. I asked my son about it and he filled me on this latest must-have toy fad sweeping the nation. So what did I do? I[…]

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Little People, Big Discoveries

The new phrase heard around our house twenty-seven times a day (No, not “Honey, pass the chips!”) is, “I do it myself!!” All of a sudden my daughter gets feisty when I try to do things for her. I don’t get it. I love it when people do things for me. If I had the choice I’d lay in my bed all day watching TV while people brought me things and rolled me over now and then to keep the circulation going. After years of having everything done for her from feeding to dressing to holding her hand every step of the way, my daughter finally has the physical and cognitive ability to do many things on her own. She wants to be independent and as difficult and nerve wracking as it is for us, we’re letting her flex her independent muscles. This includes letting her play on her own in her room without her parents or her big brother watching over her. Why on earth would we have to watch her playing in the safety of her own room you ask? Because of things like this… This kid is a climber and a risk taker. Left to her own[…]

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Special Needs — Learning the Lingo

There are universal no-nos that need no explanation. Like the R-Word for instance. We don’t use it. Ever. And telling a parent that you’re so glad not to be in their shoes. Go there and you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of a knuckle sandwich. This isn’t a lecture. Truly. Unless you’re living this life, how are you expected to know? So just in case you’re unaware, there is also this distinction… “Is your child Special Needs?” versus “Does your child have special needs?” There is a significant difference. It’s important to identify that our daughter has needs which require special attention since they pose safety risks. Also, by identifying her particular needs, we can focus on areas of her development which require special modifications. But is she Special Needs? No. She’s Avery. She is who she is. Her special needs obviously exist, but they don’t define her. My daughter loves her family and her friends, she adores animals, and she is friendly and affectionate. She doesn’t like soup, but she loves chili. She likes the colour pink and riding her scooter and climbing at the park. She’s an ordinary kid with an extraordinary set of DNA.

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Is This Too Much Bubble Wrap?

If you say you’re not at least partially panicked and freaked about your kids’ safety, then you’re a pants on fire liar. That, or you’re way more calm, cool and collected than I am. Can I please be you? If I could wrap my children in a protective layer of safety and security — like some kind of Teflon kiddie coating, but without the carcinogens, I’d totally do it. I’m at my happiest when my kids are wearing their helmets — not necessarily for biking, but just you know, around. Sebastian is clearly a big boy. He needs less and less protection from his smother, er mother. But this doesn’t mean I won’t stop reminding and nagging. Thankfully he’s a good sport about it. “Look at you mum. You’re growing as a person.” he’ll joke. And then I’ll make a remark about my big bum and we’ll laugh, oh how we’ll laugh (as I’m quietly sobbing and cursing the Frito Lay company in my head). I don’t think he feels suffocated and I really am trying to loosen the reins and trust that we’ve taught him well. But hot damn it’s hard. I partially blame having a serial child killer[…]

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