Category Archive

People

“Homeowner”, “renter” or “squatter” – whatever the label, these occupants take the Offbeat wherever they go.

How do you make the invasiveness of pregnancy less scary for a rape survivor?

I’ve talked to my husband and I’ve talked to a therapist and now I thought I would share my question to see if I could hear from other people who may have been there before or are looking down a similar path. Do you have any coping suggestions for making the OB/midwife (and pregnancy) less scary for a rape survivor?

Huge list of places to donate to help Texas during Hurricane Harvey

Huge list of places to donate to help Texas during Hurricane Harvey

If you’re watching the news and seeing all the flooding, devastation, stranded groups of people, and want to know how to help Texas recover from Hurricane Harvey, you’re not alone. We’ve seen some great compilations of charities and organizations to which you can donate, and have rounded up as many as we could find. Please chime in with your own suggestions in the comments!

When baby sleeping techniques fail, will our marriage survive?

I don’t know what I expected regarding sleep with a baby, but it certainly wasn’t that he’d be waking up every hour to two hours at night at six months old, having done this for several months.

We fully intended to follow the National Health Service‘s guidelines on reducing SIDS — keeping him in our room until six months old before moving him into the nursery down the hall. Because of course, by that point he’d be sleeping through that night.

Surprisingly, that isn’t where we are now. And I had given little thought to our relationship would cope in this situation.

Surviving a family stomach bug: A single mom’s guide (based on true events)

As if a family-wide vomiting spree wasn’t horrific enough, you’re mummy, you’re in charge of this literal shit show.

So how does one nurse delicate constitutions when one is incredibly fragile one’s self? Here’s what I learned “in the field” with a family stomach bug…

I want a permanent “weekend relationship.” Is that possible?

Recently, I found a great guy who is just like me and we clicked immediately. He lives some 200 miles away and we basically have a weekend relationship. I really love it that way and so does he. We don’t take it as a “phase,” though. We’re looking at it more like a perfect relationship pattern.

I do hear warning voices, though, telling me that this isn’t a “real” relationship. So I wonder… are there other people out there living in a similar weekend relationship pattern?

How to know when your kid is old enough to be left alone

Our daughter is almost 10. I believe she would be fine on her own for an hour, and I feel confident that she knows how to call 911, who to go to for help, etc., But, what do you guys think… At what age are kids ready to be left alone?

I want to adopt another child. My husband doesn’t.

We’re at an impasse. We fundamentally disagree, and we completely respect each other’s feelings on the subject. We just don’t agree.

One of us is going to “lose” the argument here, and I don’t know how to cope…

Want something better than 13 Reasons Why? Here's the show that wins in portraying mental illness

Want something better than 13 Reasons Why? Here’s the show that wins in portraying mental illness

13 Reasons Why was problematic when it came to dramatizing suicidal ideation and execution — in all it’s heavy and highly dramatized detail. I want to call out an alternative. A really good alternative and one you may have missed if you’re outside of the U.K. Here’s why My Mad Fat Diary is a much better portrayal of mental illness and suicide…