From the Editor’s Desk
1. This supposed distraction infractionWe cheered on the Moncton teenager who took a stand against her school’s dress code last week. Lauren Wiggins, 17, was given a detention for wearing a full-length halter dress that bared her shoulders and upper back on the basis that the outfit was ‘a sexual distraction.’ When she complained to the vice-principal, she was given a one-day suspension. We’re as tired as Wiggins with a culture that puts the onus on girls to prevent boys from finding them sexy. Why not teach our boys about appropriate behaviour toward girls and women? It’s up to us as parents, and to schools as well, to encourage both genders to focus on the job all students are called upon to do at school—and that’s to learn.
2. Shoegate at Cannes
Speaking of the stuff we wear, our jaws dropped at the news that women were being turned away from the red carpet at The Cannes Film Festival for—wait for it—wearing flats. Yep, apparently a number of middle-aged women were turned away from the premier on Sunday of the Todd Hayne’s film Carol—incidentally a lesbian romance—for failing to meet the festival’s arcane dress code, which specifies that that women must wear heels. For reals. Too bad for you if you’ve been walking around the festival for days and have sprouted a crop of strappy-sandal blisters from the blistering Mediterranean heat. Or if high heels are just not your style. Too sexy. Not sexy enough. We can’t win.
3. Bully apologizes 20 years later
In a surprising twist on the usual stories about bullying and its tragic consequences, we loved this piece on our sister site, UrbanMoms.ca, about a man whose daughter inspired him to apologize to the person he bullied two decades before. His 10-year-old was working on a school project about bullying when she asked her dad if he’d ever bullied anyone when he was a kid. The question prompted the man to find his former victim through Facebook and send him a note of apology. It’s a touching story that’s really worth the read.
4. A great blog post on the power of saying sorry
And while we’re on the topic of apologies, we really loved this post by Savvy Storyteller Alex Durrell. Alex writes frankly about how her own approach to blogging has changed with some sober second thought about where honesty crosses over into hurtful and combative territory. And she shares about a desire many of us share—to raise kids that are kind.
5. A friend to remember
We’d like to conclude this week’s post with an important tribute to a friend who passed away suddenly on Monday night. Tracy Chappell, a highly respected member of the parenting media and mommy blogging world, was a senior editor at Today’s Parent. She was a beloved colleague and friend to many, known for her sunny disposition and sensitive approach to important stories. Our hearts go out to her family, especially her husband and two young daughters, Avery and Anna. Many who never even met Tracy felt they knew her through the blog she wrote for nine years, starting with her first pregnancy. Tracy wrote candidly about motherhood in a way that made you feel like you were talking to a trusted friend, and while she was a glass half full kind of person, she wasn’t afraid to share her parenting struggles, either. Today that blog is home to this wonderful tribute post. You can also follow the #shareyourhappy hashtag started by a friend of Tracy’s as a way of honouring this lovely woman’s positive outlook on life. So with Tracy in mind, please capture your happy moment and share it with the world as a small act of kindness to all those she’s left behind.
