This originally appeared on Alternet.org. Republished here with permission. Some people feel their kids are their greatest achievement. For a long time I thought mine was not having any. “What’s your greatest achievement?” That’s such a good question. It lets you dwell for a moment on the things you’ve got in the plus column of […]
This originally appeared on Alternet.org. Republished here with permission. A growing body of research finds that procreating can be a bit of a downer. We’re often told that procreating will make our lives happier, and that not having kids will be an empty, bleak experience. Nonsense, says a growing body of research. From Nobel […]
Given the statistics surrounding sexual abuse and the persistence of false rape accusation myths, maybe we should teach our children how to gather evidence of their assaults, says Soraya Chemaly. Dylan Farrow published an open letter on Saturday in which she publicly addressed, for the first time, her accusations that Woody Allen sexually abused her when […]
I yell at my kids, I let them eat junk food (sometimes), do scary things, and watch TV. But I’m a good mom. And so are you. When you think about what it means to be a good mom, some may picture the attachment parent who’s baby-wearing and co-sleeping and making her own organic baby […]
This originally appeared on Everyday Feminism. Republished here with permission. Toy buying is often a minefield for feminist parents. Many parents ask me something along the lines of, “OH NO! My daughter loves [fill in girly, pink, princess toy here]! What do I do?” There is a great deal of fear that having a daughter […]
I’m not disappointing anyone. I’m not obligated to anyone but myself and my chosen family. I don’t have to feel guilty or that I’m a terrible daughter. It might be strange to say that I feel lucky to be without parents, but it’s true. I have amnesia when it comes to other people’s families. I […]
This originally appeared on Mamamia. Republished here with permission. I have never considered myself very maternal. I make babies cry and I really do not understand the appeal of them. Puppies I totally get—babies, not so much. For much of my life motherhood was something I intended to do someday but in recent years, it […]
This originally appeared on The Daily Life. Republished here with permission. Dear Santa, What I want for Christmas is for people to stop objectifying my daughter. But after I took my 4-year-old daughter Violet to visit you last week, it seems that even YOU can’t deliver on this particular request. You may recall that we […]
Khadijah Costley White never really knew her father. But it wasn’t until after his passing that she realized how much she wished she had. The 17th anniversary of my father’s passing last week has me thinking about my views and experiences related to fatherhood, though it’s a journey hard to chart. I’ve often thought about […]
This originally appeared on Mamamia. Republished here with permission. To my darling son, I know this is not a conversation any boy wants to have with his mom at any age, so I’m going to let you off the hook. Sort of. By writing you this letter, I’m going to spare you from having a […]
We’re expected to be there, but it’s miserable for everyone. So we’re not going, says Laurel Hermanson. When I was little, I had two sets of grandparents: city grandparents and country grandparents. On my mother’s side were Nanny and Beepa. They were affluent and sophisticated and lived in a stately colonial in an upscale Connecticut […]
The ambiguity around “family time” and how it will be divvied up causes Emily Heist Moss more anxiety than just about anything. This will be the first year that my brother won’t be coming home for Christmas. Intellectually, I know that this is what happens—families grow, priorities change, traditions evolve. Intellectually, I know that his […]
