A word of warning to all the new parents on here... Beware of the "last time."
My son starts kindergarten in the morning. Yes, it's a big deal. But I've been preparing for it. So the reality hasn't been hitting me that hard. No allergies.
But then today, I realized something...
"We have to leave tomorrow at 7:15am," my wife said tonight.
"Wait... what?! 730-830am is 'boy time.' Are you telling me boy time is over?"
I stood there at the kitchen island, absolutely devastated.
Since they were very little, "boy time" is the hour I carve out every morning to spend time with my two sons before I go to work for the day. It's a magical time. We play, we talk, we work. It's the greatest.
This entire time, all the years I've been preparing for my son's first day of kindergarten, I failed entirely to realize what I was going to be losing... instantly.
Ask the parents that came before you and they will tell you: One day, it will the "last time" and you won't even realize it.
The last time they ask to hold your hand. The last time they ask you to pick them up. The last time for "boy time."
So tonight, when my son asked me to "snuggle" with him in his bed at bedtime, instead of saying "no" like I do 90% of the time, I said yes. And I laid there with my son. I hugged him extra tight –– because who knows when the last time he asks me to snuggle with him will be.
Our own provincial government is sacrificing our greenbelt by changing the rules so that a few of his developer friends can make billions of dollars. Let that sink in... This has nothing to do with a shortage of affordable housing and we all knew it.
“Well, today didn't go as we hoped but it's in the hardest of times we learn the best lessons and feel the most gratitude.
Buffy was scheduled to have her teeth cleaned and removed today but Dr. Mac had a gut feeling she needed to look at some lab work before putting her under anesthesia.
She was right:
Buffy showed signs of advanced kidney failure so anesthesia was not an option and as a family we decided that the kindest and most loving thing to do would be to let her go before she lost her will to live and stopped eating and drinking.
I wouldn't have dreamed of leaving Robbie out of this decision or not allowing him to be part of the entire process so I immediately went and picked him up from school. On the way there he told me he wanted to be the one to hold her when she went to heaven. And of course, I gave him that honor.
On the way home I told him how proud I was of him for understanding the importance of caring for old animals and helping to make sure they never ever suffer.
This is what he said...👇
(And for those of you who don't know, Robbie was adopted from the foster care system after years of severe abuse and neglect.)
"I know how it feels not to be loved or cared for and I don't want any animal of mine to ever feel that way. It's only sad for us when they go to heaven. It's a happy day for them. Thank you for being proud of me. Are you ok, Mom?"
From the mouths of babes.
(As our story is being shared more and more I feel like I need to add a little more context and also give you a deeper glimpse into the heart of my son. We adopt senior dogs. Robbie LOVES adopting senior dogs. He is sadly aware the longer a child remains in foster care the less likely they are to be adopted. He told me once "if all you guys had wanted was a baby, you would have never gotten me."
He relates to our "old people" (that's what we call our senior dogs) in much the same way.
He has also reminded me on several occasions that it doesn't matter how long you have something for how much you love it. I asked him what he meant and he said “well you've only known me for two years but you love me like it's been forever.” Yes, my son is the coolest.)”
Credit: Maria Henry Gay
It’s shocking to me that we’ve got MPPs in power here in Ontario that think they deserve the $16,000 raise they gave themselves earlier this year but don’t think CUPE education workers deserve a raise of just $3.25 per hour so they can afford to put food on the table.
We are excited to announce that we are finally re opening on Wednesday
We missed you all so much 💙
We would like to invite Blue Jacket guy, Balcony Man, Pot & Ladle man, 3 grannies and of course Zexi Li to dinner on us any time.
If you know them please pass this along ⚜️
Unreal! In advance of convoy protests this weekend, health workers in Toronto are being asked not to wear clothes that may identify them as health workers.
They used to clap & bang pots for us. How'd we get to a place where health workers must hide in public just to be safe? 💔
Protesters at Confederation park, right across from City Hall and beside the NAC and Rideaul Canal, appear to be building some type of wooden structure. They've also collected a stockpile of propane tanks and diesel fuel. @CTVNews