Sixty years after the death of her daughter, Beryl Phillips is working to ensure children with Down syndrome receive the support they need When Carolyn Phillips was born with Down syndrome in 1948, her first-time parents had few options […]
Kita Szpak
Just like riding a bike
Practice —and the guidance of loved ones — makes perfect when it comes to giving Who of us hasn’t at one time or another held on holding on for dear life the back seat of a child’s two-wheeler as he […]
Mother Earth could use a break
Surprise! She’s just like the rest of us parents Just like you, Mother Earth could use a break right now. Family and friends acknowledge your need to have down time — why not the ground you walk on? The fact […]
Enjoying the ride
In the game of achieving balance, trusting your gut, trying new things — and most of all, accepting yourself and the outcome — is the key to making it work. Some of you may call this playground equipment a seesaw […]
Finding a way
You can overcome challenges — just take it one step at a time Finding a way already implies a situation you’re facing that is out of the ordinary. Add to it the need to overcome an obstacle of some kind […]
Furnishing homes, changing lives
For the past 15 years, Helping with Furniture has aided individuals and families in making a fresh start. Kita Szpak unpacks the story For more than 15 years, Helping with Furniture has been helping local people in need — […]
Tales of a soon-to-be kindergartener
On the brink of her scholastic years, Kita Szpak recalls the impressions of her four-year-old self Imagine yourself at four years of age. Where did you live? Who were your friends? What did you like? What did you dislike? […]
Go-to places
Columnist Kita Szpak recalls the local destinations she used to take her three boys when they were small We all look forward to returning to our children’s favourite places once restrictions are lifted and visiting people and places will once […]
A labour of love
Fifteen years ago, Suzanne Smith’s newly pregnant daughter Shannon lamented that there wasn’t a maternity store in Ottawa that could outfit her in the way she wanted as a professional working woman. Unable to find anything that was suitable […]
From ‘I’ to ‘we’ to ‘all’
Trust yourself on this miraculous journey of motherhood Nothing can totally prepare you for motherhood. No book, no seminar, no friend, no other mother—even your own—can begin to give you a sense of the enormity of being a parent. Yes, […]