Here we go again

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Remember how my two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with amblyopia and got glasses this past Spring?  Remember how I made her a book to help her understand?

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I’m happy to report than her vision has improved from only 20/80 to nearly 20/30 in just three short months!  And her 3 hrs/day of eye-patching has been a non-issue too; from fishing to golfing to going for walks, if it happens first thing in the morning, she does it with an eye patch and she doesn’t complain.

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She’s a tough kid whose resiliency continues to surprise me.  Thank you for your messages of support, your questions of concern, and your genuine interest in her well-being.

But here we go again.  This time it’s my five-year-old son.  We were warned back in April that his vision showed some concerns and he may require glasses in the future.  So here we are.  But no patching for him, much to his chagrin.  “Please mom, can I wear a patch too?” he says.  Sorry buddy, the patches are just for your sister.  But the Ninja Turtles glasses?  They’re all yours.

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And you get your own book too.

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Teach your Sons to Cook

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*** This was originally written as a Guest Blog post for Momstown.ca. ***

My son is only five, so he’s limited in how much help he can be in the kitchen.  But he’s often there beside us, as myself or my husband cook.  He passes ingredients.  He stands on his stool and chops peppers and cucumbers with his plastic knife.  He sprinkles in spices and seasoning.  He stirs, he pours, he grates.  But mostly, he learns.

He learns to be self-sufficient.  He learns what foods are healthy.  He learns to help out.  He learns that cooking is not a woman’s job, but rather, a person’s job.

I could’ve titled this post “Teach your Daughters to Cook” or “Teach your Kids to Cook”, but that wouldn’t have had the same effect, would it?  Despite living in a society with self-professed gender equality, many of us still quantify household chores in terms of “a woman’s work” and “a man’s work”.  Teach your sons to cook.  And to do the laundry.  And to clean.  Teach your daughters to do the yard work.  To take out the garbage.  To fix things.  Maybe I should’ve called it “Teach your Children to be Capable Adults”.  Don’t pigeon-hole them because of their gender.

I saw a Facebook post recently, from a mother asking other mothers if they “allow” their sons to play with pink toys.  I couldn’t believe my eyes (you may remember my views on things such as this from my “Yes, I Paint my Son’s Fingernails” post).  And then I saw someone post this response:

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Perfect.  Teach your sons to cook.

Be a Father

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With Father’s Day approaching, I was going through my old blog posts to see what I had written about previously in regards to dads, daughters, and husbands.  There’s no re-dos here in blog land.

But this year, Father’s Day has shifted a bit for me.  You see, there’s a little boy in our lives who recently lost his dad to cancer.  And he’s all I can think about.  He’s five years old.  Five.  The same age as my son.  We’ve tried to help- we’ve made meals, we’ve taken him on day trips, we’ve hosted playdates.  We’ve wrestled with him, blown bubbles, went golfing, and watched a movie.  We’ve been inquisitive and interested and protective and loving.  But we’re not his dad, and his hurt is fresh.

So, this Father’s Day, I challenge you, men and women alike, to ‘be a father’.
Be kind.
Be present.
Be supportive.
Be a teacher.
Be brave.
Be helpful.
Be a listener.
Be fun.
Be loving.
Be loved.

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Happy Father’s Day.