Can children be existentialists? What I’m asking isn’t so much whether or not it’s possible, but should we allow it? If I dare to claim to define some central ideas here, the part about living authentically and embracing the freedom that comes with taking responsibility for all our choices with
Continue readingTag: Parenting
cmkl: Waterskiing
A happy reminder that my daughter is not me.
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Guilt and Responsibility
I grew up in a family with a strong work ethic. You couldn’t read the comics until you finished the world news first. Sitting to do anything other than read something educational or literary wasn’t acceptable. We were made to feel guilty for every minute we wasted. Since childhood, I’ve
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: On Thigh Gap
My daughter is worried about it. She just turned 11. She’s been sick from the heat a couple times because she wears jeans everywhere. It’s a problem. I told a friend my concerns, and he advised me to ban the internet. But all she looks at on there is Heartland
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Upset Them at Your Peril
Professor Edward Schlosser wrote an interesting piece in Vox about, in part, the power his students have to call the shots these days. I can attest that it’s at best, defeating, and at worst, absolutely terrifying. First of all, to clarify, my students are typically a delight, but the current
Continue readingcmkl: Handed in our notice at the day care
For the last eight years every working day our daughter Mallory has been in the care and tutelage of the teachers at Glebe Parents Day Care. I still remember those days in July 2007 when I took Mallory to the toddler room at the main centre for her integration week.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: All About Love: bell hooks.
Just started reading Hooks’ treatise on Love. Only twenty two pages but already word-gold is present: One of the most important social myths we must debunk if we are to become a more loving culture is the one that teaches parents that abuse and neglect can coexist with love.
Continue readingcmkl: First solo walk to school
This actually happened Monday, but things were too squirrelly to note it then. However I cannot let this even go unmarked. Lately she’s been walking to school with her next door neighbour and friend C. Which has been great – school is not far, there’s a crossing guard and C.
Continue readingcmkl: Nine
Almost a decade. I take a lot of photos of Mallory. And each in each one I see a child who is so grown up. It’s always been like that. One year old Mallory looked “so grown up” – no more infant eyes. All alert and vocalizing. Newly walking. Four
Continue readingcmkl: Rite of passage
I got a pound of Bridgehead coffee for Christmas. From Mallory. She slid her debit card into the reader, punched in her PIN and did it, I’m told. I knew she was up for it because the day before, she and I had gone out to the Lindt store to
Continue readingChristy's Houseful of Chaos » politics: How does one homeschool, with all the intensity that involves, and be a compassionate, informed person at the same time?
Sometimes it is really hard to keep balance. How does one balance parenting with everything else? I don’t want to undervalue my husband’s contribution to our family life – his is amazing – but I suspect I’m the support pole the children lean on and there are times when the
Continue readingProgressive Proselytizing: Peter MacKay’s wife doesn’t help his – or our – cause
The latest flap over sexist comments from Justice Minister Peter Mackay came about when a Mother’s and Father’s Day emails from Peter Mackay to his staff were leaked to the media. The comparison isn’t pretty: put side to side it makes it seems like mothers should be applauded for doing
Continue readingcmkl: Growing by leaps and bounds
I daily marvel at my daughter. I expect I’m like most parents. But I often get caught in the mental rut of baby parenting, despite the fact that Mallory’s eight. The baby parenting rut assumes the child is totally incapable of almost everything. But every now and again Mallory does
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: What’s a Mother to Do?
It’s always harder to have something taken away than to never have it in the first place. But still… A local high school is removing a few dozen students from the school bus route because the board realized the kids are within official walking distance to the school – 3.2
Continue readingChristy's Houseful of Chaos » politics: Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is one of those weird non-holiday holidays. There’s issues with the ethics of cut flowers and a need to buy ethical fair-trade organic chocolate. There are those who complain about it making single people feel bad and others who say its all just a marketing scam. Yet this
Continue readingcmkl: Balance beam
Balance beam. As the family photographer it fell to me to attend Mallory’s last gymnastics class. She had an ear to ear grin on during the entire class. Except when she was really focussed. Of all the activities we put her through this is clearly her favourite.
Continue reading350 or bust: For Our Children: Stand Up, Speak Out
It`s TED Talk Tuesday on 350orbust. Marianne Williamson, an internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher and New York Times bestselling author, spoke at TEDx Traverse City earlier this year. I love that she`s running for Congress in 2014; she could be a game-changer. *
Continue readingcmkl: On the occasion of the website re-launch
So today marked the finale of a two year campaign to re-design, re-engineer and re-everything the flagship website where I work. And after the most excruciating day of bickering about DNS changes, being incredulous about block translation bugs, and general angst, this was waiting for me at home. My heart
Continue readingA Puff of Absurdity: Paternity Rights in Rape Cases
It’s an interesting moral dilemma to have a judge decide a child has access to a father when the only contact the mother and father had was a sexual assault producing this child. This isn’t entirely the story here. In this article, it could be a case of statutory rape.
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On factory families
Sure, some are responding to the Fraser Institute’s “study” on the costs of child-rearing with mockery and/or outrage. But in fairness, let’s acknowledge that the study’s validity simply depends on the accuracy of its assumptions, which may well vary from parent to parent. And given Christopher Sarlo’s reliance on children
Continue reading