playdate

Review of Dadditude

Cross-posted from Reviews From The Dad Side.

You know, last month when I first decided to start accepting products for review, I wrestled with how to handle writing a review for something I hated. I did not want to lie, and so it plagued me (and still does). Today, I am faced with the opposite problem: how do I tell you about something I completely love without coming across as a shill.

Late last month, Phil Lerman contacted me via email and offered me a free copy of his book, Dadditude, for review. I was a little hesitant, because I am not the type to read parenting books (just ask my wife, who often tries to get me to read small sections of the numerous tomes she has, only to have me tell her to "give me the gist"), but in the end I accepted.

Strangled By Her Father

One of the big news items in the GTA this week is the death of Aqsa Parvez at the hands of her father, who has been charged with murder.  (Her older brother has also been charged with obstruction since he impeded the investigation.)  As the story developed, more details begain to surface.  Her friends said that she was abused, and that she tried to leave home because of the abuse and the strict Muslim upbringing her parents were employing.  According to various reports, the girl was strangled by her father because of a domestic dispute that originated with her refusal to honour the Qur'anic obligation of modesty (in this case, she refused to wear a hijab or head scarf), and to follow more western customs instead of those her family followed.

Problems In Ontario Family Courts

There is a shortage of family court judges in Ontario. With too few judges to hear cases, many hearing dates are pushed back either because there is no judge available to hear the case or the assigned judge is too busy. Unfortunately, just because the case goes unheard does not mean the lawyer costs disappear. This lack of judges is costing the people in family court thousands of dollars each time their case is adjourned, and in many cases, these are people who are not in a financial situation to be paying additional legal fees.

The Santa Claus Fund

According to a groundbreaking report from the United Way, more Toronto families are slipping into poverty this year while the rest of the GTA as well as the country are seeing economic improvements.  This holiday season, 45000 children will receive a gift box filled with warm clothing, a book, a toy, and some candy, courtesy of the Toronto Star Santa Claus Fund.  The Star has been running features since the middle of last month about the project and families it touches.  Some are stories of women fleeing abusive relationships (like the teenage mother of a four year old with autism and a two month old infant).  Some are stories of newcomers (like the family that came from war-torn Afghanistan).  But all are a brief view into the lives of people far less fortunate than any blogger, or blog reader.

Different Season, Same Stupidity

In August, I took the time to talk about leaving kids in cars in the summer heat. Fast forward to this weekend, where a bylaw enforcement officer in Ottawa is trying to be a nice guy (an anomaly itself) by looking inside a vehicle to check for a parking slip that may have fallen off the dash. Instead of seeing a slip of paper, he sees a small hand move. Minutes later, at around 11:20am, police arrive and remove two children, an infant and a toddler, from the freezing car.

Nuclear Family Not "Necessary"

The old cliche of "staying together for the sake of the kids" is being proven to have an effect opposite to the desired one.  Researchers have found that a nuclear family isn't necessarily what's best for children, despite the long-held belief that children in single parent homes fair poorly when compared to those living in traditional homes with a mother and father.  According to the research, financial standing and love yield more positive results.

An African-Centric School?

When I first heard the idea, I thought I had mistakenly gone back in time and to a different part of the continent. An African-centric school, where the students and staff would all (ideally) be black? Isn't this something another generation struggled against forty years ago? They had a word for it (segregation) and another word for the abolition of it (integration). Haven't we moved past this as a society? Didn't we make a clear enough statement in our last election on the subject of segregating schools (admittedly that was on religious instead of racial grounds, but segregation is segregation).

Apparently not.

Remember Them Too

Today, in many places across the country, life will be put on hold for a moment at 11am. The shoppers in malls will stop and fall silent, pedestrians will pause wherever they are, and churches will be filled with people bowing their heads, but not to God. It is the time we, as a country, pause to reflect upon the good fortune we have as Canadians living in a free and democratic society; courtesy of the men and women in the armed forces who have given their lives in war. Poems will be read, hymns will be sung. Tears will be shed, and bells will be rung.

And somewhere, a child will be missing a parent they hardly knew, but can never forget.

Toy Recall: Coating Metabolizes To GHB

Fewer than 50 days before Christmas, a retail toy market that has suffered through multiple recalls was dealt another blow when Toronto-based Spin Master Toys' hot new product Aqua Dots was recalled because they were coated with a chemical which, when ingested, metabolized to gamma hydroxy butyrate - or GHB - the date rape drug.  GHB can cause a variety of symptoms including drowsiness, coma, and even death.  According to the report, five children have been treated so far, with no fatalities, although there have been reports of non-responsive comas.

Immigration Policy Changes

A report released by the federal government provides some details about the different classifications of immigrants allowed into Canada, and the distributions of each grouping. The most interesting change is in the limits placed on the two largest groups: the so-called "economic class" (individuals with specific skill sets that are needed in the Canadian labour force) and the "family class" (individuals with a relative, such as a spouse, parent, or child, who has already immigrated). Despite the increasing demand for skilled workers caused by an aging population (due in no small part to the baby boomer generation), next year Canada will actually decrease its limit for the economic class, and increase its limit for the family class.