Lorelei Bachman's Blog

We live in the information age. As a result, young children are surrounded by electronic toys, mobile phones, tablets and computers and have become surprisingly adept at using them. Common Sense Media, an organization dedicated to safe technology use states that 98 per cent of children under eight years of age have access to a tablet or smartphone. As a parent, how can you make the most of electronic technology without overdoing it and what benefits might it provide?An important fact to keep in mind is that electronics can never replace the benefits of creative, unstructured play and the Canadian Pediatrics Society does not recommend any screen time for children under age two. As your child grows, continue to proceed with caution, limiting use to an hour a day or less. Real-life opportunities to interact with others will best prepare children for the school years ahead. Make time for activities critical to a child’s development at this age including nature, music, art, dance and physical movement.When you do introduce electronics, consider choices as you would books or other learning opportunities with three main ideas in mind:– Keep it Interactive: Pictures of family members, pets or stories loaded onto a device will permit your child to interact with you. If you have extended family far away, schedule a visit over Facetime or Skype.– Match use with age: Skill-focused games are available for use in the Lethbridge Public Library’s Digital Play Packs.– Have Fun, Stay Engaged Together: Activities that foster creativity make time spent together special and can be shared with others.Striking a healthy balance with electronics means your child can move forward competently with the skills they need for the future while also fostering the healthy growth of young minds and bodies while they play.To support parents in finding a balance with digital play and active play, Lethbridge Early Years Coalition has partnered with Lethbridge Public Library to create Digital Play Packs. Digital Play Packs are a suitcase of fun that are packed with books, games and activity supplies to support digital learning as well as encourage active play. Digital Play Pack themes include Superhero and Science.A special thanks to Sunrise Rotary, Helen Schuler Nature Centre and Lethbridge Sport Council for their help creating three new themes this year: Nature play; physical literacy; and hide & seek. Digital Play Packs can be borrowed with your child’s free library card at the Lethbridge Public Library.Lethbridge Early Years Coalition believes that children deserve a safe and nurturing childhood. Science tells us that the early years (from birth to age five) are the most critical period in a child’s development. A child’s early experiences and environments have lifelong impacts on everything from mental and physical health to success in school, work and relationships.

Children have to develop skills that allow them to build positive relationships.From the time they are born, children are social beings. The rapid growth of brain development includes the need to interact, experience, explore, develop and learn. The most important period for this skill set is from ages 0-5, before kindergarten begins. But because these skills are new, it is important to remember that the ability to make decisions and assess how to behave is still in its infancy and requires guidance.I was recently in the change room of a local pool when a kindergarten class came in for lessons. As the teachers and volunteers worked to get the children ready to swim, one little girl would not stop provoking and teasing others, specifically another girl her age. Most of us have witnessed children who actively seek opportunities to get attention – even if it is negative attention. This child had not yet learned how to consider the feelings of others.Often, such children are lacking the knowledge to navigate socially. In particular, children in Alberta are falling behind in this area compared to the rest of Canada. The first realization that something is amiss often comes in the form of having something to lose, such as a peer who states, “I am not going to be your friend anymore.”The term “social competence” broadly means equipping children with the ability to build positive human relationships. In the early years, this begins with direction on how to engage and enter play with others.Play offers give and take, conflict resolution and watching for cues that signal the emotional state of the group, a term known as perspective-taking. When a child is accepted into play, it leads to warm feelings of belonging and having something to offer. Behaviour will then begin to be shaped by the environment and become open to ongoing assistance from the teacher, once they enter school, and caregivers elsewhere.Three goals of social competence are:– Ability to control behaviour;– Follow simple rules and instructions;– Play and work with others respectfully and co-operatively.As a caregiver, you can be part of this process in the early years by:– Encouraging friendships. Initiate play dates with like-minded children;– Modelling compromising skills, for example, how to take turns and share;– Helping children learn to use their words to express what they’re feeling;– Showing children how to observe and join play without barging in.When you model social competence, children will begin to develop confidence in their ability to interact successfully and build meaningful relationships that will set them on a steady course for life.For more information about Lethbridge Early Years, visit http://www.lethbridgeearlyyears.ca or contact lethbridgeearlyyears@gmail.com

