Kenny Bodanis

About This Blog

During the summer of 2011, I launched my parenting blog: MenGetPregnantToo.com.

The site eventually transformed from a typical "diary of parenting life," into a collection of essays and interviews covering more serious topics, such as bullying, the peer pressures facing children (and their parents), and shifting gender roles in the workplace and at home.

Exploring parenting, through interviews, writing, and research, only made me more curious about human nature in general. I wanted a forum to explore topics and writing formats (both fiction and non-fiction) not limited to being a father and a husband. Thus the creation of KennyBodanis.com. (I was trying to conceive of a blog name which would be as general as possible...nothing like drawing inspiration from one's driver's license).

I am very proud of MenGetPregnantToo - the site was named by Reader's Digest Canada as one of the country's top parenting blogs (the only Dad on the list), and, as a blogger for Lifeworks.com, I was awarded the Marcom Platinum Award for writing.
It has now lead to the birth of this blog - which I will begin to nurse through its infancy.

While I begin to curate content for this site, I have included below links to some of my favourite posts from MenGetPregnantToo.com . 

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy reading away.

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Isolation: A Gateway to Disordered Eating?

During Covid-19, changes to one’s body may be a normal part of a changing routine. However, emotional distress, despondency, or obsession are - and should be treated as - red flags of a more serious problem.

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Postpartum Depression: Early Symptoms and Preventive Measures

“One of the biggest predictors of whether women get postpartum depression and anxiety is if they had something not only during pregnancy, but before pregnancy as well. For women who struggle with prenatal depression and anxiety, as many as fifty to eighty percent continue to have symptoms postpartum."

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Caring for Caregivers - Expert Advice on Coping with Dementia

Though these diseases can manifest themselves through myriads of different symptoms, the caregivers’ challenges (and stresses, and fears) are remarkably similar. While families are often thrown into a state of panic by the realization of what steps must be taken to protect their parent, medical staff who specialize in caring for patients and their families rarely encounter a scenario they are not familiar with.

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Alzheimer's and the Sandwich Generation

As with addiction, when reaching out to someone with dementia one can only prod, and suggest, and hope. Often, however, there must be a bottoming out—a physical or psychological cellar, a darkness through which the ill cannot see without guidance and advocacy.
My mother fell into that cellar this past April.

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I'm Not Old, but I'm Getting There. (Just Ask My Night Table).

My physical tenderness fosters a complimentary sympathy from my kids: "Can we wrestle, Dad, or is your back sore?"
As with all life forms that have come before me, I am barreling towards extinction.
My most recent reminder of this came courtesy of my dentist:

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Brain Development: What Happens in Utero Doesn't Stay in Utero

A new study suggests that, despite giving birth to an apparently healthy baby, the conditions in utero may have lasting effects which can be noticed once a child reaches adolescence.

Survey Examines Relationships with Departed Dads

Vikki Stark is a Montreal-based family therapist. She was a fantastic resource for me when I wrote about Aggressive Sports Parents for MenGetPregnantToo.com.
She is working on a new book, tentatively called: Since Dad Left Mom: Healing the Hurt for Adult Children of Divorced Dads. 
As she explains:

The premise is that when men leave their wives, particularly for an affair partner, the relationship between the dad and adult children often gets disrupted, or even estranged. My study aims to help those adult children and divorced dads understand each other and perhaps, find a path to healing.

As part of research for the book, she is asking moms, dads, and adult children to fill out a short survey. Please find the link below, and thank you so much for participating in this important topic!

Since Dad Left Mom

Healing the Hurt of Adult Children and Their Divorced Dads

 

Divorce by Istvan

Alive Magazine: How to Date Your Diet (The importance of being kind to yourself while committing to healthier eating)

This is the third in a three-part series on food, and our relationship with it, for Alive Magazine. In this article, I interview Laura Creek Newman, a registered dietitian at Winnipeg’s Wellness Institute, and Kristyn Hall, a consulting dietitian and nutritionist with the Calgary Weight Management Centre. Both experts discuss the importance of forgiving yourself for missteps while trying to maintain a healthy diet, and why it is so important to find your motivation for making a lifestyle change.

How to Date Your Diet (The importance of being kind to yourself while committing to healthier eating)

Alive Magazine - A Smorgasbord of Support Is the Key to Healthy Eating

This is the second in a three-part series on food, and our relationship with it, for Alive Magazine. This post, which discusses how a strong support system is vital to long-term success, features an interview with Toronto-based social worker Julia Skiadaresis. It is a web-exclusive companion to the article published in the March hardcopy edition: "Digging for the Roots of our Food: The Importance of Local Agriculture and Why Local Farmers Share Such Passion."

