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.

Everybody deals with death differently: my advice for how to talk to those of us who’ve lost a child

At the dentist, getting my nails done, meeting new people, often times the fact that I have a son who has passed away (how’s that one sound?) ends up coming up in the conversation. I worry about it often because it’s not something most people are prepared to handle talking about. Should you be overly sympathetic? Ignore it?

A Castor oil-assisted birth

Tara and Mike’s daughter, Quinn, was born at 42 weeks (O.M.G.) with the assistance of castor oil and awesome parentage.

Boogers you want to pick? Yes!

I’ve been dreading the whole la la nursery rhymes thing. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star? Nah, I sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat, and that’s about as far as I went with nursery songs. Not only do I not know the words (ok, make that past tense thanks to a swim class), but the melodies stick in […]

Using myth to teach your toddler about life

One of my greatest joys as a mother to a toddler has been translating the world to my son, one little story at a time. At his age, 2, concerns over sleep patterns and eating habits have taken a backseat to his emotional and cognitive development. His reasoning is budding but still rudimentary, which leaves me, his guide, a liberty I haven’t known since my own childhood — to interpret the environment.

A neurology nerd dad with a penchant for ice cream

Craig is a nerdy and fabulous DILF and step-dad to Kyler.

Winner of tattoo-inspired “Mother’s Milk” tee from Hot Mama Ink

Congratulations to Chelsea, the winner of the “Mother’s Milk” tee from Hot Mama Ink! This was Kate’s comment: My fave is the mama milk tee, the slings are pretty rad too!

Can your toddler out-smart you?

If you’re reading this, you may already suspect that the answer to the question is YES. How does your toddler out-smart you?

How I started to love my stretch marks

STRETCH MARKS! The bane of many a pregnant woman’s existence. It only took Cindy approximately one hour to love hers.