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In celebration of Mother’s Day, Wingtat Game Bird Packers started sponsoring a new program, since May 2015, called 「Modern Mommies」 to recognize today’s mommies. There is no one definition to describe what is a modern, successful mommy. Through this program, Wingtat hopes to illustrate and highlight different mommies, some of whom you may know or can relate to, and perhaps be inspired or encouraged by. Melissa Ng, Marketing Manager of Wingtat Game Bird Packers, will be interviewing different mommies to share and reflect upon their motherhood journey. If you are a mommy yourself, we invite you to participate in our 「Modern Mommies」 Family / Lifestyle Photo Sharing for a chance to win lovely gifts that pamper you and your family. This issue’s 「Modern Mommies」 guest is Linda who has been an early childhood educator for close to 15 years now. During her interview, she will share about her journey as a Mom, as well as the myths, expectations, fears and the joy of raising her daughter with Down syndrome.






Linda has been married for 10 years and has a 7 year old daughter named Karina. She has been working in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) field for almost 15 years. During her college years, she had found her Child Psychology courses very interesting, therefore she chose to further her study in this field. After completing her studies in ECE, she had the pleasure of teaching students in the classroom setting for 13 years. Two years ago, Linda was offered a job as a Preschool Supervisor in Richmond. Her main responsibility is to evaluate every student’s ability and come up with a personalized plan for them. Moreover, Linda makes sure her colleagues have a delightful working environment to teach in. Linda is also a Practicum Instructor at a private college.


● Linda, could you share about your feelings and experience when you first became pregnant?

To begin with, it took us a long time to get pregnant…almost 2 and half years. When I first knew that I got pregnant, we were so excited that tears came rolling down. I’ve always wanted a daughter since I was a kid and now my dream has come true. Nobody could prepare us for motherhood. That is something that we could only experience and learn by ourselves, day by day and step by step. Thinking back, I greatly enjoyed the 15-hour labour and delivery more so than the 10-month pregnancy. I hope this whole experience will remain forever vivid in my mind.


● Do you still remember the moment when your daughter was born?

Yes…as with most parents, we were looking forward to hearing the first cries of our newborn baby, but Karina didn’t cry because she was oxygen deficient. Though we were assured that everything was going to be okay, we were scared. After some help from the doctor, Karina eventually cried and was then sent to the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit). Within the next three hours after her birth, the pediatrician came by and suspected that Karina had Down syndrome (DS). When I was pregnant, we had tested and were informed that there was only 1% possibility that our baby could have DS. Thus we were not bothered by it and didn’t think much about it throughout the pregnancy. We have all seen people with DS before within our community. However, to live with, take care of and raise a child with DS is a completely different story. When I first knew that Karina has Down syndrome, I was afraid to face her, but another part of me, I just wanted to caress her and hide, to protect her from being hurt by the world. All along, my husband, Patrick, did not leave my side and provided the support I needed. Without him, I would not have been able to endure the unexpected and difficult time that followed soon after giving birth. In the beginning, I cried whenever I saw Karina. We were overwhelmed with all the unknown and the fears toward Down syndrome. Naturally, we searched Internet for information that is related to DS. There was just too many statistics and information available. When I first read that the life expectancy is around 50 – 60 years of age, I totally collapsed. I could not imagine my child passing away before myself. 6 months passed by and finally one day, I snapped out of it! Why waste our time worrying about the future? I decided to enjoy the present and precious time I have with my newborn child, and leave the future and the unknown in God’s hands. An IDP (Infant Development Program Consultant) came to our home to monitor her milestones, and help us to help her achieve milestones (e.g. rolling over, sitting up, walking, talking) as it may take a little longer time. For the first three years, our IDP came over every month to guide us and I am very grateful to her. As a new mom, I was learning every day, and tried my best to care for Karina like any newborn child.


● Now that you have been a mother for almost 7 years, is there anything you would like to share or bring awareness to us about Down syndrome?

When Karina was younger, I really disliked it when people stared at her. But now, I am much better at dealing with people’s looks and insensitivity. I want to let people know Karina is just like any other kid, she is able to learn, she can exercise, and likes to play. I encourage people to politely address your questions and concerns with us, instead of showing sympathy to Karina and our family.

If you are a parent to a child with DS, try to simply enjoy the time with your children, in spite of the challenges that may still arise with caring for children with special needs. Their future is full of uncertainties; we could never know how much time is left for us to spend with them, so enjoying the present moment is most important.