 

A Smorgasbord of Support Is the Key to Healthy Eating

Alive Magazine - Difficult to Digest: My Love/Hate Relationship with Food

This is the first in a three-part series on food, and our relationship with it, for Alive Magazine. This is an interview with my sister, Heidi, who candidly shared her struggles. It is a companion piece to my article "Love by the Bagful" which can be found in this month's hardcopy.

Difficult to Digest

My Love/Hate Relationship with Food

Inside the Mind of a Yoga Beginner

    "Yoga. Because punching people is frowned upon."

                            - A quote I found on Pinterest.

...not allowed to visit friends over there.
...not allowed to invite friends over here.
...vacation cancelled.
...kitchen table becomes an office for me...and a school desk for him, and her.
...less than zero degrees outside. (Imagine, there are fewer than no degrees outside. People actually fought to colonize this place, and then stayed through January and February. Good job, Europe.)

I've been told I should try Yoga. It will, "Do me some good." And, "Relax my mind and body." And, "Bring me peace." And, "It's free on YouTube."

Okay.

Yoga mat, check. 

    "If you're new to Yoga, you may want a block and a strap to help you through some of today's positions."

Pause button.

Block, check.
Strap, check.

(I acquired the block and strap two years ago on the advice of my physiotherapist, who remarked on how inflexible I am. I said, "Funny, my psychologist says the same thing.")

Play button.

    "Okay, sit tall. Really feel your sits bones pressing into the mat. Find a comfortable position."

What is a 'sits' bone? Does she mean my ass? Gluteus Medius or Maximus? Is 'sits' bone even a word? Wouldn't that mean that my feet are 'stands' bones?
My YouTube YogiTeacher is sitting with her back perfectly straight; her legs are crossed. My back is nicely rounded; my legs are flopped in front of me, each bent at a 90° angle. I used to be so flexible. What happened?
If I try to straighten my back, or fold my legs into each other, I feel a searing pain near my coccyx, and a slightly lesser one at the outer edge of each patella. Is this the advanced class? The title of the video is, "Beginner's Yoga."

Butterfly-Yoga-Fertility-Synergy - Jasmine Kaloudis

    "Take a deep breath. In through your nose...2, 3, 4, and hold it there for a moment."
A couple of stars appear in my vision. Maybe I should lie down?
    "Now, out through your mouth...3, 4, 5. Good." She continues, "Focus on whatever is troubling you..."
I focus on how it took me eleven full minutes to log onto YouTube with the tiny, cheap remote that was included with my discount Smart TV:

‘K’...left-left-left-left-up, 'E’...down-down-right-right-right, 'N-N'…up-up, 'U'…SHIT! Where's the backspace??

    "Let's warm up by doing some Sun Salutations. Come to the end of your mat, and we'll begin in Mountain Pose."
YogiTeacher stands tall at the end of her mat; I do the same. I await my instructions for Mountain Pose.
    "Next," she continues.

Next? Next?! THAT was Mountain Pose?! Standing still is a pose?!! Little did I know I've been Mountain Posing at bus stops, subway stations, and in kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms and showers for nearly fifty years. Go, Kenny!

    "Uttanasana," she says as she bends over. "Exhale, and let your fingers fall to the floor. If your flexibility permits, bring your palms flat against the mat. Otherwise, just relax as far forward as you can."
I try to comply. I cannot fold any more forward and also look at the TV; a slight panic sets in. I am Yoga blind. I await further audio instructions as blood pools around my temples.

    "Now, inhale and come up halfway to Flat Back, your chest parallel with the floor. Hold it there for a moment."
I was initially only able to lean forward 7 degrees due to incompatible tightness in my hamstrings. If I come halfway up from my U-Tan-In-The-Sun-A position, I am back in Mountain Pose. I cover my webcam with a piece of tape; I'm worried someone will notice my cheating incompetence.
My legs are shivering with a bizarre combination of hyperextension and fatigue when, mercifully, YogiTeacher provides a reprieve, "Ok, good. Now bring your legs to the foot of the mat, and slowly lower yourself down..."

Yes! This must be the relaxing part.

    "...to plank position."

Plank?! As in, "Walk the...?" As in, "Serious core workout?" As, in "Perfect exercise for challenging every muscle in you body?" Yes, that plank.

    "Hold it here for a moment."

