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Page 4 — Halton Hills This Week, Wednesday, January 13, 1993 EDITORIAL Glaring omissions MP Garth Turner held his love-in at the Georgetown Cultural Centre on Sunday. The ceremony was aimed at presenting commemorative medals for the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada to people "who have made a significant contribution to compatriots, community and to Canada.” Looking at the list of recipients -- 39 from across Turner's Halton Peel riding -- it seems the medals were given to those who have supported the Progressive Conservative MP. Thirteen people from Halton Hills were handed the commem- orative medals and while the contributions of people like Wheldon Emmerson and Hartley Coles have been relatively non-partisan some of the people honored were obviously being given a pat on the back. For example, Turner called medal recipient Bob Malcomson "Mr. Halton Hills." We agree that Malcolmson has made some significant contributions to the community -- most recently through his efforts with the United Way -- but let's not forget that he was the chairman of the Halton Hills "Yes" campaign during the recent federal dum on the ‘Accord. Other referendum workers included in the medal cere- mony -- Gary Brand and Brenda Payton. Aside from the rather partisan list, we noticed a lack of females being handed medals -- a total of seven women from the riding were honored. There also appears to be something of an age bias to the list. Apparently no one under 39 has made a significant contribution to the community. It must have been an extremely daunting task for Turner to select 39 worthy people from Burlington to Caledon who have made a contribution to "compatriots, community and to Canada". And while he has done an admirable job we see some glaring omissions on his list. We also believe that there is a proper time and way to pat sup- porters on the back. We don't think Sunday's ceremony was the place to do that back patting. "Terrific response” Michelle Halverson had her hands full on Meghan, and her dog, Ruff-tuff, as they all too! Monday morning with her fifteenth-month-old daughter, k in some fresh air on Delrex Boulevard. Dear Editor: The Wardens of St. Alban’s Church, Glen Williams would like to thank, through your community newspaper, the residents of Halton Hills for the terrific response to the “Great Coat Giveaway”. Hundreds of coats were donated for this worthy cause. Two special people deserve men- tion - Vi Haines for coordinating _ The manageme! etplace wish to th the entire effort and Mani Mitera (Barrager’s Cleaners) for cleaning all the coats and providing a distri- bution centre. The generosity of everyone was most appreciated. Sincerely, Ron Chatten Doug Bryant Gwyneth Thompson ie. All donations were distributed by “The Love in Christ Food Bank”, under the direction of Laura Ellison, and the Salvation Army, Acton, Captain Wade Budgell. - Thanks again, everyone. We jook forward to next year to have a sec- ond Annual Food and Toy Drive. , The management and Staff Georget town Marketplace | Halton Hills This ee HIS WEEK iph St., Georgetown, Ont. L7G 4B1, and is printed in Oakville by Q.E. Web Printing. Inthe event of hic or services PRODUCTION MANAGER: Kathleen Topolsek HALTON HILLS THIS WEEK IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED & OPERATED. 0 FAX:873-3918 remember my youngest son telling PHONE: 873-2254 REAL ESTATE MANAGER: Kathy Toth 5 CIRCULATION MANAGER: Marlo Shadbolt Family Violence Attacking problems By Jacie B. Palmer In every household there are dis- putes over numerous issues on a regular daily basis. It can be sibling rivalry, playing mum against dad or more serious disputes. Whatever the problem, on occa- sion, we can “lose” it and by deal- ing with the matter inappropriately, cause even more difficulty and pain to all participants. I can remember growing up in a home where expectations were very high for me but not so for my brother. It seemed that whatever my accomplishments, they were some- how not wonderful enough. Rules for me were different because I was a girl. I remember experiencing a high level of stress and frustration every time I received a report card because I knew that whatever the grades were, they were not high enough. I can remember being denied oppor- tunities that were afforded by brother and I felt angry. The positive side of that child- hood is that I have become an over- achiever. But I often wonder what accomplishment will make me internalize the belief that I don’t have to achieve anything to prove myself to anyone any longer. In my home I was often blamed. Despite all the attempts I made to try harder and to please everyone concemed, it was not sufficient. Often the problem was not the issue. The person was attacked. Instead of telling me my behavior was inappropriate - I was bad, wrong, terrible or something worse. I’ve tried not to do that to my children because I know how I felt then and how I feel now about some of those events of long ago. I "HELP US HELP OURSELVES -- together his father that “I am a person, too - and I have feelings!” Sometimes we adults forget that. We are so busy coping with our own problems that we don’t have time to really sit and chat with our children to provide them with the positive input they need to help them develop a rounded perspec- tive. My son was right, he does have feelings and when his feelings are hurt because of deviant behavior it is the behavior pattern which should be attacked and not him as a yerson. Kids have rights and deserve our respect. Hurting another’s’ feelings does nothing to find or offer a solu- tion to a problem. Denying a child the opportunity to express himself is to deny him any sort of control over his life and his relationship to others within the family unit. He has no other alternative but to hold his deepest fears and feelings inside. That is not good! As parents, we need to learn to handle situations in non-threatening L-} ways. What kids need is our sup- port and love. Parents need to love and respect their childfen enough to allow them some control over their own envi- ronment. When things go awry, parents need to encourage honest dialogue which will build trust among all parties. How can you trust someone who won’t listen to you or understand your position? By allowing our children to take responsibility for their actions we gain their respect and open the doors to allow fuller communica- tion in the future. Instead of having to pry information from them, they will soon openly share their con- cers. The lines of communication between me and my kids are better than they ever have been. We open- ly discuss family problems. Somewhere along the line the children have learned to respect me and my needs. I’ve always tried to respect them. Family talks are great to resolve issues - whether it be chores, vacations or personal prob- lems. Any difficulty can be dealt with as long as there is good communi- cation and respect for personal needs. Attacking the problem in a solution-oriented way places the blame on no-one and ensures each party is fighting in a fair way. Feel free to contact Jacie in confidence by directing letters to her attention at Halton Hills This Week. All correspondence will remain confidential. Jacie can be reached in person through the Distress Centre at 877-1211. Leave a message and Jacie will get back to you. If you are in cri- sis, call the Distress Centre or 911.