4 Friday, January 20, 2017brooklintowncrier.com Our Brooklin Kids By Leanne Brown Standing tall when you're not My daughter has recently become concerned about her height. After a great game, her hockey teammates patted her on the top of her helmet, sharing enthusiastic comments about her performance. But she seemed upset about the praise. I asked her why. "I hate it when they do that!" she said. "Do what?" I asked. She demonstrated by tapping me on the head. In a game, she's a strong competitor and her size never seems to matter. But lately, her taller peers have taken to affectionately patting her on her head. While they aren't doing this with the intention to make her feel small, the good-natured teasing has started to bother her. Many girls her age are quite a bit taller. At the rink, in a line-up along the boards, her stature is apparent. True, she is slightly below average on the growth chart, floating around the 35th percentile while her female peers have really started to sprout. Many are approaching five feet tall and are already out of booster seats. Some tower above her. As a kid, I was short and a late bloomer. I expect I've passed on those genes. I topped out at five foot three inches. Her dad is five foot nine. She'll hopefully hit somewhere in the middle. But as some of the girls are starting to nudge their way towards puberty, she has started to take notice. Puberty in girls starts between ages 8 and 13 and the growth spurt at varying ages. Everyone around her is growing up. She'll start soon enough. We can't do much about when it will happen. But in the meantime, we can focus on all the things she excels at. Really, height and weight are just numbers, numbers which do not define our children. So focus on the positive things. As an athlete, she is strong despite her smaller stature. We emphasize that being short is not a limitation. She has already proven she can do anything she puts her mind to, and we remind her of her successes. Kids can't change their height, so what are they supposed to do when someone points it out? Body confidence goes a long way. For my daughter, I point out women she admires; Lady Gaga, Kristen Chenoweth, Ariana Grande, Brooke Henderson and Kaetlyn Osmond, women who are all just over five feet tall but fill stages, courses or rinks with their huge personalities. For taller girls who feel awkward about their height, women like Taylor Swift and Penny Oleksiak show that being tall allows them to be beautiful, strong and graceful. For most kids, it seems like there's not much to do but wait to see how it all turns out. We can't control that. But we can encourage kids to get the nutrition, sleep, and exercise they need to reach their maximum potential height. Until then, when our daughter feels small, we remind her to walk with confidence, with her head held up, and she'll always look a few inches taller. Community Calendar If you have a community not-for-profit event you would like included in the calendar, please email it to editorofBTC@gmail.com with the subject line "calendar."Priority will be given to Brooklin events. Some editing may occur. Fri., Jan. 27, 6:30 pm - 10:00 pm Winter, Wine and Wellness - 8 Vipond Road, Brooklin The Optimist Club of Brooklin's Winter, Wine and Wellness event will consist of two sessions (6:30 pm - 8 pm and 8:30 pm - 10 pm) where you are in- vited to enjoy a fun evening and learn about some incredible local commu- nity partners who operate health and wellness-based businesses. Tickets will include admission, snacks and beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). This event is for community members 19+. There will be samples, demonstrations, giveaways, and a fundraising raffle where you can purchase tickets to win some amazing prizes. Early Bird tickets are $15 each (plus fees) if purchased BEFORE January 15. Then they will increase to $20. Many local businesses will be in attendance to show how they help their clients to beat the winter blues. This event is all about wellness. We hope you come to have a bit of fun and learn a little something, too. Please stay tuned to this page web site page below to get updates about our amazing community partner businesses will be attending. https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/winter- wine-wellness-tickets-30214161370 Sun., Jan. 29, 7:00 pm Brooklin Pub Quiz Night, $15.00 per person gets you a platter of wings and fries and a mug of beer. Teams of 4-8; 6 is best. Winning team gets a $10.00 gift certificate per person to return to the Brook- lin Pub another time. All proceeds go to Pulmonary Hypertension of Canada.Hints: 1. Monopoly 2. Mark David Chapman. Need more info please call/ text Carolyn 905-449-1162 Wed., Feb. 22, 7 pm Brooklin Horticultural Society Membership & Think Spring Meeting: BHS starts off its year with its annual Membership meeting, welcoming our returning & new members alike. Gini Sage, a Durham Master Gardener with over 30 years of gardening experience will be our guest speaker. She will present "Starting from Seed," providing the knowledge and skills to be successful at starting seeds at home for planting in the spring. Come early & enjoy our social time before the meeting. At the Brooklin United Church, 19 Cassels Rd. E. Mondays 6:30-7:00 pm: French Family Storytime: Children of all ages and their caregivers are invited to join Madame Sue for our weekly French Family Storytime! Enjoy a half hour of stories and songs in French, with a dash of English too! Registration is not required. Just drop in! LOCATION: Central Library - Children's Program Room Tuesdays: Brooklin Toastmasters, 7:15 pm for Meet & Greet, Meeting from 7:20 to 9:14 pm at the Brooklin Community Centre & Library, 8 Vipond Road, 2nd floor Boardroom. For more information, contact John at 905-683-4439 or jajhj@sympatico.ca or Loran Weston-Smyth at lorn@lornawestonsmyth.com or 416-910-4109. Brooklin Toastmasters provides a supportive and positive environment where members have the opportunity to develop their communication and leadership skills. Basic Foot Care: Community Care Durham provides basic foot care services by registered foot care nurses on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month at St. Thomas' Anglican Church. Please call 905-668-6223 for more information. Thursday evenings: Love to sing! The Brooklin United Church adult choir welcomes new voices to join us. Practices are Thursday evenings 7:30 - 9:00 pm. You do not need to read music to be part of the choir. Practice CD's are made available. For more information, please call the church office at 905-655-4141 or by email at office@brooklinunited.ca WORSHIP DIRECTORY WORSHIP DIRECTORY Burns Presbyterian Church 765 Myrtle Rd West (just 4 minutes north of Brooklin) 10am Worship, Kids Zone Fun & Nursery Care "Discovering God, Sharing God's Love" 905.655.8509 www.Burnschurch.org St. Thomas' Anglican Church 101 Winchester Road East Sunday Services: 8:30 and 10:30 am Sunday School & Nursery Program (10:30am) Wednesday 10:00 a.m. Communion and Healing Service 905-655-3883 www.stthomasbrooklin.ca Brooklin United Church 19 Cassels Rd. E. Sunday Services at 10:30 am Sunday School & Nursery Care www.brooklinunited.ca 905-655-4141 Come catch the Spirit! Renaissance Baptist Church of Brooklin 40 Vipond Road (Just West Of Library) Sunday Worship & Kids Program 10:30 a.m. 905-655-4554 www.brooklinrbc.ca We're here for Brooklin!