Editor Tracey Tong and her daughter, Ellie. PHOTO COURTESY TRACEY TONG
If you’ve been reading Parenting Times for a while, you’ll know that our fall edition celebrating the magazine’s anniversary (we’re officially a tween!) is our recap issue, where we take a look back at some of the most popular stories since we began publishing.
Coming up with a theme for this year was challenging. Last year’s theme, the parent survival kit, was well-received, but for our second autumn issue produced under pandemic circumstances, we needed something more. Then it hit us: physical distancing restrictions or not, time doesn’t care. Life finds a way to keep on ticking, and our children will keep growing and changing. Babies born at the beginning of the pandemic are now walking and talking (!) and some kids, whose families have chosen to go the virtual route for school, have never set foot in a real classroom. Life with kids moves at a rapid pace, and through this edition of the magazine you hold in your hands, we hope to provide parents and other caregivers with tools to navigate and manage that aspect of their lives. With that, we are proud to present you with our “Best of Ages and Stages” issue.
We dug deep in the archives to find the most relevant and timeless stories relating to prenatal, baby, toddler, kids, and teens, and put them in the order that many children reach each milestone, so that you can easily find the stories that pertain to your little — or not so little — ones.
This pandemic has been hard for parents, but even harder for kids. As difficult as it must be for the littlest littles (like my younger daughter, a newly-minted three-year-old who doesn’t remember a world where people didn’t wear masks), it must be even stranger for the children who do remember a time before pandemic. My seven-year-old, for example, understands that “some people are still sick” but is patiently waiting for the day when we can resume having regular outings to her favourite places. It’s sad, but we remind her that we are all in it together, and that even with a mask, people can tell if you’re smiling.
In times when it may feel like we are spinning our wheels, and longing for the normalcy of the past — doesn’t it seem like forever since we’ve enjoyed a carefree face-to-face coffee date with a friend, travelled, or munched popcorn in a packed movie theatre? — it’s important to keep moving forward. Open a window (or better yet, venture outside), and enjoy your children — whatever age or stage they may be in.
Best wishes,
Tracey