Another topic I would like to bring up is myths. One common myth is that all individuals with DS behave the same and look alike. The fact is, just like every individual, everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Yes, they have some common physical features, but they actually resemble a lot more like their parents than each other. Another myth is that children with DS are very mellow, very calm and easy to take care of. Again, every child is unique; they have their own personalities and preferences. Their physical levels vary just like any other kid. Children with DS are assumed to have lots of health issues. Yes, they are at risk of health issues but it is more important to be on top of their frequent and routine checkups and visits to the hospital. I want to share that they are not fragile; they can be hugged, held and played with like other children. Many people think our family goes through a tougher life and have a greater financial burden with raising a child with DS. We are just like other families, we experience, endure and overcome parenting challenges the best that we can. At times, we will need to spend a bit more energy, time and patience when they learn or do something new. In the past 15 years, I have taught lots of children, but Karina is my first child that I have cared for and loved since birth. As I am experiencing everything for the first time, and nothing to compare with, I am greatly enjoying parenthood. Looking back, I feel blessed that we found out that Karina had DS after she was born. If I knew during pregnancy, I don’t think I would be as optimistic or positive. God gave her to me as a gift, trusting that I would have the ability to take care of her. Therefore, I am fully responsible for this child and her well-being.

When I first knew that Karina has DS, one of my greatest worries was that other kids at school would make fun of her, but the reality is actually very touching and a big relief. Karina is now in Grade One. Her elementary school is very experienced in taking care of children like Karina. They don’t emphasis on her differences, but instead, they will customize a learning plan according to each kid’s ability. I am thankful for her teachers and her friends’ parents who encourage children to be inclusive. Her friends all know that Karina is a bit different, but she is just like any of her classmates, each student has their own strengths and weakness. Her friends have learned to include her into all activities and not point out or make fun of her differences. Karina gets invited to many playdates and birthday parties.

During her kindergarten year, Karina’s teacher invited me to give a presentation as a specialist for taking care of children with special needs. I refused as I did not think it was necessary. Everyone knows that Karina learns differently from other kids, but I did not want to draw special attention to her. It was simply not necessary to announce Karina is different and that she has DS.

Patrick and I are and will always be Karina’s advocate, but we will not overly protect her; and like other children, she will be disciplined. As parents, we all have grand plans and expectations for our children, but each child has his or her own way and timing with learning. Children with DS may need more time to learn or achieve something. We learned that we cannot force Karina to do something that she cannot do yet. We can only guide her with patience.


● How did you and Patrick share about Karina’s condition with your families after she was born?

That was one of my biggest concerns because no grandparent expects or wishes their grandchildren to have any health issues. When she was first born, I was worried about how I was going to tell our families, especially my own parents. We decided to tell Patrick’s parents first as Patrick’s side of the family has a member who has DS. His parents will be more understanding and familiar with DS. Since Karina is their first grandchild and she means everything to them, I really didn’t know how to communicate her condition to my parents so I asked my mother-in-law to tell them. In actual fact, when my mom first saw Karina, she already had some feeling that Karina would have this syndrome. Being a considerate mom, she decided not to mention it to me in fear of making me emotional and worried.

I am thankful for my parents that they love Karina as their beloved granddaughter. We don’t specifically mention Karina has DS as we love and care for her like a normal child. Unfortunately and sadly, my mom can no longer spend more time with Karina as my mom passed away 4 months ago. It brings much comfort that Karina still remembers her Grandma and misses the time she spent with her.


● Can you please tell us more about Karina?

Karina is a bossy girl and definitely has a mind of her own. Like other children, Karina experiences frustrations in her daily life. Karina’s speech is progressing and her way of releasing her frustrations is to get out of the house. Countless times, we do end up arguing with her as she may not always understand the situation even when we explained it to her. At times, she will listen and she knows that things should have their own order. For example, if she wants ice cream, she knows that she has to finish dinner first. Karina is enrolled in ballet classes. Such class has given Karina a lot of confidence. She has a wonderful ballet teacher who fully understands Karina’s abilities and treats her the same way as her other students; she sees Karina as having the potential to complete different movements.

Karina is very important to us and we need each other. I feel very happy and thankful seeing Karina grow up and learn new things in school. Patience is what I had learned from Karina, which is something I never had before. I learned to patiently wait for Karina to surprise us at her own pace. She may learn a bit slower, so it is important to give her the guidance and the patience for her to achieve her goals. Unlike our old school days when everyone, within the same grade, had the same spelling list; her school will customize a list for every student according to the child’s ability. I think we should appreciate and praise this personalised teaching method. Even though her classmates know she may take a little longer or need some help to complete a task, I have heard from other parents that Karina teaches their children to learn how to be considerate, and think on behalf of others.


● Summer is here, what does your family enjoy doing together?

Patrick and I enjoy napping a lot, and Karina likes to sleep with us too. On the weekends, we like to go to the park near our house. Karina likes going to the beach, visiting friends, and eating out. She is definitely an outdoor person so we often take her out.

In closing, I am thankful for the opportunity to share about my journey as Karina’s Mom. We hope our story gives some insight and brings awareness to Down syndrome. She is a special child not because of Down syndrome but because of whom she is inside and out. Patrick and I look forward to the time God gives us with our daughter. As we try our best to guide her along her journey, our daughter also guides us; she teaches us how to see the world through the eyes of a child.