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.

We solemnly swear you will LOVE this Harry Potter pregnancy announcement

We solemnly swear you will LOVE this Harry Potter pregnancy announcement

If you’re adding a new wizard to the family, this Harry Potter pregnancy announcement will make you cry, “Merlin’s most baggy Y-fronts!” The announcement says, “I solemnly swear we were up to no good” and has the pitter patter of tiny feet on a Marauder’s Map.

My geektastic heart can’t take the magical cuteness/dirty innuendo of this baby announcement.

Being broken doesn't mean you're not strong (and capable of being loved)

Being broken doesn’t mean you’re not strong (and capable of being loved)

To love someone who has been broken is a brave thing to do. We have lived a life most know nothing about. To the broken, love is a scary and volatile concept. Love isn’t sunshine and roses but thorns and monsoons. To the broken, yelling and raised voices are a part of a typical conversation and something to which we are accustomed. But being broken can be beautiful and strong… and you’re capable of being loved.

Will I be left out in my own home due to a language barrier with my kids?

Will I be left out in my own home due to a language barrier with my kids?

My boyfriend and I have been together for a long time and marriage is in the very near future as well as probable kids. I am white and my boyfriend is Hispanic, and he speaks both fluent English and Spanish. He has recently said that he wants his future children to learn Spanish. However, this makes me worried. Most of his immediate family speaks Spanish and they hardly include me in conversations. So I worry that if it happens now, it will only be 10x worse when it is in our household with the kids and my connection to them won’t be as strong.

Here's an amazing way to make finding out about Santa a little easier

Here’s an amazing way to make finding out about Santa a little easier

Unless you decide to be transparent about the myth up front, there comes a point where you’ve got to come clean to your kids about Santa before they find out from friends or older siblings.

I recently spied this method that I HAD to share since it’s so good. with it, you’re allowing your children to learn about Santa in a less trust-breaking way, all while encouraging empathy and generosity that can live on every day after…

Adventure vs. settling down: can we make it work when I want to roam and he wants to stay home?

Adventure vs. settling down: can we make it work when I want to roam and he wants to stay home?

My husband and I spent our 20s working short term contracts all over the country. For me every day was an adventure, but it turned out the itinerant life made my husband miserable, so we settled down. But now I’m miserable. The thing is, I still love my husband. We still make each other laugh until neither of us can move. We still have sex. But the quiet life isn’t for me.

So what do we do? Is it possible to be happily married to someone who doesn’t share your life goals? Or do I divorce my best friend?

How we're re-building a life without children

How we’re re-building a life without children

I’m not a parent, but I want to be. However, after five years of trying to get pregnant and going in circles about the pros and cons of adoption, my partner and I decided it was best for us to stop trying. We’re not preventing pregnancy, so there is still a chance, but the statistics are not on our side given the amount of time we’ve been trying and our respective ages.

That was two years ago. Here’s how we’re moving forward with a life without children when we planned for them in our lives…

How do I mention body autonomy with children's haircuts?

How do I discuss body autonomy regarding children’s haircuts?

I was visiting my brother who is a new step-parent to four children, three of whom are boys. He had decided to give all three of the boys buzz cuts for the summer. The oldest, who is 14, was protesting this and wanted to keep his hair his usual length. My brother, an admittedly more old skool type of guy, insisted on the haircut despite his stepson’s request.

I wanted to say something about body autonomy, but resisted the urge. How do you think I should have handled that situation?

An adoption web series about a queer couple trying to adopt

This web series shows the challenges of adopting as a queer couple in our foster system

I recently watched season one of a web series called The F Word: A Foster-to-Adopt Story, which follows a queer couple, filmmaker Nicole Opper and her partner Kristan, on their foster-to-adopt journey. You’ll see a whole lot of challenges faced by both adoptive parents and foster children and their families.

Opper has launched a crowdfunding campaign to make season two happen, and they’re actually super close to funding the campaign…