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.

What do you wear during labor and birth?

So you’re going to have a baby. Like, imminently. Like, within a few hours. What to wear?

How watching TV changed my kid

After going three years without it, we’ve finally switched the TV back on and are surprised by the (mostly) positive results.

Baby wearing made me a Mom

Here’s how Maura found closeness with her foster son through baby wearing.

Surrogacy Part Two: Why did I choose this?

In part two of her surrogacy series (you can read part one here, A.M. discusses her pregnancy and goes into why she became a gestational carrier in the first place.

Surrogacy Part One: How I became a gestational carrier

In the first of a two-part installment, A.M. explains how she became a gestational carrier for a same-sex couple.

Confessions of a progressive mama: I sleep-trained my baby

Megan’s parenting confession is “wrapped in guilt, cloaked in shame, manage to stick around despite all my attempts at denial, rationalization, and even good old fashion confrontation.” What is it? She sleep-trained her baby.

Why age doesn’t matter in marriage or parenthood

Ruth is a twenty-seven year old mama married to a sixty-two year old man — and you thought you had to deal with looks when you go out?!

Will my child still love me if we wean?

If you wean your child, will he or she still be close? Do you ever just feel like a “walking dairy rack?”