Why I'm Not Organic, Even Though I Am...

Organic.

I cringe every time I hear this word. It's everywhere. It's the latest buzz in healthy and responsible food consumption. I, personally, don't go out of my way to look for anything specifically labelled "organic". Not only are organic items often are more expensive, but mostly because I find the word so overused, it has lost any valuable meaning.

This past spring, while looking for the best mixture of soil to add to my garden, I found an assortment of bags all labelled:

"Organic Dirt".

I certainly hope so. I wasn't thinking it was recycled plastic or shredded truck tires. Of course it's organic. It's DIRT! What else would it be?

When I was pregnant, I craved iron-rich foods. Growing two babies and supplying my own body with it's needs requires a #@&$%-ton of iron. I would have been quite happy to occupy a field of spinach with a cow spinning on a rotisserie within arm's reach. But, as I live in the city, I bought my beef and spinach supply in bulk at the supermarket. One day, I found organic labelled spinach packaged in a gigantic container and thought, "Lunch!" I didn't realize that despite a vigorous washing, the extra included nuggets of protein remained. (Yes, I'm talking about bugs.)

There's nothing appetizing about lifting a fork of salad-dressing covered spinach to my mouth and seeing (thankfully before it was inserted) a green, lady-bug type insect crawling on my fork. The goal here, people, is to get the food in. Reversing the process by grossing me out is just plain counterproductive.

Organic is defined as living, carbon-containing compounds that are capable of decay. All plants and the fruit they produce fit this description, as do humans and animals. Trees, birds, and the weed infested grass that is my lawn. All organic. All of it.

But organic has a whole new meaning when it's used as a tool to market food. Organic food is produced without synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers; it cannot be genetically modified; it cannot be processed using irradiation, industrial solvents or food additives. In fact, this was the way farming was done pretty much everywhere until the 1940's.

I still can't justify spending more money for a label when I can take the less expensive produce home and, with the exception of a few fruits and vegetables, simply wash the pesticides off. It also means I don't have to scan every bite for something squirmy and unwelcome. As much as I would like to say, "Good idea," I'm still having a hard time embracing the whole organic thing.

One of the kids I watch has Organic Parents. I have been instructed not to feed Organic Girl any dairy products of an unorganic nature because Organic Parents don't want Organic Girl exposed to hormones. I have no objections to this, what I see as a reasonable request.

But Organic Girl likes milk. Milk is good for Organic Girl, building strong teeth and bones plus supplying vitamin D, something us northern folk don't get nearly enough of. I don't have to pay inflated organic milk prices because I can give Organic Girl my unorganic milk with a clear conscience...

...because I can read.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has very strict standards that requires all milk to be tested at several points between the dairy farm and the store shelf. Hormones and antibiotics are not found in ANY type of milk available for sale in Canada because the use of hormones, particularly Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone, is illegal in Canada. If a cow is ill and requires antibiotics, the animal is separated from the herd and any milk that animal produces is discarded.

The only difference: Cows that produce milk for the organic market may not be given antibiotics at all. Regardless if your milk says 'organic' on the package or not, you cannot buy milk containing antibiotics or hormones in Canada.

So why promote milk as organic in the first place? So the supplier can make the consumer feel good about being gouged twice the price for the exact same thing.

Which is actually very unorganic.

My personal experiences with organic anything has done nothing to prove it is a better choice for me or my family. I doubt I will ever become a proponent of the organic food movement, especially after I saw this little laughter nugget in the kids' Hallowe'en treat bag.

Imagine! Potato chips made from ...(gasp!)... potatoes! I shudder, wondering what else is wriggling around inside that package. It won't go to waste. At least I can spoil Organic Girl with a treat and have the approval of the Organic Parents.

The rest of us are rummaging through the treat bag for the unorganic Doritos.

Death of a Pumpkin

After a field trip to a local farm, the kids returned home from school, each with a pie pumpkin and a gourd. Ty fell in love with his gourd. He turned it into his pet pumpkin. He made a bed out of a small plastic bucket for his little friend and put it on a shelf by his bed. Every night he hugged it and bid it goodnight.

He named his gourd, Pumpkiny.

He begged me to let him take it to school, and when I refused, Ty was content to set Pumpkiny down on the hallway table to await his return. It was a very well behaved pumpkin. But as all new things that fascinate a five year old, something more exciting caught Ty's attention and Pumpkiny was left, abandoned, on the shelf.

Sunday afternoon, while I was straightening up the kids' room, I noticed a white fuzzy patch blooming on Ty's little pumpkin. I made the mistake of throwing it in the composter, thinking Ty had moved on to items of more interest.

I was wrong.

Sunday night, after we had carved two giant pumpkins into spooky works of art, Ty headed upstairs. I didn't realize it at the time, but he had decided he must show Pumpkiny what we had created. He ran upstairs to find his friend. He called out, hoping for a reply, but none came. Then I heard a familiar tone in Ty's voice.

That tone a mother uses to call her children when she realizes they aren't where she thinks they should be.

"Pumpkiny? ......Where are you, Pumpkiny?!? .......Pumpkiny!!?!?!!!!"

