Judith Rosenbaum’s father didn’t preach about being feminist, he lived it, and it is through his example that Judith learned what a truly egalitarian partnership looks like. I call myself a second-generation feminist, and when I do so, I’m thinking of my mom. A pioneer of the Second Wave, a path-breaking women’s historian, and a […]
People learn best by doing, so Lisa Levey challenges mothers to let the fathers of their children figure out parenting on their own terms, even if it means fumbling from time to time. As mothers, we know that the most powerful lessons our children learn often come about as a result of direct experience rather […]
You can’t choose your parents, and you can’t always choose who you love. Ozy Frantz’s father is racist and homophobic, and yet somehow still loveable. My father believes that bisexuals don’t exist, and that trans panic is a reasonable defense for murder. He has been known to say that he is OK with gay people, […]
Mothers aren’t always right. Lynn Beisner recalls an incident when a decision she made as a mother was wrong—very wrong—and her husband proved how skilled he was as a parent. Before the night of The Monsters Under the Bed Incident, which I will describe shortly, I believed that fathers were parents in name only. I […]
Al Watts, a stay-at-home dad for the last decade, discusses the findings of a new study released yesterday that analyzes fatherhood in the 21st century and how it affects moms and dads in the workplace. When we decided I would become an at-home dad, we didn’t consider how it would affect my career or my […]
Eric Sentell’s father pushed his son to figure things out on his own, even if it meant making mistakes along the way. As a result, he gained confidence and independence. He challenges parents today to stop running to their children’s rescue, and let them learn to navigate the world on their own. Parenting has been […]
This was originally posted at From Two To One as part of the Last Name Project. Republished here with permission. Background: My name is Scott, and I live in the United States, specifically in rural Appalachia. I work as a freelance musician part-time (some of it from home, and some of it traveling around the country), but […]
What scares Hugo Schwyzer the most about raising his newborn son is that one day he might repeat the terrible gendered mistakes of his father. “It’s a boy!” cried the doula, as our infant son slid out of my wife’s body. David Aneurin Nikola Schwyzer, our second child, was born earlier this month—and until that […]
This was originally posted at Mockingbird Don’t Write. Republished here with permission. I’m having one of those difficult conversations you dread as a parent, but can’t avoid. And I can’t be as honest with her as I want to be because she’s at that age where she repeats everything she hears, with horrific, lightening fast […]
Vincent O’Keefe, a full-time stay-at-home dad, offers his take on the new romantic comedy What To Expect When You’re Expecting. On the promotional website for the film What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Heidi Murkoff, author of the classic advice guide, declares: “As a passionate dad-vocate, I’ve been determined since the start of this process […]
Holly Kearl’s parents have always been her greatest fans. And whether it was teaching her to fight for what was right, or leading by example, she says she owes much of her success to those lessons from her mother and father. As my parents Beckie Weinheimer and Alan Kearl often say, in our family, we […]
This week’s roundup of our favorites from across the interwebs to help you make sense of men and women. 1. In Praise of Single Mothers by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon of The Atlantic says that politicians accuse them of destroying “the fabric of this country” but, as one daughter attests, they’re holding society together. 2. Share […]
