Samantha Kemp-Jackson

The message was stark. United Way’s 2004 report, “Poverty by Postal Code,” revealed what had been long suspected: Over the span of 20 years, the number of families living in poverty had doubled in specific neighbourhoods across the GTA.
And marginalized communities in the inner suburbs — specifically those that included visible minorities — were experiencing poverty rates that appeared to be increasing by the year. Communities particularly hard hit included Scarborough, North York, Etobicoke,...

Yes, I DO deserve that accessible parking spot.
I had just pulled into the accessible parking spot at the supermarket. You know: the one that’s right by the front door, so that those who have difficulty walking don’t have to venture too far afield. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her.
Like me, she was middle-aged and visibly tired. Unlike me, she had parked further afield from the main door of the store. She eyed me suspiciously and I detected a flicker of anger in her gaze.
“She doesn’t l...

Making a sign, showing up and taking a stand for your beliefs is one way to show your kids and your community what anti-racism work looks like.
When George Floyd’s senseless murder was broadcast around the world, Tara Watts, a Toronto-area single mother of three, was watching. With a 10-year-old daughter and two sons, ages seven and four, Watts’s next course of action was clear. And that action would involve her children.
Within two days, they had attended two demonstrations against injustice...

Advice for parents on raising kids in an era of protest.

COVID-19 has presented additional challenges and stresses on parents who are raising children with special needs.

When Amanda Munday returned home after the breech birth of her daughter, she was in shock, both physically and emotionally. It’s no wonder, really: Four hours after giving birth, she was discharged. The 36-year-old mother of two vividly recalls her first few weeks of motherhood: “I couldn’t sleep. I started to feel really high anxiety that the baby would die. Then I started to tell myself, ‘If the baby dies, I’ll kill myself,’” she told HuffPost Canada.
Though she wasn’t aware of it at the ti...

Lynette Patterson already had her hands full, before the pandemic. The 42-year-old is a working mother of four — 14-year-old twin boys, a nine-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter. Now, with the mandated e-learning, this IT audit director has had to add another unpaid job to her already busy schedule: educator.
While her older children are fairly self-reliant in completing their schoolwork, her nine-year-old son keeps Patterson on her toes. E-learning has proven to be a formidable foe.
“M...

A mid-life diagnosis of Lupus changed the way one woman perceived her life.

As an immune-compromised person, I’m petrified of germs. Seasonal viruses that rear their ugly heads are a constant concern, with the common cold and the flu leading the charge. Each year, I stock up on hand sanitizer and harangue my kids more often than not to wash their hands thoroughly, and often.
Recent news of the COVID-19 pandemic has made me more worried than ever.
With the coronavirus outbreak heralded through fatalistic news stories, it’s no wonder that people like myself are worried...

BY SAMANTHA KEMP-JACKSON
PHOTO © michel74100/123RF Stock Photo
He jumps into our bed, spry as ever. “Good morning, Mommy!” he shouts cheerily.
This kid, though. He’s awfully happy at 5:30 a.m.
“Mommy, I’m hungry! Can I have waffles?” It’s 5:31 a.m. now. C’mon, kid!
But having to arise from my warm and comfortable bed isn’t the worst of my worries. Nope, the party has just started.
Samantha Kemp-Jackson poses with her twin sons. (Photo courtesy of Samantha Kemp-Jackson)
“Mommy! Mommy! MOMMY!” ...

Natasha Hall was 40 years old when she became a parent. The broadcaster and radio host, who had been in a long-term, committed relationship, figured it was now or never. “I always knew I wanted to be a mom but I couldn’t quite get my act together to settle down properly, and my guy was kind of in the same boat,” she reflects. “[But] after five years together, we realized there was never going to be a perfect time and that we’d better get cracking before it was too late.”
Today, they’re enjoyi...

The final straw for Paula Coop McCrory was when her neighbour accused the 44-year-old teacher of flooding the neighbour’s basement. Living in a small semi-detached home in Toronto’s east end, McCrory had tired of the lack of privacy. She loved her home but had long been feeling the strains of Toronto’s dense population and close living quarters. At the time, the mother of three elementary school boys and her husband shared a wall with a single woman whose lifestyle was the complete opposite o...

When Adam posted a picture of himself and his infant son on the dating app Hinge, he did so with deliberation and purpose. The 45-year-old sales manager at a corporate event company wanted any prospective partner to know who he was and what he prioritized in life: being a dad.
The Toronto father of two, who asked for his last name to be withheld to protect his childrens’ privacy, had posted four photos of himself, with one clearly showing a man enamoured with the baby sleeping contentedly on ...

Article featured in the Summer, 2019 edition of Travel Life magazine, print and online. Title: "The ABC's of Resort Travel With Kids."