Summertime is finally here and the warmer weather provides the perfect opportunity to get outside and get healthy. Establishing routine habits in young children ages 0-5 can set patterns for a lifetime of keen brain and body enrichment and help them discover activities that may become long term interests.Not only is recreation fun, it is vitally important for children of all ages as well as adults. The recommended daily physical activity time for a child is 60 minutes. And yet, for the last four years, Canadians have scored a D- on the Participaction report card. So how can you, as a caregiver, help your young child become more physically active and what are the benefits?Lethbridge is fortunate to be filled with over 50 wonderfully well-equipped parks, playgrounds and green spaces. Many neighbourhoods also have paved paths and trails. Learning to appreciate these amenities starts in early childhood with simple activities like walking the dog, riding bikes and exploring in nature. Additionally, summertime offers wonderful outdoor pools for families with young children.Benefits of increased physical activity include:– Development of gross and fine motor skills– Opportunities to socialize with other children– Improved sleep– Healthy hearts, lungs and arteries– Improved coordination, balance, posture and flexibility– Reduced risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer later in life– Releasing of excess energy– Balancing of blood sugars, stabilizing moodPlay of any type provides the opportunity to use creativity and imagination and is important to healthy brain development. For children in their early years of development (ages 0-5), it is also the primary means of engagement with the world around them. When this play takes place outdoors, studies have shown some amazing benefits to overall health, including:– Getting sick less often. Mud, sand, water, leaves, sticks and pinecones can actually stimulate the immune system– Lower incidence of anxiety, depression, behavioural disorders and a better sense of self-worth– Increased confidence with other children and reduced bullying– Reduction in symptoms of Attention Deficit Disorder– Learning healthy parameters around outdoor risks.Some caregivers acknowledge apprehension about the risks of outdoor play, fearing falls, bee stings, cuts and scrapes. However, choosing activities together with children such as hiking and scavenger hunts provides teaching and learning opportunities about how to manoeuvre outside in a safe but still exploratory way. Research has shown that the rich, sensory environment of the outdoors develops positive and caring attitudes to the wider world we live in, setting children up for a lifetime of coping and calming strategies through time with mother nature.So get active! Even a few minutes of sunshine causes positive chemical changes in mood. Take the time this summer to enjoy a backyard run through the sprinkler or a trip to your nearest park or green space and watch your child’s health and happiness grow.For more information about Lethbridge Early Years visit http://www.lethbridgeearlyyears.ca or contact lethbridgeearlyyears@gmail.com.

When my son entered kindergarten, I expected all sorts of good things. For several years he had participated in pre-school, community programs, outdoor play and summer camps. Despite this, his first week was a total disaster.The teacher met with me daily to recount the problems: he did not play well with others and hit a child who encroached on his alone time. He was bored discussing the calendar and weather. He asked to use the washroom too often. His older sister had been in kindergarten the year before and enjoyed a seamless transition. Where was I going wrong?Physical milestones are easier to gauge than emotional ones. So, what can parents do to ensure their child has the necessary emotional maturity to enter school?Teach your child to use their words. Instead of acting out, help them verbalize what they’re feeling. For example, “I want to try that, but I am afraid.” Show them how to apologize for misbehaving and how to correct the situation. When another child dominates a game, have them suggest, “Let’s take turns.” These sorts of phrases can be encouraged through play dates and role-play in the early years.Clearly explain the new schedule to your child. Disruption of routine can be challenging for young ones, especially for those with unique circumstances such as anxiety or those in the Autistic Spectrum. Begin talking to your child ahead of time when life changes are coming up. Explain pick-up, drop-off and where they will be going. Prepare backpacks and clothing the night before. Discuss new experiences. This provides an opportunity for your child to ask questions and feel secure in attempting something unfamiliar.Encourage a love of learning. New experiences provide various opportunities to learn skills such as being a good sport, interacting with other children, imaginative play and striving to do your best. Talk openly with your child about these moments and share your own memories to reinforce how you have been in their shoes and learned to enjoy something new. Use positive affirmations to let them know when they’ve done well.Be patient. Each child is unique. Change takes time. However, if you suspect something is amiss or if you just want to track your child’s development, visit Family Centre in Lethbridge