Life Transitions

Text and photo By: Aleksandra Erak, MSc Editor’s note : This guest post was written by Aleksandra Erak, MSc, a recent graduate of the BESST Lab. Aleksandra reflects on how our cultural celebrations of new babies can sometimes overlook the profound transition experienced by mothers themselves.   Disclaimer :  Throughout this post, the term mother is used to refer to individuals who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth. This language reflects common terminology in both eve

Reflecting on the mental load, caregiving, and the quiet labour behind life’s transitions this International Women's Day. Each year, when International Women's Day  arrives, we pause to celebrate women whose achievements are easy to see. We recognize leaders who break barriers, scholars whose discoveries move knowledge forward, athletes who redefine strength, and activists who reshape the world. These accomplishments matter deeply. They deserve to be celebrated. And yet, beyo

Taking on Academic Leadership with Care, Collaboration, and Presence   I have recently been offered the role of Vice-Dean Academic. It is a moment that could feel like an arrival, but for me, it feels more like a continuation: a continuation of questions I have been asking for years, of work done quietly and relationally, and of a life shaped as much by caregiving, grief, and transition as by scholarship or title. Much of my writing over the past several months has explored t

Exploring how identity, boundaries, and belonging collide on the playground   The ball never bounces evenly in winter. On frozen asphalt, it ricochets, high, low, sideways, unpredictable. What should be a steady rhythm becomes erratic. You cannot quite anticipate where it will land next. Recess during the tween years feels the same. It is the most unstructured part of the school day. The bell rings, and children spill into cold air with no script, no curriculum, no grading ru

When the Strong Become Unsteady There is a particular kind of grief that comes with watching someone who has always managed, quietly, reliably, without complaint, begin to fall out of step. These are the people who know how to push through. Who understand hierarchy and order. Who were taught, explicitly or implicitly, that pain is something to be assessed, endured, and moved past. They are not reckless; they are disciplined. They don’t dramatize discomfort. They simply adapt

Reclaiming Our Oasis: A Room, a Chair, and a Step Toward Myself   The Oasis That Became Everything When we first bought our house, I called our large bedroom above the garage ‘our oasis.’ It was a quiet refuge, a place where my husband and I could breathe, retreat, and simply be together, away from the demands of life that waited just beyond the door. Over the years, life filled it with so much more, laughter, mess, care, and love, shaping it in ways I could not yet fully und

How caregiving reshapes time, relationships, and the self   Caregiving often enters our lives at moments of transition, an illness, a diagnosis, a sudden change in abilities, or the aging of a loved one. These moments are usually framed as temporary disruptions, something to adapt to and eventually move through. What I have come to understand, through my own experience and through observing others, is that caregiving rarely resolves that cleanly. What begins as a transition o

Exploring how continuity, scaffolding, and collaborative caregiving shape a neurodivergent child’s development   Opening Reflection When a child is forced through repeated transitions, who absorbs the impact so the child doesn’t fracture? I am writing this on the eve of another transition. Tomorrow, she boards a plane to visit her mother for two weeks. She has taken this flight many times before, yet it still carries fear. Transitions do not become neutral through repetition;

When Santa and the Grinch Visit: Choosing Magic and Wonder   There is a quiet, tender transition that happens somewhere around middle childhood, the moment when believing in Santa begins to soften, blur, and eventually give way to knowing. It is a transition not only for children, but for parents too. And like so many transitions, it doesn’t happen all at once. My son is ten now. Last year, I think he figured it out, but only after Christmas had passed. Not in a dramatic, con

On Transitions That Don’t Move Forward, But Ask to be Noticed This post is a reworked version of a letter I originally wrote for myself. I’m sharing it here because I suspect I’m not the only one who finds that certain moments, especially around the holidays, carry more weight than we expect.   Every year, I tell myself that this year  will be different. This year I will put the tree up early. This year we will enjoy it. And every year, I put it off. When the boxes finally co

Learning to Feel Safe Again A Transition Toward the Quiet Strength Within “ You know what the dream is? It’s being attracted to someone who makes you feel safe .” -- [Joanne] Nobody Wants This  (Netflix, Season 2)   That line stopped me. I was just watching the trailer on Netflix, half-distracted, until those words landed… and I felt the ache of recognition. Because that was it. That was what I had. That was the dream I didn’t even realize I had been living. It has been over

Transition or Attrition: The Hidden Crisis in Student Support Left to Figure It Out Alone in a System That Can’t Keep Up The transition...

First Day, Fourth Time: Watching My Twinkie Grow Holding on to ritual, stepping into change This morning, I watched my 10-year-old, my...

From Grief to Growth: Reframing My Academic Journey Turning Setbacks into Pathways of Growth   The Original Vision I entered academia...