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Thursday, A pril 16, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 35 greenhousesdg Local growers of fine quality perennials, annuals and herbs for 50 years! 8890 Eighth Line, Georgetown Phone: 905-877-9842 www.dggreenhouses.com 8890 Eighth Line, Georgetown Phone: 905-877-9842 www.dggreenhouses.com - Tribal - French Dressing - Lisette L - Yest - Frank Lyman - Joseph Ribkoff ... and much more! NEW SPRING ARRIVALS DAILY SHOP EARLY. SHOP OF T EN . 905-873-1470 W W W . B R I D A L S P L E N D O R . C O M 77 Ma in S t . Sou th , Down town Geo rge t own WINTER CLEARANCE SALE ALL WINTER STOCK 50-70% OFF Call now! 905-636-0844 or visit our store at Derry Heights Plaza 6B - 575 Ontario St. S. Milton *Cannot be combined with any other offer. Restrictions may apply. See store for details. Edible®, Edible Arrangements®, the Fruit Basket Logo, and other marks mentioned herein are registered trademarks of Edible Arrangements, LLC. © 2015 Edible Arrangements, LLC. All rights reserved. Your local Milton Edible Arrangements family is happy to serve you! SAvE $5.00 off your order 905-872-2077 www.dynamiccontracting.org CONTACT US FOR A FREE CONSULTATION "For All Your Renovation Needs" basements • bathrooms • kitchens For The "Ultimate Cleaning Experience" call us today at Mention this ad and receive a 15% discount www.classicmaids.ca Email: classicmaids@bellnet.ca 905•873•0777 I 416•449•9518 If time is a problem, we're the solution. • One cleaning specialist for your home • Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or occasionally • Trained and supervised • Bonded and insured • Hire a reliable maid service that guarantees the highest quality of traditional cleaning • Gift certificates available "We take the stress out of finding a good reliable maid" ADAMS EQUIPMENT Hours of operation: 7:30 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday; 8 am to 5 pm Saturday; Closed on Sunday SALES, SERVICE, RENT-ALL INC. 334 Guelph Street Georgetown, Ontario L7G 4B5 Tel: 905-877-0157 Fax: 905-877-0159 www.adamsequipment.ca We Service Lawn Equipment Rentals For EVERY need! • Tools & lawn equipment • Skidsteers, excavators & trenchers • Light construction equipment Now is the Time to service your Lawn Equipment! COMMENT Finding a way to keep kids kids In a world that makes our children grow up all too fast, how do we, as parents, protect their in- nocence? This question has been on my mind lately as I watch others like friends and classmates begin to have a greater influence on my kids. A few days ago I overheard my son, who's six, telling my four-year-old daughter that he learned the 'F' word from a friend at school. I resisted the urge to stop the conversation because I thought surely my sweet boy who's only in grade one couldn't really be hearing that language from his peers already. He'll say "fudge" or "fluffernutter" or something equally cute. But then he came out with the word I was dreading, and my heart sank. As I listened to my daughter begin repeating it over and over, I stayed as calm as I could, took my son aside and told him that's not the kind of language we like to use. I know it's one little word, and there are far worse things that he could be saying or seeing. I couldn't help but feel sad though as I realized this is just the beginning. That word is but one drop in a huge bucket that will be filled with a lifetime of things I wish I could shield my children from. Maybe this is my naiveté, but I certainly didn't know any profanity at the tender age of six. One may say I led a sheltered life, but I'm happy my parents worked so hard to make sure my child- hood was an innocent one. Sure, I didn't like being the only kid in my Grade 5 class who wasn't allowed to watch Bever- ly Hills 90210, but I understand now why my par- ents censored what was coming into our house- hold through the television. So what's a well-meaning parent to do in to- day's society, where one wrong click of the mouse can expose our children to far too much? I don't want to be "that mom" who's so overprotective that I embarrass my kids. But I also don't want to give up and just accept "that's the way it is" today, where innocence is gone in the blink of an eye. I'm praying that I can find a middle ground, where I can shield them from things that are just too much for their little minds, but also be there to talk when they inevitably are exposed to mature or inappropriate things. Our children have a lifetime ahead of them to learn about and deal with the tough stuff. Let's preserve childhood and make it what it should be-- innocent. By Melanie Hennessey mel_hennessey@hotmail.com The View From Here