to learn about their “Ages and Stages” assessments as well as other resources available within the community. In my case, I met with Family Centre staff who assured me my son was adept and bright but under-stimulated by some of the activities. This aided the teacher in better addressing his needs, making adjustments that helped him develop the maturity required to succeed. This past year, he finished his first Education Practicum at university. Ironically, he was placed in kindergarten.Lethbridge Early Years Coalition believes that children deserve a safe and nurturing childhood. Science tells us that the early years (from birth to age five) are the most critical period in a child’s development. A child’s early experiences and environments have lifelong impacts on everything from mental and physical health to success in school, work and relationships.For more information about Lethbridge Early Years, visit http://www.lethbridgeearlyyears.ca or contact lethbridgeearlyyears@gmail.com

The goal is not to avoid the fear, the goal is to become braver.This line comes back to me again and again.I recently went on a date. I would say the first one in nearly five years but in truth, it was more like the first one in twenty years. I didn’t see it coming. I met someone through work and the conversation was good, easy. The next day, he asked me if I’d like to spend the day with him. And I’ll admit, I had no time to overthink it or worry, I just decided to go.A tender moment occurred with my dad, whom I was staying with, as I waited for my date to show up. I realized I hadn’t been living with him during the years I began to date as a teen and said jokingly that things had come full circle now, that he could send me off at 45. He gave me a hug and said, “I won’t wait up.”Our family doesn’t do mushy stuff so this was sweetly out of the box for us.The day was incredibly fun. I was given two choices: a glitzy evening in the city or an outdoor exploration outside of it. I chose ‘B’ and despite being rained on, had one of the happiest days I can remember. The pub was relaxed and warm, the woods were beautiful, the banter was spot on and funny. I felt totally uninhibited. I felt like I could tick a serious life box for having gone. We all have moments, days, hours that stay happily immersed in memory. This was one of them.A light was on in the house when I came home and my dad called to me to come to his room and tell him everything. So I did. Then I texted a dear friend who asked for pics and in a non-sappy way, celebrated the fact that I had gone, having been through it herself many years ago.As scheduled, the next morning, I flew home; crossing the entire vast expanse that is Canada. Mental headlines read: “Cat lady goes on date!” (Crowd goes wild). But the distance proved to be more complex than I anticipated. I had comfortably returned to feelings of safety and familiarity but troubled thoughts began to play on my fears.The following week, settled in the security of my normal routine, a tsunami began to rage internally. Every ‘fight or flight’ scenario plagued me. I waged war on the happy memory of that Friday afternoon. I had been foolish, I told myself, spending hours with someone I knew so little. I wondered why he had been so kind, what his motives were, what he was hiding. I wondered if he would message me and when he did, I read into the words like I was a criminal investigator looking for a violent past, a police record or a history of unkindness.I berated myself internally for the “wasted” years of counselling, yoga, mindfulness, meditation and spiritual seeking that had, obviously, taught me absolutely nothing. I was struggling. “Wise people don’t struggle”, I told myself, ‘they have tools.’ I was just obtuse and unable to learn from past experience. I ate very little. I slept very little. I tried to calm the storm with long walks, good music and watercolouring.I am a solitary person. And yet, in the midst of this, without divulging anything, a handful of dear people called me, checked in, asked how things were and said they were thinking of me. My grown daughter who was home for a visit, listened patiently, sighing often with, “Oh, Mum”, whereas my grown son said, “If I were this guy, I’d be running in the opposite direction.” Points for honesty.I returned to the work of Brené Brown, vulnerability/shame expert and researcher who says:“You can’t get to Courage without walking through Vulnerability.”This post is for anyone out there trying to conquer a fear.Fill in the blank for whatever is going on in your life: illness, financial ruin, starting over, re-learning to trust or betrayal.Know that we’re all fighting the same battle in one way or another. It takes courage.If I had been sitting with someone as they told me this story, I would have reassured them. I would’ve told them there was not one red flag, simply a life lived and a reaction to that life. I am working to afford myself the same courtesy. It brought to mind a fantastic Jeep ad I saw recently before a movie.The narrator is a gps. Every time the people in it make a new life choice, it calmly states “Recalculating.” Whatever we’re dealing with, in any stage of life, we’re constantly Recalculating.Forget You Have Arrived.You don’t just get overlife events.You don’t Arrive at a destination and never move from that spot.You Recalculate. One day at a time, knowing you become that much braver every time you do because "...whatever your destination, there are a million, beautiful, ever-changing ways to get there."

