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.

Toilet training on your kid’s schedule

Do you really need a plan of attack for potty training? What happens if you just let your kid run around naked?

Stop “trying to be good” in your birth choices

“The more I talked with my doula, the more I realized that not scheduling an induction, not having an epidural, etc. was me trying to be good. Trying to do it right…”

How can you find yourself when you’re focused on raising someone else?

How do you teach your child to cultivate a sense of self if you yourself don’t have one?

Be Who You Are: a book about a transgender child

On her blog Today You Are You, Jennifer Carr writes about her daughter’s growth from boy to girl — a transformation that began at age four. And now she’s written a book…

Dig piñatas? Learn to make a Uteriñata!

When ISN’T a uterus-shaped piñata appropriate for a baby shower?!

Lessons from a home birth turned hospital birth

My experience at the hospital changed me. I was so judgmental of that way of birthing beforehand, so sure that my way was better. But my hospital birth has made me less judgmental. Not just about birth, but about everything.

Are first year birthday parties really necessary?

Kids don’t even notice their first birthdays, right? So why not spend your kids first bday sipping champagne with your friends?

Reflections on a year of parenthood

I used to read about mothers describing how vulnerable they felt after having their children, and think “Oh, isn’t that lovely. You’re so wide open now and loving at such a different level — how powerful.” Um, no.