Family Matters

For 10 weeks, Canadian children have been closer to home than ever before — but as provinces relaunch their economies, families are expanding their bubbles. So how can we help ease the transition for our children and what can we expect in response? Registered Psychologist and author Vanessa Lapointe joins us with her predictions and even offers up a script for parents to use when taking their children to that first public outing. You can find out more about Vanessa by clicking here. Parenting expert Alyson Schafer also weighs in suggesting children are building resilience during this pandemic. And later we check in with Regina middle school teacher Aaron Warner to find out he’s preparing for a return to the classroom. You can follow Warner on twitter by clicking here.

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The majority of Canadian students are learning online, yet how they are being assessed differs dramatically across Canada. Annie Kidder from People for Education has compiled the provincial policies from coast to coast. She shares the results and offers up her opinion on whether we should be grading during the pandemic.

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Can we get a dog? It’s a question more Canadian families are saying yes to, partly because of the pandemic. We suddenly have the time and energy to welcome a new puppy. Alberta’s Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS) has seen its monthly fostering inquiries increase tenfold. Terra MacLean is the training coordinator for SCARS and joins us to talk about the demand and why you may want to paws and reflect first. You can find out more about SCARS by clicking here. And we get some training tips from Moira Wegner. She’s the founder and trainer behind Cronies Canine Coaching.  

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While COVID-19 is postponing events across the globe, there’s one ceremony Jeremy Allen doesn’t think should wait. A funeral. The grief educator and funeral director is encouraging Canadians to start the grief process even if it means saying goodbye in a different way. He joins us to explain his stance and also has some advice for helping your children grieve during this pandemic. You can find out more about Jeremy by visiting his website DeathEd.ca. And later in the show, we find out what the return to school looks like in China. After 100 days out of the classroom the students are back, but a lot has changed. Melissa Guzzo is a teacher and assistant principal at the Canadian International School of Guangzhou in the Panyu District and joins us to talk about the transition.

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If you were a clean freak before this pandemic, there’s a good chance you’re even more so now. A lot of families wonder how much they actually need to clean to protect themselves from COVID-19. We talk to the University of Alberta’s pathogen-fighting power couple, David Evans and Mary Hitt, for tips on how they tackle and disinfect their own home. And in the era of #quaranCLEAN we talk to the founder and director of Go Clean Co, Sarah McAllister. The Calgary cleaning company has tripled its Instagram followers since the start of the pandemic. They share videos on cleaning and some of their most-used hacks. You can find out more about Go Clean Co by clicking here.

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Hundreds of thousands of Canadians are sacrificing their health to serve on the frontlines of this pandemic. Many of them are living apart from their own families to avoid potentially spreading COVID-19. We share one family’s story. Plus we talk to psychologist and author Jody Carrington about the short term and long term implications for families on the frontlines. You can connect with Jody through her website drjodycarrington.com. And shifting gears to the growing season, we take a look at the benefits of gardening during a pandemic. Cheney Creamer is the chair of the Canadian Horticultural Therapy Association and offers her advice for both green and black thumbs.

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One month into school closures, families are leaning on screen time for everything from schoolwork to playtime or hangouts. In the first couple weeks of the pandemic, parenting experts’ message to parents was to ease off on screen time limits. With no return to normalcy in sight, should parents continue that approach? On this episode of Family Matters, we explore screen time with Dr. Michael Rich, the “mediatrician” and the director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Boston Children’s Hospital. He explains why screen time limits are obsolete and gives parents practical advice to ensure their children get everything they need to grow up healthy, strong and kind. Dr. Rich also explains how parents can introduce their children to social media so they can stay connected to friends during physical distancing rules. You can find out more about Dr. Rich by clicking here.

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No playdate, no problem. Kids are coping with a great deal of change in a short period of time, but child and adolescent development counsellor Deborah MacNamara says there's a simple solution to the upheaval… encourage play and lots of it. More play doesn’t mean you have to become a full-time playmate. Family therapist David Loyst joins us to pitch what he calls “collect before we neglect” promising to free up more time to get back your job. You can connect with David by clicking here.

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For a lot of Canadian teens, the prospect of skipping school to wear PJs, watch movies and FaceTime friends sounded like a vacation. But now in the third week of school closures and social distancing, the COVID-19 honeymoon is over. How can we help teens establish a new normal with no return to routine in sight? Calgary psychologist and mother of a teenage daughter,  Caroline Buzanko weighs-in. You can find out more about Buzanko by clicking here. We also throw the question “what to say when your teen asks to see their boyfriend/girlfriend” at Jody Carrington who believes teens just want to be heard.  And teen blogger Hannah Alper offers up advice for both her peers their parents about adjusting to physical distancing by embracing social connecting. Hannah recently wrote a blog on the subject. You can read it by visiting her website.

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Custody and coronavirus: who gets the kids? You likely didn't plan for a pandemic when coming up with a custody agreement. We turn to the experts to find out your legal rights and how to navigate co-parenting in the COVID-19 crisis. Karen Stewart from Fairway Divorce offers up some tips on dealing with a difficult ex. You can find out more about Karen by clicking here. And registered psychologist Vanessa Lapointe joins us for what turned out to be a mini co-parenting counselling session. You can find out more about Vanessa by clicking here.

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