It's something we do every day without thinking twice: using water. We turn on the tap, wash our hands at the faucet, shower and bathe freely. We prepare meals, clean homes and quench our thirst. In Canada, we have this luxury and often, we take it for granted.In developing nations, getting clean water is a more arduous task. It means walking, usually from a village, to a water source. This may be a very long journey and for some women and children, the trek may be fraught with danger. Furthermore, will the water be clean, safe to drink and use? Care Canada estimates the average walk is around 6km.My Dad, my children and I teamed up this year for the Walk in her Shoes program with Care Canada. During the month of March, Care asks participants to walk 10,000 steps either individually or as a group, to raise awareness and funds for these girls and women. Care Canada has been around for over 70 years, bringing help and resources to the most vulnerable in the world. Having visited Africa myself, I have seen this journey for water firsthand. Leaving the village can be unnerving for young children but water is necessary for daily living. In fact, in every village I was able to visit, I was asked by the children for any water bottle or container I had. Despite the journey in the scorching heat, I never heard anyone complain. In fact, the people were the most grateful I have ever met, despite having so little."I'm H-A-P-P-Y!" (video: Lorelei Bachman)Between trips to the water source, the bottles were happily used for percussion purposes!There is still time to take part. Visit Care.ca for details about virtual walks and tag yourself with #WalkInHerShoes to show your support. (Image: Care Canada)

via The Lethbridge Herald for the LETHBRIDGE EARLY YEARS COALITIONThese are busy times. Parents juggle schedules, try to meet the needs of young families and afford children the opportunities that weren’t always available a generation or two ago. And yet, at the end of a long day when you are just about to put your feet up, a voice calls, “Will you play with me?”With television shows, mobile apps, games and toys, it can be tempting to pass a child a device rather than getting up off the couch and engaging in make-believe. And yet, play may be exactly what you both need.Nearly a century ago, a mother’s letter to the editor of The Farmer’s Wife Magazine was published in April 1932. The Great Depression was raging and times were tough. She described her three-year-old daughter, Janice, calling her for a tea party. A small piece of bread, animal crackers and water were laid out. The mother, bending over a steaming washtub, was trying to get her washing done and hung out on the line while baby was content in the high chair. However, she relented and joined her toddler for tea.Little Janice acted the hostess and served her mother and her dolls. When they were done, the mother reflected that when she glanced at the clock, only 15 minutes had passed. Time she was sure she could not spare had resulted in a sweet moment with her child and a much-needed break. Fast-forward to 2018 and we are still just as busy and childhood is still just as fleeting as it was then. And yet, the importance remains. Child-led play fosters both independence and a healthy connection to you as they grow.When you give a child your time, you are nurturing a positive sense of self-esteem and healthy development. Studies have shown that parent-child play can boost brain development and strengthen the parent-child bond. Playing together provides the opportunity to shape traits such as empathy and problem-solving, setting the stage for future confidence in school, on the playground and in their interactions with their peers and adults.Imagine giving your child an empty tool kit. Each time you play together, you are adding another tool that is an important life skill: cognitive reasoning, socialization, large and small motor skills, curiosity, sharing, communication skills and emotional competence. Laugh at the toppling tower of blocks, tidy up the spilled tea, choose the wrong puzzle piece and ask for their help to find the one that fits correctly. By establishing positive parent-child play routines early, and often, you can be confident that by the time they go off to school, you have outfitted them with the abilities they need most.Lethbridge Early Years Coalition believes that all children deserve a safe and nurturing childhood. Science tells us that the early years (birth to age five) are the most critical period in a child’s development. A child’s early experiences and environments have lifelong impacts on everything from mental and physical health to success in school, work and relationships.Original Article: http://lethbridgeherald.com/news/lethbridge-news/2018/03/17/importance-of-parent-child-play/

