They say that the “Pen is Mightier than the Sword”. I’m not sure if that is true or not, but I do know that it can be quite fulfilling to put down ones thoughts on paper and even more gratifying if other can read those opinions and agree or disagree. Enter – the Letter to the Editor. I often find myself giving my opinions a public voice by way of a local newspaper, sometimes those opinons are even held by other people, sometimes they are most unpopular. In any event, here are some of my published opinions…

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Double standard for picking up after pets - Milton Canadian Champion October 28, 2010

Dear Editor:

On Friday, I was greeted by a huge pile of dog feces on my front step.

I seems someone thought my dog had been loose and pooped on their lawn. This person, seemingly lacking in class or understanding of constructive adult problem-solving, apparently felt the only option was to childishly throw it at the home of a resident who may or may not have been responsible.

In this particular instance, my dog wasn’t the offending perpetrator, although I will stipulate that occasionally my puppy has been off the leash, as we have children who are still learning to keep doors and gates closed.

My issue isn’t with this person, it’s with the general culture of dislike for dogs and their owners who intentionally or accidentally leave dog poop behind, while allowing more acceptance of outdoor cats.

Why do I have to be diligent about picking up after my dog — which I do regularly — while cat owners seem to feel free to open their back doors and let the community serve as their litter box?

Why do dog owners obey the municipal bylaw about picking up after their dogs while many cat owners let their cats roam free, for what seems to be the express purpose of pooping in my yard?

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SENIORS WEREN’T FINED - Toronto Sun, October 18, 2009

I think people are missing the point and jumping to conclusions about the seniors being charged to walk in the park. The bylaw officer did not ticket the seniors walking through the park, but rather ticketed the organizer of the event. Why is no one seeing this? Organizer Anne Wheatley was charging the members of the group a small fee to walk through the park in her group. She was charging Torontonians for something they are entitled to use for free. That is why she was given a ticket. I don’t believe the bylaw officer or the city are seeking to fine people for walking in the park, but rather stop enterprising people from taking advantage of people by cashing in on a free municipal resource.

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Grade One and Emotional Time for any Mom - The Flamborough Review, September 3, 2008

It strikes me as I’m wading through piles of lunch boxes and backpacks of various shapes and sizes, that before I know it, my firstborn will be heading off into the world.

He’s about to leave for Grade 1, with little thought of his teary-eyed mother, who will no doubt spend the entire day (yesterday) wallowing in the fading memories of every milestone he had surpassed thus far in his short-yet-energetic life.

Which new phase has troubled me the most? It’s hard to say. Maybe when he gave up nursing, or perhaps it was the day he started crawling, crossing the room and quickly ripping all the leaves off my tropical plant, that was the hardest.

Then there was his first day of nursery school, when he only cried for a few minutes and then quickly adapted to the sights and sounds of the daycare environment.

Has it been six years since I counted his fingers and toes in the delivery room? How did the minutes turn into weeks and years without my noticing? How will I make it through the next 12 years before he goes off to college?

Am I the only one who feels like the next decade is a runaway train and I’m barely hanging on? Does anyone else burst into tears while viewing phone commercials involving college students leaving home?

So between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday to Friday I will be a mother of one again — wondering if he’s okay. Are the other kids being nice to him? Is he eating his lunch? Is he having fun? Does he miss staying home with mommy? Has he learned any bad words today? Is the teacher compassionate and will he or she understand his quirky nature?

I realize I’m overreacting, and surely I’m not the first mother to see Grade 1 as the beginning of the end. My rational side says there are a million more milestones on the horizon that will be equally exciting and emotional for us both.

These young years will blend into the teeny-bopper phase and then the tumultuous teens, which I’m told are more painful and rewarding than any valley I’ve gone through so far.

And so I reach up and pluck a Batman lunch box off the shelf and put it into a Spiderman backpack and head to the grocery section for a box of Fruit-by-the-Foot, because after all he’s only six — and it’s only Grade 1.