HaltonParents

Did you know smoking is still being promoted to kids in Ontario?

Posted on May 29, 2015 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

When I was growing up, I didn’t know anything about big tobacco companies and I knew nothing about their strategies to get young people hooked on tobacco products. All I knew is that my parents smoked the red packs and that when we went out to restaurants and theatres we sat in the smoking sections. Yes, movies and restaurants had smoking sections! Can you believe it? It seems so strange today.

I’m very glad that there have been so many changes for the better: for one, my parents kicked the habit, which I know wasn’t very easy for them; secondly, I’m glad that people fought for changes that regulate how people buy cigarettes to where they can smoke. Today, smoking is forbidden in workplaces, restaurants, arenas and even on sports fields. Continue reading →

Posted in Alcohol, Tobacco & Drugs, Children & Tweens, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Teen Brain, Teens | Tagged action, advocate, how to talk, kids and smoking, Mental Health, Movies, oral health, parents, Physical Health, school health, Smoking, smoking cessation, smoking in movies | 1 Comment

Would you recognize a speech problem in your child?

Posted on May 28, 2015 by Karen Hay, RN

I remember when my little girl was a bit older than 3, a friend of mine told me how cute it was that my child was talking with a lisp. I paused, but kept my thoughts to myself. What was she talking about? I couldn’t hear any lisp – in fact, I could understand my daughter clearly. And with that, I dismissed this friendly ‘hint.’

Fast forward about 6 months and my child care provider also commented to me about my daughter’s lisp, asking us if I had considered getting her some help. Once again, I was dumbfounded. What lisp?! This was a kid who talked circles around me with an amazing vocabulary for her age! I still didn’t accept it. Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Children & Tweens with Special Needs, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Play, Growth & Development, Preparing for Kindergarten, Toddlers & Preschoolers, Toddlers & Preschoolers with Special Needs | Tagged child development, language, language development, lisp, school, special needs, speech, speech development, speech language professional, speech therapy | Leave a comment

The added value of subtracting a car from our life

Posted on May 25, 2015 by Halton Guest Blogger

Two years ago our little Civic sedan roared its engine for the last time. We decided not to replace it once we crunched the numbers. It costs about $10,000 to own and maintain a car per year and we could think of about 10,000 other things to do with that money.

At first the thought of losing the second car was a HUGE stressor, especially for my husband who would be car-less most often. We quickly learned to be more creative and found ourselves carpooling, taking the bus, riding our bikes, and walking. Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Teens, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged benefits of walking, bike, bike to school week, biking, exercise, family, family time, Mental Health, one car, Physical Health, school, surviving with one car, time together, walking | 5 Comments

Why Family Assets really matter: my mission trip to Honduras

Posted on May 20, 2015 by Carolyn Wilkie, RN

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel with my mother and her friends on a mission to Central America. Our mission was to provide service in a variety of capacities at El Hogar, a home for poor and abandoned children in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

The home’s mission statement reads: “Our mission is to transform and empower abandoned and hopelessly poor children in Honduras by providing a loving home and education. Our goal is for them to fulfill their ultimate potential as productive, caring and independent Honduran citizens.”

Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Teen, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Teens | Tagged developmental assets, family assets, family strengths, family values, mission trip, volunteering | Leave a comment

Kids and team sports: what are kids really learning?

Posted on May 19, 2015 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

I have fond memories of my childhood pickup baseball games at the local park, just a bunch of kids with a bat, a ball and a few gloves. We organized everything ourselves and spent the afternoon running around the bases in the sunshine. Many of us also played an organized sport, but it was usually only one and the time commitment was no more than a couple of days a week.

As for parents and organized sports, when I was a bit older I played an entire soccer season and don’t recall seeing my parents on the sidelines even once. It sounds sad, but I never really gave it much thought. In those days it wasn’t out of the ordinary to have just a few parents watching our game. And in my parents’ defense, they were always there for my winter activities. Continue reading →