From one era to another, the newest technology has struck panic in the hearts of parents because ultimately, wehope to have the greatest influence on our children in raising them to be good, kind, balanced human beings.Every generation has its parenting fears. A century ago, young people who read too much were considered worrisome; having your head in a book might keep you in dreamland, causing a break from reality. Then the radio came along and parents feared it would distract children from reading, the very thing they had worried about prior. Television, at first, was a family affair with scheduled programs that moved dinner to trays in front of the tv. But when it ran all the time, parents were concerned about children sitting too close, damaging their eyesight and lying stagnant for hours on end.Here’s the truth. Technology is not going anywhere. In fact, it’s a juggernaut that advances daily. Information is everywhere. How can you control the information your child receives? Frankly, you can’t. But you can put some advisories in place to teach about very real scenarios young brains would not have considered. And don’t forget, this era has enabled a phenomenal amount of good information, available at the touch of a fingertip.Consider this:-Statistically, tv shows like Sesame Street actually better prepare a child for entering kindergarten than those who have never watched.-Stanford University research has shown that video games with story problems actually increase math aptitudes in teens.-Tech alone doesn’t increase violence in kids. Multiple risk factors do that: substance abuse, hostile home environment, mental health, etc. Violence has always existed in at-risk populations. However, you can oversee which games are played in your home. That is your right as a parent.-Similarly, the obesity epidemic is a multi pronged problem. Don’t blame it on tech alone. Advertising, nutrition and an emphasis on physical activity all play a more significant role on health.-Telecommunting means that many parents now have more time with their families than they did at the office. Flexible schedules allow a shared workload between partners or alternatively, the ability for single parents to be present for their kids.I can attest to the fact that an outright ban on media means kids will invariably find another way. Don’t let your child use a search engine on their phone? They can easily do that at school, the library or with a friend. Forbid certain apps? They’ll get them and hide them because they are likely savvier than you; especially if everyone around them has access. Instead, how about voicing your concerns and letting them voice theirs?As a Parent:-Find a compromise that allows them to connect with friends. Your child is not going to get abducted by playing a trivia game with pals in middle school if you teach them proper protocol about who they fraternize with online.-Teach them to make usernames and not give out private information.-Limit gaming to a certain block of the day when homework and other responsibilities are done, for example 4-6pm.-Studies show screen time interferes with healthy sleep patterns so wrap it up before they should be getting ready for bed. Phones off at night so they can actually sleep without being interrupted.-Try a tech/exercise bargain. For each hour of tech time, they must do physical activity. My son rides his bike through the trails in our neighbourhood to earn his gaming time. In winter, he swims indoors or walks.-Designate phone free times. Ours is the dinner table. We chat and talk about the day. Sure, they fight me on this sometimes but they can go without funny memes for half an hour. Etiquette still matters and conversing with people does, too.-Articulate there are times when phones are not appropriate like ceremonies or formal services. We had a week-long family reunion where my Dad banned phones during the day for all the kids and grandkids. Amazingly, everyone complied!-Be clear about the legal consequences of certain behaviours like cyber bullying, nude pics and incriminating behaviour they think will disappear. It won’t. If they’re on the receiving end of this, let them know they can come to you without any fear or “I told you so.” My son was once threatened through text, unprovoked. He took his phone to the office and the staff involved the police who issued the offender a strict warning.You will connect better with your kids through their interests than yours. Play games with them, watch videos with them, suggest tech breaks and get out and do something different. My teens and I have a group chat and we add to it all day. If you try to be judge and jury of everything online, you will lose. So teach them to be wise and have fun.

