WRITER SPEAKS UP ABOUT RAISING KIDS IN A CONDO
When I set out to write a children’s book series about a group of young friends who live in a condo, I didn’t know I would become an advocate for vertical living. My intention was to write books for my sons and their friends that positively reflected their childhoods in a highrise, since children’s literature is traditionally set in houses with yards and fences. Yet during my many interviews to promote The Condo Kids over the past year, I’ve become immersed in the debate of backyards vs. balconies — a discussion that has intensified as high real estate prices see more families embrace more-affordable condo lifestyles. When I was asked by Lainey Lui on CTV’s The Social why condo living was good for kids, I prefaced my answer by saying both my husband and I were raised in houses and we loved our experiences. I wasn’t there to say condo living was the only way, but rather dismiss some of the negative stigma long associated with it. Our west-Toronto building has 55 children and counting. Many benefit from a wide range of programs offered, including hip hop dance classes, swimming lessons and chess club. Parents support each other and the sense of community spirit between residents, young and old, is palpable. During my interview with Steve Paikan on TVO’s The Agenda With Steve Paikin, he reiterated some of the negative stereotypes about vertical living — including “you just don’t raise your kids in a downtown condo” and “nobody knows their neighbours.” So, I told him about the bond my 11-year-old son has formed with a neighbour in his 90s, after the dog owner responded to my son’s ad for dog-walking services. I also talked about the extensive community of people you get to know simply by using the communal spaces each day. The benefits my kids enjoy, and bonds they share with our neighbours, inspired me to write The Condo Kids. The early reader chapter book series is aimed at children aged 6-9. “Adventures with Bob the Barbary Sheep” and “Project Haunted Condo” are currently available on Amazon or at thecondokids.com. The third book in the series — The Case of the “Disappearing Pool Monster” — is set for release later this year.