7 Things to Know This Week, Volume 2

Canada’s Medal Count Is Climbing—And Families Are Glued To It

We’re seven days into the Winter Olympic Games in Italy and the Canadian medal count is climbing. So far, we’ve bagged three silvers (freestyle skiing, short track speed skating and snowboarding) and four bronzes (figure skating, freestyle skiing, short track speed skating and speed skating). The podium finishes are just as emotional as you’d expect, and if your kids are all of a sudden experts in winter sports they couldn’t even define last month, you’re not alone.

What’s resonating most is the mix of veterans and rookie Olympians (Gilles and Poirier won their first Olympic medal after skating together for 15 years!). It’s a good reminder to all of us—parents and kids alike—that there is no right way to achieve a dream.

👉 ICYMI: This emotional clip of speed skater Val Maltais’s parents reacting to her bronze medal will have you reaching for the tissues. 

Are We Over-Tracking Our Kids? Experts Say Maybe

At one point, not that long ago in the big scheme of things, parents opened the front door, booted their kids outside and told them to come back for meals. If you were going to be late, you asked to call home from a friend’s landline or maybe you popped a quarter into a payphone.

Nowadays, between AirTags and other tracking devices, Share My Location and apps like Family360, parents can have instant access to their child’s whereabouts—and the experts aren’t too sure if it’s a good thing. Aside from unintentionally undermining the trust and communication you need to build with kids as they grow up, critics say constant tracking can make kids feel like they’re under surveillance.

👉 Some parents take the tack that it’s for safety, but click through to learn about dangers of constant tracking and over-supervision.

Burger It Forward This Weekend

Who knew treating yourself and your family to a juicy burger could be so altruistic? Canada Beef’s annual “Burger It Forward” to support food banks from coast to coast is well underway. Live at more than 350 restaurants across the country, here’s how you can get in on the (delicious) action:

1) Head to burgeritforward.ca

2) Check the Burger Map to find a participating restaurant in your area

3) Order the “Burger It Forward” burger

Proceeds from this menu item will go to food banks at the local, regional and national levels. This campaign also brings together provincial cattle associations, dairy farmer groups and the service industry during the slower winter season.

👉 Ready to pay it forward? Click here to find a location near you.

Massive New Allergy Study May Change the Conversation

A new global study out of McMaster University published earlier this week looked at nearly three million children in order to identify key early-life factors linked to food allergies.

The takeaways—in plain language below—are definitely going to impact the conversation about when to introduce common allergic foods:

• Introducing common allergens like peanuts after 12 months may increase risk.

• Severe early eczema is strongly linked to later food allergies.

• Antibiotics in the first month of life were associated with higher risk.

• Family history still matters a lot.

The bottom line for parents with infants is that early, safe introduction is important. But we’re interested to know: Does this new information change your plan for introducing allergens?

More Teens Are Logging Off and Not Looking Back

It’s a quiet shift, but it’s getting louder: Teens are voluntarily deleting or pausing Instagram and TikTok (Facebook isn’t a thing with this demographic), saying the algorithm feels overwhelming, performative and mentally draining. Over the past couple of weeks, “social media detox” posts from teens have picked up traction online, with many reporting they feel calmer and more focused after stepping away (cue shock!).

This isn’t parent-enforced, either; it’s teen-led. On forums and social platforms, young people are experimenting with app deletions, screen-time caps and digital resets—reframing it as self-preservation and a desire to look beyond the device.

👉 This is an interesting addition to the debate about kids and digital self-regulation. Should we expect kids to moderate in this way?

The “Last Uppy” Trend on TikTok is Wrecking Parents

If you’re on TikTok, you’ve probably seen it: Parents filming what they think might be the last time they pick up their child. AKA, the “last uppy.”

The idea? One day, you won’t be able to scoop them up anymore. And you won’t know which time was the last. And so you try to capture the moment—or one close enough to it—to have a record of it.

The trend has parents reflecting on how fast it all moves—the days are long, but the years are short—and yes, hugging kids a little longer and tighter than usual this week.

👉 Check out one of these “last uppy” videos here (and then call your big kids into the room!)

The Snow Day Activity That Will Blow Your Kids’ Minds

If you find yourself staring down another insanely cold, snowy day and thinking, “We cannot watch another movie,” may we present an (albeit elaborate) alternative: the rainbow igloo.

Families across Canada have been freezing coloured water into ice blocks (food colouring + recycled containers), then stacking them into technicolour forts, tunnels and full-on backyard igloos. The result? A glowing, stained-glass snow structure that looks especially magical at golden hour.

You can go minimalist with a rainbow wall…or commit to a dome situation that becomes the neighbourhood attraction.

👉 Want the step-by-step? We’ve got it. Now all you have to do is decide if you’re going all in—or absolutely not. 😂