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8 Friday, June 4, 2021 brooklintowncrier.com Grieving childhood losses Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown As we enter June, I feel a sense of anticipation for the summer. Whether or not it will be normal remains to be seen, but I'm hopeful. Well, I was until my daughter expressed her frustration at facing yet another Covid-19 birthday. She complained about missed parties, sports and camps being on hold and not able to go on the popular grade 6 field trip to Canada's Wonderland. It was then I realized she was grieving for the loss of part of her childhood that has been cut short. Growing up In many ways, the pandemic has seen kids grow up sooner. They're dealing with loss of family in both death and separation. Most are mourning the loss of all that they love in activities and sports. Special milestones have been minimized and acknowledged with little fanfare and are now forgotten. It shows. As I watch my 11-year-old suck it up and accept the restrictions, I see her resilience but also her sadness. She misses the connections with school, her teams and her friends. There are days when I see the sadness in her eyes despite the smile on her face. She's had it with the pandemic. We all have. She's anxious to get her vaccine as it provides a sense of control and a glimmer of hope for a return to normal. Special attention We talk often. We've created rituals to keep up the hope. One night a week we play "Just Dance," binge watch Dawson's Creek and eat junk food. It's my way of giving her the "sleepover" experience she craves but can't have. We watch hockey and practice her skills in the basement. We celebrate every holiday no matter how insignificant. I know she'll be fine. Yet I worry how other kids are doing, particularly those in stressful home situations who don't have what she has. Undoubtedly there will be children who may need help in the years ahead, though how they will be cared for is the challenge. Some may not recognize what kids are feeling from the abrupt changes their lives have undergone. Yes, there is greater loss than hockey being on hold or prom being canceled. Yet to kids, these are significant. So when a child isn't super excited about yet another virtual celebration or class, they are grieving what they've lost, and it really hurts. Regional Council Endorses Anti-Racism Task Force Durham Regional Council approved the terms of reference for the Durham Region Anti-Racism Task Force (DRART). The recommendation for the DRART comes as part of the Region's commitment to develop and implement an Anti-Racism Framework to ensure a healthy workplace and to address racism within the communities the Region serves. The establishment of the task force as a Committee of Council, with formalized structure will ensure a consistent approach to addressing systemic racism. This committee will adopt a 'hub and spoke' model where working groups will be identified to address disparity in racialized (e.g., Indigenous, Black, Asian) communities. Anti-Black racism will be the initial focus for this task force. Precedence will be given to the lived and living experiences and concerns of all racialized groups in the Region. DRART's mandate is to act as an advisory role to Regional Council through the Finance and Administration Committee on issues related to racism - structural, systemic and interpersonal. It will be a volunteer Advisory Committee. Sterling Lee is the Council representative for the DRART, with Councillor Granville Anderson as alternate. As part of the next steps, the Region will be proceeding with recruiting and appointing members to the DRART. To learn more, visit durham.ca/ DEI.