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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A pr il 1, 20 21 | 6 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca newsroom@theifp.ca IndependentAndFreePress @IFP_11 WHO WE ARE Publisher Kelly Montague Regional Managing Editor Catherine O'Hara Managing Editor Karen Miceli Distribution Representative Kim Mossman Real Estate Kristie Pells Regional Production Manager Manuel Garcia Halton Media General Manager Jason Pehora CONTACT US The Independent & Free Press 901 Guelph Line Burlington, ON L7R 3N8 Phone: 905-873-0301 Classifieds: 1-800-263-6480 Fax: 905-873-0398 Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 320 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Published letters will appear in print and/or online at theifp.ca Delivery For all delivery inquiries, please e-mail lpolar@miltoncanadianchampion.com or call 905-234-1019. OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT THEIFP.CA "I hate COVID. I wish it would go away!" my 11-year- old railed when I said no to hanging out with friends outside our social bubble. Watching him throw himself onto the couch, arms crossed, refusing to interact with his brothers and sister, I wondered again about the long-term impact of COVID-19 on our youngest generation. The babies unable to see more than half a face above a mask. The kids spending hours parked in front of screens for virtual school- ing. The ones who went to school and watched as friends sniffled and were quietly but quickly sent home. The teens cohorted into artificial and arbitrary so- cial groups, some with friends, some apart, all of them describing challeng- es coping with loneliness, fear and uncertainty. All are now building virtual lives and relation- ships rather than real ones. Humans are social crea- tures. They are built to communicate using multi- ple means, verbal and non- verbal. Body language and tone convey important so- cial cues. These social cues are how we not only absorb in- formation, but how we ne- gotiate our interpersonal relationships and atti- tudes. Sometimes what we say is not what we mean, and that meaning is only cap- tured through body lan- guage and tone. All that has been stripped away as society has accepted containment efforts for the pandemic. All we are left with are flat words on a screen. The con- text that colours our lives is now obscured. Where does that leave the youngest among us, the ones just learning to navi- gate the rules by which we conduct ourselves as a so- ciety? Our kids are in trouble. A study by SickKids showed that kids during the pandemic were faring "mostly worse, occasional- ly better." This holds true right on up to post-secondary stu- dents. Eating disorders have skyrocketed. Ditto for anxiety, depression, do- mestic violence and self- harm. I have no magic pill. My advice? Pay attention. Spend time with your kids. Start a conversation over a shared activity. Monitor for increasing anxiety, withdrawal, irritability or a sense of hopelessness. Get help. Being apart doesn't mean being alone. Nadia Alam is a Halton physician and past presi- dent of the Ontario Med- ical Association. Her col- umns also appear on www.drnadiaalam.com. She can be reached through her website. THE KIDS ARE NOT ALL RIGHT PANDEMIC TAKING A TOLL ON OUR CHILDREN, WRITES DR. NADIA ALAM Do not invest in the stock market if you have a short-term perspective. Investing in the stock market for one day is basi- cally a 50-50 proposition. More specifically, days the stock market increases in value is just 54 per cent. That is how the stock market has performed over the last 70 years. If you want success at in- vesting, take a longer-term perspective. Then, the odds can shift in your favour. During the last 94 years ending in 2020, the years that the stock market gained was 75 per cent of the time. It is far more favourable investing for one year ver- sus one day. Want better odds? Ex- tend the period to five years. Then the number of times the stock market gained was 84 per cent. After 10 years, the num- ber of times the stock mar- ket gained was 95 per cent. And finally, if you look at every 20-year period, the stock market index in- creased in value 100 per cent of the time. This information is based on the S & P 500 In- dex, which tracks 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. and as reported by AndCo Con- sulting and Crestmont Re- search. The more time you are invested in the stock mar- ket, the better your odds are at success. Peter Watson is regis- tered with Aligned Capital Partners Inc. (ACPI) to provide investment advice. Investment products are provided by ACPI. ACPI is a member of the Invest- ment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada. The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACPI. Watson provides wealth management services through Watson Invest- ments. He can be contacted at www.watsoninvestment- s.com. STOCK MARKET RISK REDUCES WITH TIME LENGTH OF INVESTMENT CAN HELP LOWER CHANCES OF LOSING MONEY, WRITES PETER WATSON. PETER WATSON Column DR. NADIA ALAM Column