All That I Did Not Know: Supporting My Transgender Kid November 14, 2018 by Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg Leave a Comment In 2012, my kid West came out as genderqueer and now identifies as non-binary. Although assigned a gender of female at birth, West does not fit inside binary gender categories and uses the pronouns they, their, and them. For West, gender is fluid; sometimes, they move between male and female, and at other times, they are outside the binary altogether. My reactions to West … [Read more...]
Political Parenting: 5 Lessons Resisting the Trump Administration Taught Me and My Kids November 8, 2018 by Ginger Stickney Leave a Comment I’m walking my daughter home from the bus stop and she’s chattering about the elections. I’m glad she’s learning about it at school but I listen closely, ready to pounce on any propaganda. While our town is pretty liberal, I’m not so sure about my children’s teachers. Suddenly my child asks, “Do you think my teacher is voting for Trump?” I wish I could say no but I honestly … [Read more...]
9 Common Mistakes Parents Make About Their Kid’s Weight October 15, 2018 by Judith Matz 11 Comments When I see someone teaching kids to hate their bodies, I’m mad. I’ve spent the bulk of my career as a therapist helping adults to let go of body shame, and I know that the roots of this dissatisfaction often starts during childhood. A recent study of 111 girls revealed that by age 5, 50% of these kids had internalized the thin ideal. Many of my clients have spent … [Read more...]
10 Tips for Introducing Disability to Kids October 13, 2018 by Rev. Katie Norris Leave a Comment As parents, there are so many things that we need to help our kids learn. I think every parent or guardian has had a similar experience of the first time their toddler saw someone with a visible disability. Maybe the child saw a person in a wheelchair, or someone with dwarfism, and they pointed and stared. Perhaps the child said loudly, “Look! What is wrong with that person?” … [Read more...]
How Do We Create Consent Culture With Our Children? September 14, 2018 by Louisa Leontiades Leave a Comment As many cis het white women know right now, it is a time for us to learn everything we have been doing wrong and make amends. But whilst many claim to love learning, discussions of race are hampered because it means confronting our own failings and actively choosing to be vulnerable to the rage of those we have unwittingly oppressed or abused, even if our crime has 'simply' … [Read more...]
6 Ways NOT To Nurture Neurodivergent Kids September 6, 2018 by Gabe Moses Leave a Comment Neurodivergence is something we all are learning and understanding more about all the time – both those of us who are neurodivergent ourselves, and the parents, teachers, caregivers, and advocates who (hopefully) are working to support and help us. Because the terminology and the understanding of how we tick (and in my case, tic) are always changing, I get that it can be hard … [Read more...]
7 Self-Care Tips for Parents of Young Kids August 29, 2018 by Louisa Leontiades Leave a Comment This article was originally published on Ravishly.com and is republished with permission. Feeling guilty won’t help your kids, but it sure will fuck you up. It started when my wife saw an old Facebook post of hers, one which equated sleeping in with self-care, saying something to the effect of, “wow sleeping 12 hours was exactly what I needed!” It was 5 … [Read more...]
7 Things You Learn Raising Kids in an Open Relationship August 18, 2018 by Louisa Leontiades Leave a Comment "Have you thought about how a polyamorous relationship works with kids?" my colleague asked as I suppressed a smile. I've written a book about it, I was tempted to say. Do they sense any instability? I've spent hours at a time analysing their actions and reactions. Are they at more risk from bullying due to the unconventional nature of their parents' relationship? We've … [Read more...]
Kidnapping, Jailing, and Abusing Immigrant Children Is Body Terrorism August 16, 2018 by Shannon Weber Leave a Comment I live in a country where millions of people avert their gaze from or even celebrate the jailing of children, torn from their parents and often trafficked across state lines. Apparently it’s acceptable to commit human rights abuses against a population if you’ve already dehumanized them to your supporters, made an exception because as “illegal aliens”, they’re not quite the … [Read more...]
Please Don’t Sexualize My Daughter: Balancing “Good” Parenting With My Child’s Freedom August 1, 2018 by Ginger Stickney 1 Comment When my daughter, P, started to attended a small “unschool”, she discovered not only a joyous education but also the joy of colored hair. Unschoolers believe that children learn better when they pick what they learn and how to learn said subjects. It wasn’t surprising, then, to find kids who also chose how they wished to present themselves to the world. The girls at the school … [Read more...]
To My LGBTQ Latino Son After Pulse: The Only Grief I feel Is For the World June 13, 2018 by Ginger Stickney Leave a Comment To My Son, When you came out to me last year, it was kind of an awkward forced situation. We found some things on your social media device and we wanted to make sure you were safe. I told you then “You don’t have to tell us anything you’re not ready to but we just want to make sure you’re not trolling anyone.” You flushed furiously not so much, I think, at us asking about … [Read more...]
10 Radical Parenting Resources for Folks of Color, Part 1 May 18, 2018 by Cecilia Caballero Leave a Comment This piece first appeared on the author’s blog, Chicana M(other)work, and is reprinted here by permission. Ever since I became a mother seven years ago, I have struggled to find parenting resources that reflect my visions for social justice. I am not interested in resources that reinforce neoliberal ideologies, rather, I want revolution! The following is a list of 10 … [Read more...]
#MeToo: Will My Son Grow up to be a Rapist? May 1, 2018 by Louisa Leontiades 1 Comment After the flurry of #MeToo’s had died down in my social media feed, it was not fears for my daughter which kept me awake that night. Not because I know she won't be violated at some point in her life. She will, unless she's exceedingly lucky, because living in our abusive culture means it is practically inevitable. My job is to love and educate her as hard as I can, which also … [Read more...]
When Meaning Well Does Harm: 4 Ways We Keep Socially Shaming Fat Kids & How To Stop February 20, 2018 by lkchary Leave a Comment It used to be that a fat child was source of pride to her parents. Chubbiness was the sign of a well-nourished child; a member of a family who could afford not only to feed her, but to indulge her. Rounded rosy-cheeked babies and adolescent girls grew into the “well-endowed” and physically sumptuous bodies painted by all the great artists and loved as Hollywood screen goddesses … [Read more...]
Learning to Face My Feelings: Hair Picking And Anxiety August 2, 2017 by Tara Betts Leave a Comment Trichotillomania. I first heard this word because I had finally found an older black woman who was a therapist that I could work with on my issues. I tried several therapists in the past, only to be met by therapists who could not offer suggestions, and at worst, failed to understand why I was so angry. Even my youngest brother has written about how we grew up “angry,” so if my … [Read more...]
How Anti-Immigrant Sentiment Created the Manchester Attacks June 14, 2017 by Louisa Leontiades Leave a Comment The weather app had predicted sunshine, but the sky was crying and helped by a bottle of white wine, I was crying too. Manchester, the city of my childhood, had been attacked and the victims were children. At the close of an Ariana Grande concert, a suicide bomber pressed the detonator and blew himself up along with twenty-two others. Those who rushed to help spoke of … [Read more...]