Have you ever carried a burden so long, you forgot what life was like without it?As a child of 8 years old, I sat in a chair across from a court-appointed children’s lawyer who asked, “Which parent do you want to live with?”This was a completely unfair question on several levels. First of all, my parents had been separated for 2 years but only lived a few blocks from each other. This meant that we rode bikes back and forth regularly and saw them individually all the time. None of the 6 of us could imagine the binary of only having one of them without the other.Secondly, I was 8. Why would an adult put that burden on a child; choosing between the two most important people in the world?It also might have meant losing siblings to either side. The two older than me lived at dad’s and the younger ones with me at mum’s. As the middle child, I couldn’t imagine life without them. We played in the ditch, we had a fort with a stray dog we had named poochie. We planned club meetings and decided who was in and who wasn’t. We, like most kids, ran free until the streetlights came on in the neighbourhood. We knew everybody and though my kids today can’t imagine it, if we were faced with an afternoon alone, we knocked on doors until we found someone who could come out to play.As I sat across from the lawyer, I remember clearly feeling that it was an important moment. So I looked at her and said, “It doesn’t matter to me where I go. I love them both the same.” I felt level about what I had said. It was fair to everyone.A short time later, a three-day divorce proceeding took place and the kids were divided up. My mother left with the oldest and youngest sister. The other 4 of us were awarded to my dad; my mother in the US and the rest of us in Canada.It’s fair to say in retrospect, I was in shock. My dad had remarried but we didn’t know the woman, really. My younger siblings and I banded together. But I had no idea what to do without a mother except to try and remember the things she did and do them myself and for my younger two siblings.But to add to the entire mess, I realized that I had done it. I had said it didn’t matter where we went and because of that, we were scattered across 2 countries with no regular contact. I had thought I was being fair. I lived in complete denial about the living situation in my childish head. I kept a packed suitcase under my bed in case some adult somewhere changed their mind about the situation. If they did, I would be ready. I prayed hard every day and I told myself if I were good enough, perfect enough, my prayers might change the situation.I’m not writing this post because it makes an interesting story.I’m writing this post because today I am 44 and while I was working, the entire scenario unexpectedly came back to me and for the first time it occurred to me that it wasn’t how I answered the lawyer that day as a child that determined the outcome. It was likely a whole host of other reasons that were beyond my comprehension. People and decisions that were way beyond my control; testimonies of psychiatrists and counsellors who had assessed our family, the fact that my dad had remarried and an effort on the system’s part to keep most of us together. But I have been so accustomed to the guilt of that moment that until today, nothing ever rattled it loose. I didn't even realize I was still carrying it.Dear friends, remember that much of what goes on around us is out of our control. All we can do is our best, being true to ourselves and letting the chips fall where they may. Many of us are socialized with very ‘cause and effect’ attitudes that simply have no basis in reality. The weight of the burden is not determined simply by the size of it. It is determined by how long we hold it. Hard things happen to all people and so do good things, no matter where and no matter what. Give yourself a soft place to land and put down the load.I made lifelong friends in those years. I learned independence and grit. I bonded with my siblings and found strengths in writing, reading and music. I embraced my connection to the Pacific Northwest because of what it gave me; you’d be hard pressed to find a natural setting more therapeutic than the BC Coastline.It may be presumptuous, but I suspect I am not alone. Jobs, relationships, parenting, the folly of youth. None of us have a clean past. That’s how we learn: trial and error with a chance to move forward with experience under our belt.Don’t hold on to the pain of the past. Let it go. Understand you did the best you could at the time with the knowledge you had then, whatever your circumstances. Try to look back with compassion for that person, that former version of yourself, who was faced with an almost insurmountable obstacle or situation and no prior training on how to tackle it. Give yourself the courtesy of allowing mistakes of yourself and others. Forgive freely knowing you’ll need it as much as they do. And remember, your mistakes are not the axis on which the world rotates, so go easy on yourself.And be still.

