May 24, 2011 DAY 2251

It has been a busy couple of weeks with the rain and weather not being very good. We survived the May 23 long weekend and even had a barbeque and lit a firecracker in the yard, which was cool.

A lot has been happening in the news and I wanted to come to my diary and blog to write about it.

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The Ashley Smith inquest continues and I watch the news daily as it is in its early stages. There will be a summer break and then it will resume in the fall. It is expected to wrap up in December of this year.
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The world was supposed to come to an end on May 21, 2011. That didn’t happen. Believe it or not I have childhood memories of our radio station CKPT Radio in Peterborough, ON would say that on such and such a day the world would come to an end. We made it a family affair. We would have a barbeque and all the trimmings, we would sit on top of the hill in front of my granny’s house and wait for the sky to open up and take us all up to heaven. Christians call this THE RAPTURE. As a kid I remember wondering why it didn’t happen, but always looked forward to the barbeques and fellowship with family and hanging out for God to take us all away.
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There was a funeral procession that took place on May 21, 2011 from New Market, ON to Queen’s Park to honor and respect all the children that died in the Children’s Aid Society’s care in 2009; 120 died while in foster care in Ontario, 8 of them in Hamilton.

http://www.fixcas.com/news/now/news.htm

You can see the pictures at the above website.

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I am also watching the progress and situation that has been on the news a few times and in the Hamilton Spectator. As an advocate and protector of accountability in this province of oversight with the Children’s Aid Societies of this province, I am disgusted about the reaction of the Hamilton Children’s Aid Society about this story and family. As a mother of 9, a grandmother of 11 and a great grandmother of 2 babies, I just have to put my two cents into this piece of news for the day, if that’s what you want to call it. I’m not one to ramble about the fears of parenting; but give your head a shake Heidi and Reuben Vanderkwaak.

http://www.thespec.com/feature/article/533697--hamilton-family-to-bike-20-000-kilometres-with-young-kids-in-tow

“Two parents, a pair of kids under five, nearly 135 kilograms of excess weight and 20,000 kilometres. By bike.

On Saturday, Reuben VanderKwaak and his wife, Heidi, will hit the road with their children Eden, 4, and Harper, 18 months, for a year-long trek halfway around the world.”

My response to this story is: Its okay for 2 adults… but not with 2 children at the age of 18 months and 4 years old. The youngest one is still in diapers and only 12 cloth diapers will be along for the ride for a year. They are traveling 20 000 kilometers on a bike ride that will take them through 3 countries, Canada, the USA and Mexico and be home again by next spring.

I used to be an avid bike rider in the city of Hamilton downtown. After moving up the mountain and living along Highway #6 I would never think about getting on a bike and riding down to the nearest Tim Hortons for a 6am coffee, before the start of my day. That would be taking my life into my hands. The roads are not safe for adults let alone children. Cars are in control of the road not the children. When they get tired or cranky, will the parents pull over and tend to their needs? There will be sickness and strife and worry on the part of the parents but the children can’t really complain because the parents are in control not them.


There have been a lot of comments on the Spectator website, stating child abuse, midlife crises, daring, way to go mom and dad, etc…


The Hamilton Children’s Aid Society got involved through a few anonymous complaints after this story aired and the CAS stated that it was a safe ride for the children. The family left on their journey on May 21, 2011. They are now on Day 4 of their journey.

http://www.chch.com/index.php/home/item/3470-parents-criticized-for-taking-kids-on-20000-km-bike-journey

How can Children’s Aid Society state something like that when they remove children from homes that home school their children, feed their baby solid food before they are ready for it, their house being a mess with toddlers, and also taking children from mothers who give birth at the hospital, never to take their baby home.

Children die at the hands of Children’s Aid Society in foster care yet two parents want to put their children’s lives in jeopardy through areas untraveled by them. Mexico has bans and advisories for travel by foreigners. Water is unsafe to drink in certain regions.

CAS/CPS is in every state, province and country.

I have heard the terms on blogs and websites of “free range children”, homeschooling children on the lonely roads bike riding into unknown territory, a place for families to grow together; but nowhere on these blogs or websites did I see or did I hear, oh we stopped the ride because my son fell out of a tree or off a climber in a playground and he broke his arm, had to get medical care in the USA, or we got bit by mosquitoes contaminated by West Nile virus. (Don’t forget we are in the spring in Canada and the USA folks).

Call me a bit of a rambler but all the horrors of traveling with children on a bus, train or plane can be the same, but at least the children have television, video games, comforts of home and play and not the wind in their face, cold and rain, weather, sickness, always questioning are we there yet, not knowing where they are going from day to day, or where they are going to stay for the night. We will live off the land and at the mercy of the kindness of strangers. We will sleep in farmers fields, camp out in trailer parks and from time to time get the luxuries of motel and hotel life and a hot shower. It sounds like a homeless person’s dream travels on a bike.

Did I mention that Heidi VanderKwaak is also a Community Services Worker for Ontario Works in the City of Hamilton, and they have been planning this ride for almost 2 years? A one year bike ride around the continent, maybe a book deal, how about a movie deal, a lot of sponsors and news coverage and an early retirement for a family of 4.

I will definitely be blogging about this family in the days and months to come.

http://www.pedalpoweredfamily.com/