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.

Where can butches find maternity clothing?

Can we talk about pregnant butch girls and maternity clothing? My partner of 10 years and I are expecting our first child in November. I need to go shopping for maternity clothes, but am concerned about the very feminine options that I have seen thus far.

Pushba and her son Elisha, celebrating!

Google Translator says this is “Extract from the hospital,” but to me it looks like Pushba and her son Elisha getting discharged and celebrating their escape from the hospital!

Passing for straight: parenting with a man as a queer woman

I hear some of you wondering “Then why bother telling him? If you’re monogamous with a man, aren’t you basically straight anyway? What does it matter what other people think?” All I can tell you is, it does matter. We are talking about no less than who I am, at my very foundation.

Forging a relationship with my new step-daughter

Sophia’s technically not my step-daughter yet, and if I stick with just the off-hand comment of how my fiance has a child, it sounds like I’m not involved in her life. “Soon-to-be step-mom” is awkward and clunky, and referring to her as a room mate is clearly not an option.

Trusting my child to choose his own adventure: democratic unschooling in action

I’ve been answering the question, “What grade is your son in?” for nine years, and even now I’m never quite sure what will come out of my mouth. My son has been attending The Clearwater School since age four. Clearwater is a Sudbury school, a democratic school based on freedom, trust, and responsibility. Kids have as much of a say in running the school as adults.

From water to bed: our water-turned-hospital birth story

A sob escaped before the tears had a chance to start flowing in reaction to what my midwife was telling me. My wife, Kate, held my right hand and the nurse held my left while my midwife gave my leg a sympathetic squeeze. I cried bitter tears, agonizing over the hard work I’d done the past 26 hours — intense, induced, pain-med-free labor. As they streamed down my hot cheeks and onto the cool bed sheets, so fell my hopes for The Perfect Birth.

Why I let my tween listen to whatever music he wants

Language isn’t that big a deal to me, nor is the violence. It’s the drug use and the sexually suggestive material. But the music doesn’t concern me. Is that bad?

Parenting a teen in the shadow of Facebook

Kids that are in high school and college right now are the guinea pigs for coming of age in the social networks. They are learning the hard way what should and should NOT be posted to their Tumblr, Facebook or Twitter accounts.