The disappearance of a family member is making me a better aunt
I have a feeling of protectiveness for Julie, and my other niece, Mandy, that’s really hard to completely express. I want to hug them tight and play with them and always be there for them. I probably would have always felt this way for them — it’s primal instinct, you know, for adults to always want to care for the children to whom they are related — but it’s especially important to me given my family history.
A rockabilly maternity session featuring the whole family
I am super stoked to share this maternity session featuring Silvia, Geo, and Mia today — the rockabilly theme and tin can phone is the cutest combination of ideas! These photos were taken by Minerva Photography in Davie, Florida.
A letter to my daughter about fighting back
I was absolutely struck by this recent piece by Sarah Tuttle-Singer about teaching our children to fight back — within reason. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the rules of parent and personhood: be nice. Try again. Make friends. Share.
Sometimes, even though those rules are still very important, being nice isn’t the appropriate response.
Stream of consciousness thoughts on failing at breastfeeding — and surviving
I barely pump anymore, although I can still feed my baby about an ounce of breast milk from one breast every other feeding or so. I’ve given up on my right breast — she’s such an underachiever. I’ll keep taking the prescriptions and supplements and keep hoping that I’m giving my baby girl SOME antibodies and nutrients, but for the most part, my child is fed, and yes nourished, by formula.
All about that time Offbeat Empire’s Megan Finley made her TV godmother ugly cry
While some of you may have been reading Offbeat Empire websites for YEARS, you might not realize that we have a veritable television star on staff. OH YES: years ago, Offbeat Empire Associate Publisher & Offbeat Home Managing Editor Megan Finley had a key role on Knots Landing as a baby who, among many other things I’m sure, has the fantastic ability to bring emotional women to their knees
Dont Ever give Up Who you are for Enybody: Getting to know the man my father was
Even as adults, we are unable see our parents clearly because of the lingering distortions created by our childhood views of them. I am unable to separate who Daddy actually was as a person from the role he played in my earliest memories. I have not fabricated a filter to tint my perspective; I just don’t allow myself a critical vantage point.
I’m pregnant and looking for a job — how do I deal with pregnancy discrimination?
My husband and I had been trying to conceive for several months, and in a burst of the kind of irony that seems to fill my life, succeeded exactly on the night before I lost my job. How can I convince interviewers that I’m worth the risk even though I’ll need 12 weeks off in the first year they have me on board?
It turns out Finland and South Korea have the best education systems in the world
According to a poll recently conducted by education firm Pearson, students in Finland and South Koren are receiving the best education in the world. Hong Kong, Japan, and Singapore round out the top 5, while the United Kingdom is sixth, Canada checks in at 10th, and the United States comes in at 17th.