The uncontrolled shivering and shimmying I felt a moment ago in my legs has now travelled along a horizontal plane to my arms. A first drop of sweat rolls off my eyebrow and onto my mat. Is this machine washable? I can't find a label from this position. Also, my field of vision is narrowing as the blood now pools to my entire face. Please don’t pass out. I am home alone.

    "Take the time to really feel your breath. A niiice loooong inhale."

I try to slow my breaths from the current rate of 3 per second as my lungs desperately try to expel the buildup of lactic acid in my muscles. How old am I?

    "Now, exhale and lower yourself all the way to your mat."

I collapse violently, and see stars as my nose collides with the mat. Thank God it's over.

    "And inhale as you push yourself up into Cobra."

CAN I HAVE A MINUTE?!

I push on my hands and lift my head so I can see the television screen in front of me. I have no idea what "Cobra" is. As luck would have it, this lazy push up I am managing is Cobra. Maybe my natural, mindful, meditative Yoga instincts are kicking in?
My lower back is beginning to hurt. In retrospect, maybe my vasectomy wasn’t that uncomfortable.

    "And push up into Downward Facing Dog."

Her rear end lifts dramatically skyward, forming the peak of a human triangle anchored by her hands and toes. Her knees are straight, as are her elbows. She is not quaking or quivering or sweating or breathing heavily. I'm not sure why this position is called Downward Facing Dog. Aren't dogs always facing downward?
There is a beautiful Australian Shephard asleep next to her Yoga mat. His body is curled into a perfect circle, his breathing is steady, his muzzle is tucked between his upper thighs. His flexibility is unsurpassed - he must be in the advanced class.

Kosmoseleevike - Laura Joogib

    "Really lean into this pose."

I feel like I am applying 200lbs of pressure to my wrists - more than my entire body weight.

    "Be mindful of your breath."

My arms and legs start to shake uncontrollably.

    "Bend your knees if you need to. Remember, Yoga should never hurt."

My knees have been at a 90-degree angle almost since the beginning of this "practice." Also, fuck you.

    "Lift your left leg up behind you, feeling the stretch in your thigh. And then, swing it forward between your wrists."

That's when the fall happened.

I lifted my left leg off the mat and swung it forward, as instructed. Halfway along its route to my wrists, my toe snagged on the mat, destabilizing me. I lifted my right hand, quickly trying to displace it outwards to widen my base and steady my pose, but I wasn't fast enough.
I knew I should have moved the coffee table out of the room completely.
Bruised rib, scraped temple, broken remote control...general humiliation.
By the time I recover, YogiTeacher is back in Mountain Pose; I scramble to catch up; I stand at attention in front of the television. I...am not...a quitter!

Extreme Yoga - Allison Caterall

     "Ok, great. Just a few more of those to warm up, and then we'll begin this week's practice."

Warm up? I cry just a little.
I have read that it’s normal to feel strong emotions during a meditative exercise.
I start my second round of these goddamned Sun Salutations by again bending at the waist.
I fart. I cry a little more.
Discouraged, I collapse into a seated position, which I can't hold due to my weak core, my muscle fatigue, and my (physical and emotional) inflexibility.
Inspired by the Aussie Shephard, I curl up in a fetal position on my mat.

    "Be mindful," she continues. "Make of this practice what you need it to be. This is the time to be kind to yourself."

From my position on my den floor, I reach for the broken remote control. Thankfully, it's only the door to the battery compartment that's irreparable. While trying to replace it, I accidentally trigger the on-screen guide.
"Return of the Jedi" is on Movietime. I push select with only a small amount of hesitation and guilt.

    "Do or do not," Yoda is telling Luke. "There is no try."

That is a philosophy I can live by.
For today, I give up trying.

I roll my mat and stand it in the corner (where it had been obediently waiting for me since its first appearance as a Christmas gift). I fetch a bag of All Dressed Ruffles from the pantry, and treat myself with kindness by turning up the volume on a classic work of science fantasy.
Gently, I lower my sore self to lie flat on my back on the den sofa, which, I learn is the Corpse Pose.

Mountain and Corpse. Mountain and Corpse. Mountain and Corpse. See? On my first day I have memorized and perfected two poses. Not bad for my first "practice." I've also developed an affinity for "being kind to myself," which may have to include a beer chaser after these chips.

 Tomorrow, I will search YouTube for “Jedi for beginners.” It seems easier that Yoga.

 

Losing Autonomy and Preserving Dignity - A Challenge for Parents and Children

"I never want to end up that way."

It seems such a definitive statement. So simple. No one wants to imagine themselves with dementia, unable to manage the basic needs of survival: shelter, nutrition, sanitation, etc.

