DeniseDavy

Emma's excellent adventure

Hi all,
This Wednesday morning before the crack of dawn, my daughter and I will begin what promises to be one very emotional journey.
We will be flying to China to visit Emma's homeland. The trip will include one week in Beijing, three days in Emma's orphanage town and finally, a four-day visit to Shanghai. In Beijing I've arranged for a visit through the city's hutongs in a rickshaw plus a night out at a Chinese acrobat show.
In Shanghai we hope to see the world's largest underground aquarium and the Pearl TV tower, one of the world's largest standing structures.
But the highlight of the trip for my daughter will inevitably be going back to her orphanage.
She was only nine months old when I adopted her so she has few memories of the building. But she holds it close to her heart and has longed to go back and see her nanny since August 2004 when we were in China adopting our second daughter, Katie.
Now that Emma is almost seven, I felt the time was right to go back. Katie is only three and a half and too young to travel such a distance (the flight alone is 14 hours!) so she'll be staying home with daddy. But we'll be connecting with her daily through phone calls and emails.
I hope you'll follow along on our trip to China and even join in on the conversation. Zai jian! (good bye)
Denise

Contacts for special families

Hi all,
One of the best parenting books to cross my desk this year was More Than a Mom by Amy Baskin and Heather Fawcett (published by Woodbine House Inc.)  Its subtitle, Living a Full and Balanced Life When Your Child has Special Needs, says it all.
After reading the book, I had a new appreciation of the challenges faced by moms of a child with a disability. The demands of parenting a child who does not have a disability are tough enough. Add to that the strains of transporting your child to doctors and therapists appointments, finding them the right teacher and making sure their physical and emotional needs are met. Even getting that initial diagnosis can be a major hurdle.
It all adds up to a ton of pressure. If you're a mom in that situation, I highly recommend Amy and Heather's book. It offers tips on how to stay healthy and whole in the face of such pressure. The following is a list of contacts for local support groups. I hope they help.
Denise

Contacts for support groups for families with children with disabilities or chronic illnesses.
- Hamilton Family Network; 905-526-7190 or hamiltonfamilynetwork@hwcn.org
- Affiliated Services for Children and Youth. 905-574-6876.
- Information Hamilton. 905-528-0104.
-Early Childhood Integration Support Services. 905-526-6806.
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FAS) Support Group. 905-578-9091

Those cwazy tweens

Hello all,

When I look at all the marketing campaigns that have been targeted to girls and women it seems no other group has been as hard hit as pre-teen girls. That's because these girls - 8 to 12 - are still young and innocent enough to be influenced by advertising campaigns and what they see in the media but old enough to have some spare change and/or have parents with spare change, who will buy this stuff.

There's been a whole outgrowth of stores, like LaSenza Girls, which sell adult fashions in mini sizes, from shrugs to designer jeans. All the fashionable clothing you see on adults are being made in sizes to fit the eight to 12 year old girls, and some of it isn't really appropriate.

My column this week (October 12) is on tweens and what parents can do to stay connected to them in this age when they're being pushed and pulled by marketing campaigns and influenced by sexed up pop stars. I talked to Vicki Courtney about her new book Between: A Girl's Guide to Life and she offered some interesting insights into what's on girls minds these days.

Do you have a tween in your house? How do you stay connected to them? I'd love to hear your opinions and your tips on this and any other parenting issue.

Yours in parent land,

Denise    

Interval House

Many of you have heard of Interval House, one of this city's five shelters for women. Some of you may even know friends who have gone there, once or twice. Or maybe unfortunate circumstances lead you there for a time.
For 20 years the shelter has been providing a safe haven for women and children for 20 years and next month they're marking that anniversary with a major fundraising event. The event will be held Friday, November 3rd the shelter at the Sheraton Hamilton Hotel and will include a talk by keynote speaker Denise Brown, older sister of Nicole Brown Simpson.
Tickets are $100 each or $750 a table for eight people.
It's a worthy event to attend. Folks at Interval House have to raise their own operating funds - $340,000 a year - so they can use your help. For more information on the event call 905-387-9959, ext. 245.
Denise