Recently the Canadian media have been puzzling over the notion of parental rights, a concept they appear to regard as strange and unusual. Generally, the commentators take a condescending tone, assuming that all right-thinking Canadians would naturally defer to their betters in the provincial public education bureaucracy. The flurry of articles surrounding parental rights has…
Hacked. Though the term seems somewhat harsh, even aggressive with little attention to detail, much of the care with our family has involved several life hacks that have made life easier for our girls. Living with a disability or a specific physical challenge in a world created for the able-bodied requires resourceful solutions. Henry Claypool, a consultant…
Dear Son, Even as we drive across the midriff of Canada, prairie skin stubbled with dry grass and grain elevators, you and your brother are seated in the back playing Super Smash Bros. I see the smiles on your faces, hear the gentle ribbing and the laughter, and for this moment, I’m grateful for video…
The jar of roasted red peppers slipped from my hands and shattered on the grocery store floor around my sandaled feet. In my rush to get through checkout before the toddler melted down and back home for the baby’s nap, I clumsily dropped the jar onto the tiles. “No!” yelled my three-year-old, who shares my…
This summer was rough for my family. We gathered up all of our belongings and moved to a new province, leaving our friends, our communities, and the ocean air behind us. Not surprisingly, our children are extra emotional, and, if I’m being truthful, my spouse and I are also more emotional than usual. As much…
As daylight dwindled, I sat alone. The crickets chirped their lullaby. The campfire flickered gently. I savoured the peaceful evening and happily pondered the lively afternoon spent with our daughter Stephanie and her girls (ages 9, 7 and 5). September in Ontario had started off with a late summer heatwave and our grandkids enthusiastically churned…
In my home, fall brings birthday cake and bread shaped like dragons. The cake is a Blitzen Cake for my dad, made with his mother’s recipe and it is always spectacular: double layered meringue and sponge with a gorgeous custard filling. Sometimes, I put coconut on top, sometimes toasted almonds. This year, I had an…
“What do you want to brag about today?” This is the first question Dr. Peter Rosenbaum, a beloved doctor with McMaster University’s CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, likes to ask his patients when they visit. The power of perspective Mindset plays a significant role in how a family or patient manages their daily life…
I bought new shoes recently. They are unlike any shoes I’ve ever bought before. They are sleek and streamlined on top, rugged with aggressive tread on the bottom, and they have high-tech elastic “speed laces” with a quick-action toggle and a nifty secret pocket on the tongue in which to hide it. The only thing…
Most of the travellers on the road walked faster than we did. Most were young and in a rush to get to Santiago de Compostela in time for Easter. We were a family of five and kept pace with each other. The cathedral wasn’t going anywhere. And Easter would happen wherever we were. When I…
The word “transformational” is often used to describe the moment or experience that forever impacts every part of you. My moment came on the warm evening of June 30, 1997, when I stood with Ralph outside my parents’ home, seeing the silhouette of my father and younger sister Rhoda framed in the front porch light…
Born in Jackson, Michigan, to Frances Marie Hyder and Eino Korpinen, my mother had a difficult upbringing. Her father left the family when she was quite small. When Marie remarried a few years later, my mother had to endure an abusive alcoholic stepfather. It was not a promising start. But few have exhibited the grace…
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