Starting next Friday, secondary students in my board will be forced to be in a room with about 15 other students they might not know, many of whom will take off their masks for a 45 minute mid-morning snack deemed necessary to get them through to lunchtime dismissal. They’re not
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politics – Christy's Houseful of Chaos: Jinx! and Political Studies Goofiness
The following conversation is being shared with the permission of my children. My teenager jinxed the eleven-year-old. This rules of jinxing is that two people attempted to say the same thing at the same time, and the one doing the jinxing calls out that the other is jinxed. This means
Continue readingThings Are Good: Go Ahead and Make Your Kids Work
Raising kids is hard, raising them to be above-average productive members of society is even harder. Indeed, one of those hard things about raising kids is hearing endless advice on how to raise kids “right”; so don’t listen to everyone and their ideas. Instead, listen to the science and collective
Continue readingPolitical Potshots: The Mike Harris Sequel No One Wanted
“We will be there to support you one 1000%. What I can tell you one thing… I promise you… you won’t have to be protesting on the front of Queen’s Park like you did with the Premier here” Doug Ford Was Mike Harris really that good that we needed a
Continue readingPolitical Potshots: Guest Post By The Girl Who Waited: I Am Not Mad As Hell, I Am Just Tired Of Your Bullshit (Redux)
I am finished. I am done. I try to stay rational, but cannot stay quiet any longer. I know some will try to dismiss me as yet another angry leftist woman – and if so? None of what I write further will matter to you, so hit the back button
Continue readingPolitical Potshots: Who Is Andrew Scheer? Lesson #1
I was having a conversation with a good friend that I worked with in politics (names are hidden to protect the innocent) years ago, he is still fairly plugged in to the Ottawa bubble. He asked me an interesting question, “Who is Andrew Scheer?” I laughed at first thinking he
Continue readingThings Are Good: Kids Don’t Benefit from Helicopter Parenting
Being a parent must be hard since websites are constantly telling you what you’re doing wrong. If you’re letting your kid explore the world on their own terms than you’re doing things right! Take a breather parents, it turns out that relaxing and stepping back is best for your kid.
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: I ASKED, “WHAT DO OTHERS LIKE ABOUT YOU?”
I’m working on a writing project and looking through old notes. Today, I found this fascinating gem from 2011:Yesterday, I had the most interesting conversation with our son Nicholas. On our to-do list before leaving London are two three hour skype interviews with the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social
Continue readingThings Are Good: A Healthy Mind Comes from Autonomy and a Sense of Control
A new book authors William Stixrud and Ned Johnson describe a healthy way to raise children is to let me e themselves. In the book, The Self-Driven Child, they argue that children – and adults – benefit from a sense of control over their lives. Indeed, stress and anxiety increase
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Anxiety
I just finished John Green’s Turtles All the Way Down, which I read because he claimed it was his way of trying to put words around what it’s like to live with profound anxiety, and then I saw this article asking “Why are more American teens than ever suffering from
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: 7 Reminders for White Parents Talking to Their Kids About Police Killing Black People
When White parents talk to their children about police killings of Black people, they create future White co-conspirators/allies for primary forces working against racism, the prison industrial complex and other injustices, such as Black Lives Matter. The post 7 Reminders for White Parents Talking to Their Kids About Police Killing
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: LISTEN: Our Family Experience With Disability Told to a Med Journal
This is a podcast and article I did for The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ). The piece is a shorter version of an address I gave at the American Academy of CP and Developmental Medicine Conference in 2016. What do doctors need to know about the lived experience of parenting
Continue readingTHE CAREGIVERS' LIVING ROOM A Blog by Donna Thomson: Meltdowns in Kids with Disabilities: Coping Tips for Parents
By guest blogger Kristen Heller Whether you have a child who has Down’s syndrome, Asperger’s syndrome, or a child who is somewhere on the autism spectrum, there’s a good chance you’ve dealt with a meltdown at some point as a parent. As a single mom (I’m a widow) caring for
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Rising Anxiety Rates
A couple weeks ago, CBC ran an article about a high-school guidance counsellor, Boyd Perry, concerned with the increase in anxiety in students, and I’ve been dwelling on it ever since. This is crazy long as I’m just figuring all the angles here. Perry thinks we need to assess anxiety
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Rising Anxiety Rates
A couple weeks ago, CBC ran an article about a high-school guidance counsellor, Boyd Perry, concerned with the increase in anxiety in students, and I’ve been dwelling on it ever since. This is crazy long as I’m just figuring all the angles here. Perry thinks we need to assess anxiety
Continue readingThe Canadian Progressive: Orlando shooting: Is there a link between being in the closet and being homophobic?
This research-based piece discusses the possibility that Orlando shooter Omar Mateen was motivated by a struggle with his own homosexuality, Islam and parental pressure.
The post Orlando shooting: Is there a link between being in the closet and being …
cmkl: My child has a race face
My child has a race face.
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Student Stress
I’ve been teaching long enough to have watched a generation of students file passed me. It’s fascinating from a social science standpoint because I can watch trends evolving before my eyes. And, being a bit of a hoarder, I’ve kept everything I’ve used…
Continue readingcmkl: Winning form
Mallory won her age division this afternoon at the Coupe Skinouk today. Of course I love my child no matter what and am pleased with any result so long as she tries her best. But… ah I’m totally giddy. Congratulations my darling. Irene and …
Continue readingcmkl: My girl learns code
Few things in life give me more joy than walking down the street, hand in hand with my daughter. One of them, which I experienced for the first time today, is walking down the street, hand in hand with my daughter, talking about building websites. At Irene’s suggestion, I checked
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