You're arguing with your partner about who forgot to sign the permission slip. Your voice is tight. Theirs is sharp. And your seven-year-old is standing in the doorway, pretending not to hear.
This scene plays out in thousands of Calgary homes.
Out of the blue, your ten-year-old is complaining of “stomach aches” every morning when it’s time for her to catch the bus. Maybe your youngest son has no appetite anymore and you’re begging him just to eat anything. Or, perhaps you have started noticing that they just don’t seem to be interested in the hobbies and activities they used to beg you to do. Sound familiar?
It is common for parents and caregivers to seek support from a mental health professional and get therapy when their child starts to act out. Challenges can sometimes arise when the child is young and is not listening to instructions, or can’t settle or make transitions; or, perhaps when the child is a teenager and engaged in risky behaviors, not going to school, or is anxious or depressed.
As February 2025 rolled around, I started seeing “remember when” kind of posts on Instagram. Normal, right? Everyone loves a #throwbackthursday. What shocked me, however, was the theme of the throwbacks – remember when we all learned to make sourdough? Remember when we thought we should wash all our groceries or set up home offices? The time we spent learning and unlearning feels both like just yesterday and like something from an alternate universe. Four whole years later, it can almost feel like “Did that actually happen?”
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