Tina Szymczak
January 14, 2017
I stumbled across a new site – Her View From Home – and if you click on the link it will take you to an article I wrote for the site. Please comment and share – the more unique pageviews for the next 30 days the more I get paid. Thanks in advance ?
December 14, 2016
There are times where, as the parent of a child with a disability, you will be told to fight for what your child needs. Us “special needs moms” – we tell each other “fight for him, you know him best” and “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”. People get worked up hearing other parent’s stories. At times I too have believed this way of thinking and engaged in my fair share of fights. Last week I read a piece that spoke of being a Mama Warrior for your child with special needs and it just seared my heart. I genuinely felt very saddened by the notion that as a whole, it is thought that parents of kids with a disability […]
December 6, 2016
A woman I consider my mentor once told me that her biggest regret was not spending more time with her other kids as she was always busy with her daughter with complex medical needs. Later that same week my 5 year old son sat in the back of my van and piped in “Mom, let’s have a meeting”. I asked him why he wanted to have a meeting and he said “So me and you and Dad can be together. I know, I will bring paper and pens and you bring snacks”. I wept silently the rest of the way to our destination. My 5 year old had figured out one of the only ways to get his parents attention […]
November 1, 2016
I’m still flying high from giving my workshop over a week ago. I still cannot believe I not only wasn’t nervous but that I hit it out of the park. I really hope I am able to give more talks – I really feel it is a calling. I have Tuesday’s off from work. This is a fairly new development that was a necessity because between my appointments for diabetes and depression I also have to take Corbin to his regular appointments. Not to mention we both have regular bloodwork that has to be done. Tuesday’s are also supposed to be about giving me a little “me” time. This hasn’t really been happening very much as there are always appointments […]
October 22, 2016
Yesterday I achieved a goal I have had for quite some time. I presented at the Ontario Association of Infant & Child Development Conference at Caesar’s Windsor. It was my first time presenting at a conference and surprisingly I wasn’t all that nervous. The topic was Our Journey: Finding Hope and Courage Through Family Centered Care. It was a small audience but that’s okay since it was my first time. It went over very well and several people told me it was their favourite of the whole conference. That was very pleasing and humbling. Oh and I should say that Corbin gave me permission to share some of his story. In his words, “people need to know”. I hugged him […]
October 18, 2016
So I haven’t blogged for several months. Honestly the summer flew by, we only got to go camping in our new pop up trailer twice and both times were unbearably hot and humid – like sit in your own sweat all day type humid. Our niece Teegan came down for several weeks and she was Corbin’s support person in the evenings. He loved having someone his age to watch movies with and she even managed to get him to go for walks. We loved it because we weren’t inundated with a million requests. He also got his beginner driving licence. Corbin also found his way onto this blog. I knew it would happen one day. I have tried to be […]