Category Archive

parenthood

Resources for fathers-to-be that aren’t patronizing

Are there resources for fathers-to-be that aren’t weirdly gendered or patronizing? My husband isn’t an idiot and would love more information than “when can my wife have sex again?”, “when will I get to watch sports again”, or “how to do cope wife my wife’s craaa-aaaa-zzyyy hormones/body/cravings/etc?”

Why ditching my kid to go exercise makes me a better parent

Something I often get mom guilt about is leaving the house to workout. The truth is, leaving the house to get a workout in helps make me a better parent! And it could do the same for you, here’s why…

How to know when your kid is old enough to be left alone

Our daughter is almost 10. I believe she would be fine on her own for an hour, and I feel confident that she knows how to call 911, who to go to for help, etc., But, what do you guys think… At what age are kids ready to be left alone?

I want to adopt another child. My husband doesn’t.

We’re at an impasse. We fundamentally disagree, and we completely respect each other’s feelings on the subject. We just don’t agree.

One of us is going to “lose” the argument here, and I don’t know how to cope…

I’m a father and I want to talk about parenting with depression

I’m sure other parents have gone through this, and it’s not a topic we talk about a lot. Postpartum depression has gotten a lot of press in recent years (as it should), but depression impacts dads as well. As men, we tend to avoid these kinds of topics by and large; which is foolish, but that doesn’t make it any less the case.

So let’s talk about parenting with depression…

Hey “bad moms,” let’s give ourselves permission to feel competent

Since the birth of my daughter, I’ve found myself using the phrase “I’m a bad mom” a lot. It horrifies my husband, who associates bad moms with criminals, not ordinary women with ordinary flaws.

Think about your best girlfriend who is also a mom. Now imagine someone called her a bad parent. How would you feel?

Somebody said it to my face once. He didn’t really know me, had never met my daughter, he was just a drunken dick in the bar where I work, but he said it, he looked me in the eye and said: “You’re a bad mother.” Let me tell you, it’s one hell of a fucking insult, and we should never, never, say it to ourselves.

My 8 pieces of advice for all stay-at-home-parents

I’ve been a stay-at-home-mom for nine years. I’d like to think that I’ve provided my kids with stability at a time when life gets crazy for one reason or another. So here’s my advice for others who found them selves to be stay-at-home-parents…

How to talk to your kids about poverty when they’re growing up poor

I grew up very poor. I remember asking my mom if we were poor, because the kids at school said we were. She replied that we were poor by our communities standards, but by worldwide standards we were very fortunate. She talked to me about poverty very frankly and openly, and it really made an impression on me…