You know that feeling when you realize you've done something unintentional that has possibly scarred your child for life? Yeah. I raced up the stairs and found him on the top landing. Sobbing.

"He was the best pumpkin I ever had. I gave him a name and everything. Waaaaaah!"

It's not without its sense of comedy, but I can't laugh. Pumpkiny was a thing he cared for and adored. What he is grieving is not the point.

He is grieving.

The loss is real to Ty. Fortunately for me, the loss is easy to replace with a quick trip to the grocery store. Unfortunately, the selection of orange gourds is zero. Zip. Denied. Pumpkiny is gone. Forever. Well, until at least next year.

Pumpkiny II is a little larger than his predecessor, and comes with a pre-painted face. I made sure to take a picture of this one so when the same fate befalls Ty's new companion, he at least has a keepsake for remembrance.

If you have to say goodbye to a dear friend,
you should do it with a rainbow.

There's something I need to talk to you about

These are scary words to hear when they concern your child. They are even more frightening to say to the parent of a child in your care.


When I first started my in-home daycare, the agency I was working with sent me a child we'll call Alfred. The paperwork, completed by his mother and sent to me from the agency, stated that Alfred 'played well with other children'. Within hours of Alfred's first day at my house, I suspected something was unusual with his behavior. After he had been in my care for a few weeks, I was certain something was very wrong.

The agency neglected to tell me that Alfred was referred to them from the Children's Aid Society. I discovered that Alfred had witnessed his father physically abusing his mother on a regular basis. He had a constant expression of hopelessness and eyes that didn't focus on anything or anyone in particular.

He didn't play well with other children. If a multi-piece toy was between Alfred and another child, Alfred would gather the pieces under him and perch himself over them. He pretended to be a cat, communicating exclusively in meows and hisses. He lashed out with his "paws" at the other kids, and once bit me on the foot. He would stare at nothing for hours, oblivious to children playing loudly only inches away.

I explained to his mother that this behavior was unusual and recommended she investigate it with her family doctor. A friend had recommended the name of a pediatric psychiatrist. I wrote the name down and passed it on to Alfred's mother.

"I often think I should see a psychiatrist," she said pensively, as she stuffed the paper into her purse.

That's a great idea. But when you go, take your son with you.

She never went. A few weeks later, she pulled Alfred out of daycare. This is a child who could have benefited from early professional intervention. Help he didn't get.


I am a daycare provider. I don't have a diploma in Early Childhood Education. I don't have a degree in Psychology. I am just the babysitter.

Finding good quality daycare is a challenge most working parents face. Finding a provider with a similar perspective on parenting and discipline, who shares your values, and provides enough consistency in her routine so that you know what to expect from your child when you pick them up from care is a unique blend of qualities. I am not the ideal provider for every child. Every child is not a good fit for my daycare. When you do find the ideal mix of child, parent and provider, you have found gold for both sides.

A child in full time daycare spends as much if not more time with the provider than they do with their parents. A good provider will tell you if they feel there is something about your child that should be addressed. Not only does she spend a lot of time with your child, but she also has the unique perspective of seeing your child interacting with her peers, both older and younger. Take your provider's concerns seriously. Ask her to provide you with details of what she has witnessed and show this to your health care professional.

What will cause your provider to be concerned about your child?

Behavior

• does not pay attention or stay focused on an activity for as long a time as other children of the same age

• focuses on unusual objects for long periods of time and enjoys this more than interacting with others

• avoids or rarely makes eye contact with others

• gets unusually frustrated when trying to do simple tasks that most children of the same age can do

• shows aggressive behaviors and appears to be very stubborn compared to other children

• displays violent behavior on a daily basis

• stares into space, rocks body, or talks to self more than other children of the same age

• does not seek love and approval from a caregiver or parent


Gross Motor

• has stiff arms and/or legs

• has a floppy or limp body posture compared to other children of the same age

• uses one side of body more than the other

• has a very clumsy manner compared with other children of the same age


Vision

• has difficulty following objects or people with her eyes

• rubs eyes frequently

• turns, tilts or holds head in an unusual position when looking at an object

• has difficulty picking up small objects (after 12 months)

• has difficulty focusing or making eye contact

• closes one eye when looking at distant objects

• brings objects too close to eyes

• eyes appear crossed or turned or appear abnormal in size or colouring


Hearing

• talks in a very loud or very soft voice

• has difficulty responding when called from across the room, even when it's for something interesting

• turns body so that the same ear is always toward the sound

• has difficulty understanding what has been said or following directions (after 3 years)

• doesn't startle to loud noises

• ears appear small or deformed

• fails to develop sounds or words that would be appropriate for her age


Speech

• has difficulty pronouncing the following words: sew, house, zoo, buzz, chop, much, jam, fudge, shoe, push, look, ball (by age 5)


If your provider brings any of these issues to your attention, make an appointment with your health care professional. The range of what is considered normal development in a young child is wide, however these red flags are often indicative of a possible developmental delay. Your daycare provider is not interested in being right or wrong. She cares about your child like one of her own. She only wants to support you in your efforts to be the best possible parent you can be.


Sources:
The Nipissing District Developmental Screen (TM)
CARSC - How Kids Develop