HaltonParents

What’s With Weed?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Halton Guest Blogger

I admit it. I have never tried cannabis (marijuana, weed). According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, I am in a slim majority. Forty-two percent of Ontarians over the age of 18 have used cannabis in their lifetimes. Almost half of Ontario’s grade 12 students (46%) say they have used cannabis in the past year.

“What’s the big deal?” I hear that some parents ask that question to principals when their child is suspended from school for cannabis.

What IS the big deal? My work in the last year has focused on answering that question. Continue reading →

Posted in Alcohol, Tobacco & Drugs, Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Teen, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Teen Brain, Teens | Tagged brain development, cannabis, development, drugs, effects, health, marijuana, Mental Health, parents, Physical Health, pot, school health, Services, substance use, Teen Brain, teens, weed | 5 Comments

Leaving Home for University or College… With a Disability

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Andrea Scott RN

Is your teen considering flying the coop to attend university or college? For many parents this creates a whole new list of worries and anxieties. Maybe a part of you is looking forward to your teen going away. But chances are you are worried about how they will manage without you as their safety net.

Some years ago I was one of those students moving out for university. My parents had considerable concern – not only was I a female moving to a city where I did not know a soul, I also have a significant disability. I have a severe hearing loss in my left ear and am deaf in my right ear. I wear a hearing aid during the day and am quite deaf by night. Before shipping out to university, my parents were my alarm clock, my advocate in school and my protectors. They worried about things like, “What if a fire starts in the middle of the night? How will you wake up?” and “What if your professors aren’t willing to accommodate you?” Continue reading →

Posted in Keeping Your Teen Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Teen, Teens, Teens With Special Needs | Tagged college, disability, moving out, residence, school, Services, special needs, teens, university, young adult | Leave a comment

Importance of Play

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Maureen Harris, RN

Some of the best memories I have with my kids are the times we played together. Whether it was going to the park, making mud pies, or doing a craft, those moments where I allowed myself to enter the magical world of play will always be special. Although I knew it was important for my kids to play, I didn’t realize at the time just how much it contributed to their overall development. Who knew that when my son was busy jumping in puddles and covered in mud, he was actually learning something? Children learn through play – it allows them to explore their world and bring meaning to it. Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Play, Growth & Development, Play, Growth & Development for Babies, Preparing for Kindergarten, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged active, benefits of play, child development, children, family, free play, grandparents, health, kids, Mental Health, parents, Physical Health, play | 6 Comments

The Unseen Risk: What every parent should know about heart disorders

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Halton Guest Blogger

Within a six-week period in 2006, two high school students in Halton Region lost their lives after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. In both cases, the cardiac arrest occurred during or shortly after the students engaged in physical activity.

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) is relatively rare in children but it does claim the lives of nearly 700 young Canadians each year. Most of these deaths occur in children that have an underlying heart rhythm disorder Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Teens | Tagged cardiac arrest, CPR, faint, fainting, heart attack, heart health, heart rhythm disorders, long QT syndrome, Physical Health, teen health, young athletes | Leave a comment

Suddenly…A Single Mom

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Halton Guest Blogger

I have been a single mom for 9 years now.

Nine years of paying for the roof over our heads, the food in the fridge and the gas in the car, alone.
Nine years of driving to gymnastics, dance camp, baseball games, swim classes and volleyball tournaments, alone.
Nine years of doing the errands, shopping, cooking, cleaning and laundry, alone.
Nine years of going to Christmas concerts and parent-teacher meetings, alone.
Nine years of holding her hair back when she was sick, checking her hair for lice and holding her trembling hand in the doctors office, alone.
Nine years of celebrating her report card, alone.

Nine years that I wouldn’t take back for the world…or change a thing.

Being a single-parent is the best thing that ever happened to me. Continue reading →