Wish as we may, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, 1 in 4 people in this country age 85 and older will be diagnosed with dementia. How many of those insisted they did not want to end up that way?

Alzheimer - Rafael Ojea Perez

Mental acuity and physical well-being are, for most of a healthy person's life, like pieces of jewelry, a shimmering anklet. As an individual's autonomy is gradually lost, that anklet can become heavier and thicker until it transforms into a weight and shackle. Not only does this burden the bearer, it also shifts responsibility to that person's next of kin, generally their children. How does that child navigate this forest of dependence with a parent who, "Never wanted to end up that way"?

Is there a sweet spot? Is there a point in time when a parent and child can together clarify their roles and their wishes, and understand when and how to abdicate decisions that will impact an elderly person's life and death?

If there is a perfect moment, it is while both parties are patient and lucid. It can also never come too early.

Shelley Snow, PhD is a licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Montreal, Canada, who spent years working in hospitals with dedicated units for older patients, assisted living, and long-term care facilities. "Sit in a relaxed moment with the person,” she says. “Say, 'do you have any thoughts about, or have you ever considered, how you want to spend the next period of your life moving forward?'"
She emphasizes that calm, open-ended questions are less threatening. She says patience is paramount. "Sometimes it's a process over long periods of time."

Unfortunately, this conversation is often delayed—perhaps because of denial of its necessity or a fractious parent-child relationship—until an autonomous living environment becomes untenable, adding stress to an already delicate situation. "When people are at risk of dementia, and they start having difficulties with memory," Snow says, "that's probably when it is most fragile." It is also when it can be most frustrating. This is the moment when the parent a child has known their whole life starts to disappear, and is replaced by this new person, this fragile stranger. 

The child also assumes the role of protector, which often means being the person who strips away a parent’s foundation of individuality and freedom. A common example is when a parent is no longer competent to drive.
This conversation, Snow says, must be a delicate balance between validating a parent's feelings, and stating facts about why their operating a vehicle is no longer safe. She spoke about navigating this with her own mother. "The first thing I would say is, 'I understand this is very hard for you; I understand your anger. You've been doing this for many years, and it's really hard to not be able to drive anymore. We did not enjoy taking this away from you, but you had several accidents and you were putting yourself in danger, and other people in danger. That's why we had to do this.' I think the first thing is to affirm a person's feelings...the second thing is to remind the person [of what happened], because they may not remember."

Alzheimer Disease - Jonathan Baily NHGRI

These discussions become even more complicated because the child brings their history into the discourse. They are not only talking to their mother or father about driving, or assisted living or nursing care, they may also be walking into a room dragging a subconscious suitcase full of issues.
"There is [often] a lot of unresolved anger towards the parent that can make it much more difficult," Snow says. "[Children should] listen and hear, and put the parent's needs first, or even identify what [those needs] are, apart from what the child is wanting."
In some circumstances, they are not just talking to their parents about their care. They are also trying to resolve that argument about the boyfriend their father despised, and their mother’s curfew they didn't respect, and when the child insisted on moving away for school leaving the parent feeling abandoned.

"It can be really helpful," Snow says, "to have a person outside the situation who is a trained therapist helping: [A person] to sort through what is from the past, what is going on in the present, what they need to do for themselves, what has to happen ideally for the parents...and what they can live with."

Social workers, occupational therapists, doctors and nurses in a hospital may be the first interventionists when a patient is diagnosed with dementia and needs a change in their living environment. They, too, have invaluable experience in guiding not only the parent, but also counselling a child who is wrestling with stress, desperation, and a sense of helplessness.
Those feelings are also exacerbated by limited available options to seniors needing assisted living and late-in-life care. Shame and guilt can be overwhelming, especially when a parent asks to move in with their child. 
In some cultures, this is simply a given. Snow has worked with many Greek or Italian clients who have told her, "It wasn't an option. This is what we do."
She says it was not always easy, "It may be difficult and demanding, but there is just no question. They put up with all of it, because that's what they do." She admits that children do not always want their parents living with them. Regardless of the parent’s wishes, Snow says the choice is ultimately up to the child.

The choice of when to initiate conversations about the next—and eventually final—stages of life most often also rest with the child. "Listen exquisitely to what [your] parents or loved ones in your family who are getting older are telling you what they want and need." Snow says. "Look at what future plans are going to be. In my experience, if you listen really well, a person will tell you some very important things about what they need and what they want."

Which may avoid them ever being the person who didn't want to end up that way.

Grandfather - Tim Bouwer