The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

© IB OPINION Waterloo Chronicle | Thursday, April 27, 2023 | ry GRAHAM HOOKEY Column If most parents are hon- est, they will admit they have insecurities about be- there are plenty of eyes watching, and judging, how we respond to our chil- dren's actions at family events, public places and our own homes. parenting. We've lost our ve when we should have; we've made a bad decision and then stuck to it just because we feared walking it back would be some kind of sign of weakness; we've embar- rassed or humiliated our children in public; we've forgotten something we should have remembered, including picking them up soe make Totlenal and opal, sive parenting mistakes. The best we can do is own them and learn from them. It's not mistakes that make you a bad parent; it's more a pattern of repeating ina moment of bad parent- ing, and may draw all kinds of conclusions or offer all kinds of unsolicited advice, but we do not, or at least should not, parent for the approval of others. We par- ent for the health and safe- ty of our own children, and to do so we must take the time to do two things on a pretty regular basis. First, we must take the time to sit, both on our own and with our spouse at a time when things are calm, and reflect on our parent- ing practices. It's roa to impossible, and perhaps even inflammatory, to do this in the middle of an emotional meltdown, al- ugh one parent stepping in to protect a child from emati tional or physic n the table. flective and honest, we will ll reco; moments when we've done some bad. and over. Our relatives, friends or neighbours might catch us Bat when the dust has set- tled after an incident that makes one or both parents -ONE INSTANCE OF BAD PARENTING DOES NOT MAKE Nou A BAD PARENT feel uncomfortable, there should be time spent to, must do is to truly pay at- tention TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA that have become persis- tent and problematicrarely ieads to a good outcome. Being a good parent re- it. thiest they are surrounded by ne ing individuals and cone tent routines. Such ie ip them andl th the occasional bump in the road of imperfect parenting or some of life's inevitable challenges. But when they are neglect- states of our children. Do they seem pappy most | of the time? Do they se comfortable and trusting around us most of the time? with the family most of the time or we given attention to express what- ever issues might be going fo) ‘ir lives, at home, at ool, in their friend- ships? ‘are there changes in their behaviour patterns that would indicate some- thing is going on and, if so, do we have a strategy to ad- dress the situation? Ye: some things pass and some things are a phase, but nev- er addressing concerns ful or abusive individuals, and they live ina world of of unpredictability, they more prone to anxiety and feelings of) of Jow self esteem. ake mis- takes ie ie parenting path, but we should all en- sure that such mistakes do not become patterns and, if we sense they are doing so, so, then, for the sake of o1 Tis ino published ursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants ri al ia Council Suite rey to Yonge St., ronto, Phone: A16- 3A! 981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca nne | Aocna “Saat | Canada editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook. .com/waterloochronicle @wichronicl WHO WE ARE Publisher and e should not hesitate to seck help in Ciel Pee cutive Officer ringing about change in | Vice President, Content, ourselves. Community and Operations Dana Robbins Graham Hookey is the Director of Content author of "Parenting Is A Lee Ann Waterman Team Sport" and can be Regional General Manager reached at Nelson Parreira hoo.com. LACE UP T0 SUPPORT MENTAL HELEN FISHBURN Column The snow has melted plenty of time to get outside. Ontario is coming out of its darkest winter in more than 80 years. It's no sur- prise we're now all ready to get out and enjoy some sun! 8 The great outdoors offers so to § something as simple as a walk around your neigh- bourhood can help boost Ed your mood and improve your mental health. We've partnered with Up and Running Guelph, which offers supportive walking and running pro- grams for women looking to manage their mental health and help combat feelings of stress and isolation. Many of us are still dealing with feelings of anxiety from the COVID-19 pandemic and may be struggling to feel comfortable re-entering the world. The team at Up and Run- ning Guelph builds {heir movement in the outdoors. This is also the perfect time to lace up your run- ners and prepare for the Shoppers Drug Mart Run for women. coming up on The annual event celebrates eople from all ming to- eeeer t to en the men- tal health of the women in their lives. All the money raised vices at CMHA WW. This is always a one event, three pillars: exercise, vahareanel social connection. As we all leave our collective winter ibernation and head o1 into the world again, ‘nove are many opportunities and organizations that can help you get back to enjoying ople to get active and enjoy the spring weather. We hope you can join us this year and help us provide n more mental health support to people who need it. This month, National Volunteer Week was cele- HEALTH brated from April 16 to 22. It's no secret that people have struggled to find con- nection throughout the pandemic and beyond. Vol- unteering with a local orga- nization can help boost your mental health, en- couraging you to stay in contact with people and groups and adding purpose and structure to your Spring offers iy volunteer opportuni- ties. vncluding cleaning up communities after a long winter or helping out with events, including the Run for Women. CMHA Waterloo Wel- lington works daily to pro- mote mental health, recov. ery and resilient in the community. But we e can't do it alone. You can support CMHA WW by registering for the 2023 Run for Women or making a donation at www.cmhaww.ca/donate. Your gift will help CMHA 'W helps People experi: encing mental sues, including Rae? fami. lies and caregivers, to ac- cess information and sup- port as soon as they need it. You can al 24-h Jan Bodanka, Matt Miller, Lisa Humphreys, Cassandra Dellow Managing Editor Robyn Wilkinson ‘Online Editor Loraine Centeno led Bekavac Reporter Bill Jackson Director Creative Services Paul Gostlin CONTACT Us support through Here 24/7 Crisis Support at 1-844-437- 3247. It has been a long, dark winter, but blue skies are on. the horizon. We have a won- derful summer ahead of us to enjoy the sunshine and connect with nature. Helen Fishburn is the CEO of the Canadian Men- tal Health Association Waterloo Wellington. Helen is a lifelong advocate for increased awareness of mental health issues and has dedicated her career to advancing the design of an improved mental health care system. 219 Labrador Dr. Suite 203, Waterloo, On., N2K 4M8 jone: 51: 2831 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to er condense or reject let ed letters will appear in print and/or online at waterloochronicle.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000. Accrédité Accredited.