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.

How we’re handling our surprise pregnancy

We were in what many people would consider a “dream” situation for a first child. My husband and I had been married for over two years, we own the place where we live and we both have reasonably stable jobs. Despite all of this, I was devastated to find myself pregnant. I felt totally unprepared for this major life change — like I had been cheated out of the second half of my twenties, like I hadn’t gotten enough time alone with my husband. I was numb for about 36 hours after we found out.

Is it possible to teach your kids about other religions without imposing your own beliefs?

We both agree that we want our children to be able to choose what works for them as far as a religion and beliefs go… but we’re not well-versed in other religions. Where should we begin?

Pumping and bottle-feeding saved us

Breastfeeding is awesome, but we sucked at it. Here’s how we got past that.

Why we switched to a midwife 32 weeks into our pregnancy

My decision to switch to this midwife group turned out to be so essential to the beautiful success of my birth not because I got the unmedicalized birth, but because I ended up with a medicalized one.

Two mamas, lots of tattoos, and a guitar

Good reads? Check. Super cute baby belly? You betcha. Two beautiful mamas happily awaiting their kiddo? YEP, it’s in here!

My husband was a sperm donor: perspective from the partner of a bio-dad

Anyone who has friends in same-sex relationships knows about how much weight is given to biological parents here in the US … I don’t know exactly how this has worked out so well, but I think it’s because we all care about each other.

Easy DIY: decorating baby & kid clothes with freezer paper stencils

Here’s an easy-peasy DIY tutorial for making your own freeze paper stencils so you can get decorating those clothes — yours OR your kid’s!

Buying Time: A feminist mom gets humbled

As a parent, I have accepted and even come to cherish the stages of development my kids weave in and out of … but I also more-recently realized, someday in the not-so-distant future, this little girl is going to fall in love, have sex, and quite likely have her heart broken.