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.

I’m losing my baby fever

My husband still wants kid, but I’ve found my baby fever has started to fade. I love kids, but I sometimes find myself thinking, “Maybe I don’t want this for myself after all.” After a lifetime of wanting kids, it’s a super-weird feeling.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so, what advice do you have?

What NOT to do when your friends have a newborn

In the first couple of weeks after giving birth, I found myself showered with food, presents, and presence. But it was really after the six weeks passed that I found myself quite alone — people weren’t visiting anymore, but it was still hard for me to get out with a newborn. This is the best time to be there for your friend. But here are some of my major don’ts, that you could help manage if you’re there!

Can’t spell vasectomy without team: how to give the perfect “snip gift”

“Taking one for the team”… “Vasec-Tommy”… “Can’t spell vasectomy without team” Yep, when there’s no push present because you’ve chosen to be childfree, sometimes you make t-shirts with the slogans above as part of your “snip gift” extravaganza. Our sales manager chica, Tiff, did just this for her husband and we’ve got the deets on how to make vasectomy day a much better day than it could be otherwise.

I have a mother with a personality disorder

I know many people can relate to the guilt, anger and destroyed self-esteem that can resulted from a parents’ manipulative behaviors through-out childhood, without me even having to rant about the exact ways my mother’s personality disorder attempted to destroy her kids. There are as many ways to deal with someone like my mom as there are unhealthy relationships. I would like to share my experience with a mother with a personality disorder, in the hopes that it might resonate with someone.

Keep in mind, I am not an expert. But here is how a bruised kid somehow grew into a happy, confident adult…

Why I can’t get over the Trump election, as a survivor of sexual assault

During this election cycle, I was sexually assaulted by a man that I had told just hours earlier, “I don’t like you. You’re the type that just takes what you want.” Now that type of man is my president-elect. So this is more than losing an election. It’s more than Donald Trump.

It’s that I thought this country was getting better, and it’s a smack in the face to realize that it’s not.

Chronic pain, depression & bread-winning: Is it selfish to have children?

I am 28 and the sole breadwinner in my household, my husband is long-term unemployed with chronic back pain and is unlikely to be meaningfully employed anytime in the foreseeable future. We both have mental health issues. We have been trying to conceive for over a year with no luck as yet, and I have been wondering more and more whether having a baby is a good idea.

10 gorgeous judgement-busting photos of tattooed parents

Sure, in recent years, tattoos have become more common, but they can still carry a negative connotation.

The people in my “Tattooed Parents in Everyday Society” collection are parents who have been judged by those that do not know them. Many of these parents own small businesses, are tattoo artists themselves, are a part of a military family, and raise amazing kiddos. They just also have this amazing art on their bodies…

When shared custody is multiplication rather than division: Or, how I became a mother of my brother’s child

My husband and I share custody with my brother and sister-in-law’s daughter. So how have two childless people adjusted to parenting an almost-tween?

The answer is: surprisingly well. And this is why…