Category Archive

Families

Our sister site Offbeat Mama launched in 2009, became Offbeat Families in 2012, and was merged into Offbeat Home & Life in 2015. This archive contains all the posts ever published on those sites! We believe that while children change your life forever, being around kids doesn’t necessitate abandoning your identity. We believe in supporting and inspiring parents and caregivers who are moving beyond mainstream visions of parenting. We welcome anyone who’s interested in families, whether you’re pre-parental, in the process of becoming a parent, or choosing to live childfree.

One awesome way to support your gay son (yes, there’s a Lady Gaga costume involved)

For Halloween last year, 14-year-old Elliot’s mom made his Lady Gaga costume and helped with makeup, and then his dad (costumed as a bodyguard) accompanied him to West Hollywood so that Elliot could go dance and sing with all the other street revelers.

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Kids rocking out

Say what you want, some talents are just innate. Like the ability to rock. Hard. Check out these shots from the Offbeat Mama photo pool of kids rockin’ what their parents gave them: Check out that low-slung guitar, whammy bar poised and at the ready. A rock and roll prodigy! It takes some artists years […]

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First, second, and third generation offbeat families

Years ago, I developed this theory about first and second generation weirdos, loosely based on the concept of first and second generation immigrant families. In my mind, there’s another second generation: the children of offbeat families.

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A celebration of moms with ink

Have you taken a look at the Offbeat Mama Flickr pool lately? It’s huge! And filled to the brim with people parenting off the beaten path and making it look good. I was flipping through it this weekend and noticed there are some mamas out there rocking some serious ink, so I thought I’d compile […]

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How I want to avoid mommy martyrdom

Last week, I asked offbeat mamas via Facebook & Twitter: “What steps do YOU take to help you avoid mama martyrdom?” I got some great responses, which helped me clarify the issue for myself. It basically boils down to this: I do not want to have a monogamous relationship with my son. I’ve read a […]

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Facing your birth fears

Q. We are planning our first homebirth with our 2nd child due in February in a state that has laws preventing homebirth. I am so excited to not be in a hospital setting….but I am becoming consumed with fear. Fear that something is going to go wrong, that we’ll have to transport to the hospital […]

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A Harry Potter-inspired maternity session

Gwyneth Colleen sent this shoot over and it’s packed with lovely shots of this family. What struck me about the shoot was the poses they came up with.

Even though the family is dressed low-key, these poses they came up with and shot with Gwyneth make the shots unique and fun to look at.

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Gorgeous goth family portraits

Feast your eyes on this gorgeous, darkly gothic family portrait series that revolves around a lovely little girl named Thekla.