Modesty—A Milestone
She didn’t always dance or sing. Until now. She dances and sings with joy. And very recently, with some self-awareness driven modesty.
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I Lied To My Child About Back To School For A Good Reason
Today may have been a mistake. Maybe it wasn’t? But it certainly felt wrong at the time. But maybe it ended up okay after all?? I’m second guessing the crap out of my parenting choices these days. We’re keeping our youngest home from school this fall. We were rock solid in our decision. But now I’m not as sure. Our daughter should be entering her first year of high school in a Community Pathways Program (aka Spec Ed/Lifeskills) this year. We’re keeping her home for obvious reasons—health risks, what about masks, social distancing is difficult for her, I’m home anyway, blah blah etc. This cohort of grade nines who will be Avery’s classmates for the next seven years seem friendly and funny and full of spunk and personality. These kids are destined to become Avery’s “people” and it breaks my heart that we’re keeping her from them. Of course, that’s my heart speaking. My brain knows her place is safe at home. And when the time is right, she’ll go to school and it’ll be perfect. A few weeks back Avery was invited to attend a virtual tour of her new high school. We declined. I mean, why rub salt in[…]
Read MoreWhy We’ve Chosen At Home Learning This Year—Our Interview With CBC
📷 Spencer Gallichan-Lowe/CBC Avery was on the 6 o’clock news last week. The title of the CBC news segment was, “Why some parents of kids with special needs are making the ‘heart-breaking’ choice of at-home learning.” You can read the full story on the CBC website HERE and the video segment that aired is below. When the reporter called to talk to me about our decision to opt out of in person learning, I had a lot to say. When she asked if I’d appear on camera to elaborate, I agreed (even though I was in “active wear” and hadn’t washed my hair in um, awhile). The news van would be at our house in an hour so I scrambled to shower and find something to wear. As an aside, the camera really does add 20+ pounds, so high waisted pants that tie at the midriff, paired with a tight tank that belongs to your daughter is not the most flattering wardrobe choice. But I digress… As I got dressed, I braced myself for a difficult discussion. We had given ourselves a deadline of September 1st to tell our daughter she wouldn’t be attending school in person. I dreaded breaking this news to[…]
Read MorePandemic Parenting: Back to School or Not?
Last August we were deciding what school backpack to buy and whether or not to sign up for the school lunch program. This year we’re deciding whether or not to send our children back to school in the midst of a contagious virus. It feels surreal (word of the year right there). This isn’t a choice anybody imagined having to make. Though everyone is saying, “Whatever your decision, we support you, no judgment,” that’s not entirely true. People are judging. Though it’s not really about other people’s choices, but about justifying and feeling secure about our own. But here’s the thing. PANDEMIC. There is no security, and the uncertainty brings out the worst in some people. Imagine a single working mom who has no option for childcare and who would absolutely keep her kids home if she could. Then imagine she scrolls through her Facebook feed and sees the following comment: “If you’re sending your kids back to school, you better update your will.” What an awful thing to say. It’s dramatic and mean. An insensitive and ignorant comment like this compounds the guilt and distress she is already feeling. If you were sitting down with this mom over coffee masked[…]
Read MoreCan’t Wear A Mask? Stay Home Or Wear A Face Shield
Thanks Carol! xoxo
This “mask wearers versus non-mask wearers” situation is divisive. Like, aggressively divisive. I don’t consider myself to be the least bit aggressive, but even me, a kitten by all accounts, has her claws out. This pent up frustration is why I “went low” at the grocery store last week. I’m not beating myself up about it mind you. This issue has potential life or death implications. But not everyone sees it that way. Full disclosure—I DO see it that way. As the parent of a medically vulnerable child, I’m not screwing around. People who choose not to wear a mask or face shield in public piss me right off. So yes, I acted in an uncharacteristically immature and passive aggressive manner. But seriously. Seriously. The story… I was grocery shopping at Farm Boy, a local grocery store I frequent because it’s small, and their health and safety protocol makes me feel secure. Also, the staff all wear masks, unlike the unionized grocery stores. As well, I’ve found most of their patrons tend to mask up which makes me feel safer. So when I shopped there last week, I was disappointed to see so many people shopping bare faced. I hid my annoyance,[…]
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