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.

An epic unmedicated, hospital, and midwife-assisted birth story

The mother of all natural, midwife-assisted, hospital birth stories. Buckle in, because this one is long, challenging, and glorious.

How should my child’s gender be defined?

The age-old struggle: defining gender. Every family has a different way of approaching the topic, and Denise is in the process of figuring out what exactly “female” means for her three month old, Nikte.

Challenges of helping an independence-craving teenager

Teens and toddlers have more in common than meets the eye–particularly when it come to their cravings for independence.

Can we change princess culture?

Can we re-message and re-package what “princess” means and looks like in a way that makes princess life empowering and not merely about external appearance, wealth, and netting a hot young prince?

Surviving a family photo session with your happiness intact

A family portrait session can be incredibly stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few tips and tricks from photographers and parents.

The ups (and downs) of toddler-hood

Got a crazy, attention-demanding, kisses-giving, totally lovable toddler in your life? You’ll dig this.

Making prints of lotus-born placenta

Lotus birth babies have two birth days, they have the day that they were born into the world from Mama’s womb and they have the day that their umbilical cord and placenta naturally detached from their belly button.