You’ve likely seen the ads for DNA test kits from companies like Ancestry or 23andMe. I was curious about how much information a little vial of saliva could give me so I decided to try and find out.Different types of tests are available starting at $99.00. Some will tell you about your ancestry alone while others offer to do a complete health profile, scanning lists of the most common genetic risks. Potential Risks Because I opted for the health/ancestry choice, a disclaimer asked if I had ever suffered with depression as a warning, knowing respondents might be triggered knowing they were vulnerable to certain illnesses. Someone once told me that these tests blew their extended family apart when affairs were revealed.I forged ahead. My kit was just over $200 cdn. and was done through 23andMe.Potential Benefits of having the information are that if you are at risk, you may opt to proactively speak with your doctor about watching for certain symptoms or mitigating the risks of certain illnesses before they would usually begin to manifest themselves. Furthermore, once you know your DNA information, you can research other characteristics common to your bloodlines. More on this below.You have the option of making your information personal or public to others who have taken the test. I made mine open to compare with my sister and a cousin who had also done the testing. A second cousin appeared quite quickly and we began to correspond. I had 1145 DNA relatives on the site.How it works:-You order a test kit online and create an account.-It arrives at your door in about a week. You register your kit.-You follow the instructions and fill a small tube with saliva that you seal and drop in the mail.-Test results are available online within 4-6 weeks.-Information is presented in a clear way. Support, links to genetic counselors, and other services are available on your profile.What I suspected I would find out:Well, quite a few things I wasn't certain about in my ancestry and physical health, for starters.I come from a long line of storytellers on both sides. My Maternal line is said to be the product of a Jewish travelling performer, Adolph, whose family had immigrated to the US from Germany. While touring, he met a young girl named Lillian in Michigan who came to his show and the subsequent day, decided to run away with him. They crossed the border into Canada where they married. The union was short-lived. My grandfather, Robert Stevenson was said to be the grandson of this union; black haired and olive skinned with chiseled features. Turns out I am 0% Jewish. Neither is my cousin (who is very similar physically to my young grandfather) or my sister or for that matter, Adolph. It would have shown up.Remember that direct siblings only share about 50% DNA. My sister and I share 54%. So don’t panic and assume there was a milkman involved in your story. Even identical twins do not have identical DNA, as was once thought. Another similar myth is that 2 blue-eyed parents can only have blue-eyed children. Not the case. I am shorter by far than everyone in my family. I am olive complected. Genetics are diverse.What I did find out:I have Iberian blood (my sister does not). Iberia comprises Spain, Portugal and Gibraltar. Fascinating! Also, that there is a bit of Native American blood in me. I was not a carrier for the 42 common variants that indicate predisposition to disease, nor the 6 genetic health risks tested. These included Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, etc. However I may have age –related macular degeneration later on (eyes).Trait reports will tell you about physical characteristics like skin, hair, freckles, fingers & toes, tastes, caffeine tolerance, etc.Wellness reports confirmed things I already knew about myself but which sometimes go against current beliefs on health. For example, saturated fat intake will not affect my weight; overall caloric intake is more important. I am a light sleeper who doesn’t move around much at night, tolerant of dairy and don’t flush when drinking ( I don’t drink so wouldn’t know that one).My sister helped me go deeper by inserting my raw data into sites that discussed characteristics of my genetic makeup. People in my group tended to be very healthy where major diseases were indicated but often experienced the following:ADHDDepressionAutistic Spectrum disorderLeukemiaCerebral PalsyWheat allergiesRespiratory sensitivity (asthma, etc.)I am the 3rd of 6 children who cumulatively produced 27 offspring. Within this group, we ticked every box for these characteristics.Why I’m glad I did it…When you are raised in a cause and effect environment, life can leave you asking, “Where did I get this? How does my child have this?” Turns out it was nothing anybody did. These things were determined before we even came into existence. You just do your best with what you’ve got, living the healthiest life possible.I found this experience fascinating- the little things that make me who I am are all part of my own map. It gave me a bigger picture of myself and my family. It connected me further back than the present as I looked at eras when my ancestors came from far off places and reminded me that each human being is a marvellous unique puzzle. So for me, it was worth the splurge. Have you done one? What did you find out?