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 happens if you move to another country while pregnant?

My husband and I had THE TALK a couple nights ago, and came to the realization that this year is THE YEAR: we’re going to try this baby-making thing! But there is a kicker, and it’s not a little one — we have a move to Europe in the works this Fall for his studies.

How my hospitalised, medicated, induced birth experience healed me

When I fell pregnant with my second child, I was terrified of the same experience. I suddenly understood why women would choose to birth at home over a hospital, although this wasn’t an option for me. I did everything in my power to gain knowledge and make decisions about my birth before choices could be made for me. Even though I was birthing in the hospital again, I hoped for this to be the birth I wanted with the elements that were important to me. However, my baby had other plans.

What are the ethics of naming your child — can you use someone else’s baby’s name?

As days went by, I couldn’t stop smiling and giggling when I thought of the name — I know it’s meant for my baby, and my husband feels the same. Except… I feel guilty about the idea of “stealing” this beautiful name.

DIY marshmallow shooters for kids of all ages

I know some big kids, aka supposed grown-ups, who will be high-tailing it to the hardware store to get s’more supplies for these marshmallow shooters. (Ha! See what I did there?) Then your advanced marshmallow weaponry is easy to load and laughter-inducing to unload. Find out how to make your very own marshmallow arsenal…

I am breastfeeding a two-year-old and it’s not gross (I promise)

The other day I was hanging out with my friend and her four-year-old daughter. My son, the aforementioned two-year-old, at some point asked to breastfeed. I’m trying to cut down on nursing him in public, but he’d just spent his first night away from me, so I figured I could make an exception. I helped him up onto my lap, pulled down my shirt, and let my kid do his thing.

I am the parent of a weird kid, and I know I’m not alone

Life with a weird kid is isolating. You spend a lot of time tamping down that parental anxiety when your kid is freaking out and it seems like all the other kids are sitting nicely and cooperating. You explain over and over that your kid just doesn’t like circle time or story time or most organized activities. I’ve learned over time to respect my son and the way he functions, and there are a lot of activities we simply cannot do because he can’t handle them. I’ve learned that the reason it seems like all the other kids can cope is that the parents with the weird kids are staying home. I’ve felt completely and utterly alone as seemingly everyone else went around with their perfectly normal, average kid.

My daughter wants a Doctor Who-themed Bat Mitzvah and we’re lost: help us plan her party!

Since there’s no way to know how many of our readers have actually celebrated/attended a Bat Mitzvah, I thought it would be a good idea to, you know, ask someone who HAS. I wrangled Avital Norman Nathman, and she gave me the rundown.

We need to quit telling lies on Facebook

Not to be outdone, I uploaded our new pictures. “Sunny Saturday!” I wrote in the status. I’m not a total liar. I’m just good at PR. Time passed — five minutes? An hour? When you’re blissfully ignoring your kids, the seconds slip by far too quickly.