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.

You don’t need kids to “start a family”

I’m married, and, if things go according to plan, we won’t ever have kids. Or, as some of my family members have put it “start a family.” Now, I take issue with that phrase. Blood… children… a family needs not these things…

Does anyone write kid’s books about family friends being pregnant?

All the children’s books about pregnancy I’ve seen are “Mommy’s having a baby” or “I’m going to be a big sister.”

I’m not sure I’m comfortable breastfeeding around my 7-year-old: help?

I have a seven-year-old daughter and am pregnant with my second child. I plan on breastfeeding this baby as I did with my first — but I like to keep breastfeeding private. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with breastfeeding in front of others, but I’m just not personally comfortable doing it. How do I deal with my need for privacy while breastfeeding when my older child is around?

Instituting The Dibbs Proclamation ended the bickering between my two kids

I was inevitably drawn into the disagreement. Were they really fighting over who got to use the bathroom first when they got home? Yes. Yes, they were. And they were dragging me into it. Serves me right for only having a home with one bathroom. “Well,” I said. “Who called DIBBS?” Stunned silence momentarily followed.

My tips for keeping life with three autistic kids simply scheduled

Having three children with high-functioning autism requires daily structure on my part. I am an organizational freak to a fault, but even I love me some “organized chaos” from time to time. My kids, however, aren’t so fond of not knowing what’s coming up or what’s going on. So I made them this scheduling area by the front door to not only keep them in the loop, but make it easy enough for me to not feel committed to some intricate details that I usually give up on after a week.

A family photo session served with lots of yellow and a hand-drawn lighthouse

Jonas Seaman is a longtime friend of the Empire — he took photos at the reception we had in October 2011 and promptly became everyone’s best friend. I’ve been blogstalking him, patiently waiting for the day that he took the dive into family photography and friends: that day has come. If you live anywhere near Seattle, you’re going to be hauling yourselves up to his door and asking to have your photos taken after seeing these snaps!

How to tell family you’re childfree

Where are my fellow child-free Homies? Your insight is needed! Offbeat Families reader, Haymaker, has a mom-in-law who is desperate for she and her husband to give her MORE grandkids. But they have NO plans on having children. Like, EVER. Head over to Offbeat Families to help a sister out!

Surviving toddlerhood: sleep training, meal negotiating, and discovering How It Really Is

This child is not that child. This child is a warrior. This child narrows her eyes, pulls down her mask affixed to her Medieval spiked helmet and unsheathes her sword. This child licks her lips and spits on the ground, never breaking eye contact. “Hello, Mother,” she quietly growls through her binky. “Welcome to Hell.”