By Sonia Mendes Ottawa author Natalia McPhedran helps parents navigate the minefield of social media — and how to teach children to use it responsibly — in her new book, Life with Kids: Empowering Our Children to be Ready for […]
Features
The sad end of the season
By Derek Abma A dad’s off-season hockey withdrawal explained Summertime is in full swing, and what’s about to be said will annoy many people who curse anything that even remotely reminds them of the winter we just had. But I’m […]
An ode to summer
One of the most precious gifts of parenthood is being reminded of the sun-kissed joys of summertime, writes Sonia Mendes. I’ll never forget that feeling of pure exhilaration — a moment of absolute, uninhibited joy — right before I plunged […]
‘They fall in love with the images’
By OPT staff Ottawa photographer and father Jérôme Scullino captures poignant, candid family moments with an artistic touch Jérôme Scullino is passionate about many things: art history, travel, skiing, and more, but his young family and the craft of photography […]
Colouring outside the lines
By Sonia Mendes Ottawa art program hones children’s developmental skills through creative play, particularly for those on the autism spectrum When Sarah* registered her five-year-old daughter for drawing classes this year, she had a bit of an ulterior motive. “My […]
‘Our little miracle baby’
By Sonia Mendes A newly published book recounts the inspiring story of young Elissa Mendes, who was born with a large cyst in her brain, and underwent two brain surgeries in her first year of life. Nearly a decade later, […]
‘I am my son’s voice’
Writer Gary Dimmock tells the story of an Ottawa mother’s fight for justice, 15 years after her son’s unsolved killing. Stories about grieving parents rarely go beyond those words you invariably hear, including the classic “there is no manual on […]
Fred Penner’s Philosophy
Family entertainer Fred Penner has a song list — and a philosophy — that will never go out of style. For more than 40 years, the iconic Canadian children’s songwriter — who will perform at Centrepointe Theatres in Ottawa on […]
Travelling with a toddler
By Kerry MacGregor When my husband and I decided to travel for the eight months of his sabbatical, I’d been pregnant for about a month. We started in Venice, Italy, when our son was around two months old — because […]
The ‘Musée très surprenant’
By Leslie Foster ‘Surprising’ Clarence-Rockland Museum offers an eclectic mix of historical treasures The Clarence-Rockland museum is unlike any museum you’ve visited. The “Musée très surprenant” (very surprising museum) is housed in the École La Ste-Famille, an old school house, […]