International Kids
Globetrotting with children presents unique challenges.
By Lesley Robinson
We have always been an international family. My husband, Mark, and I left the UK the day after our wedding on an international adventure that has so far lasted well over two decades. I quickly came to understand that “home” is where you’ll find the people you love. Our first 16 years together were spent in a small town in upstate New York, where our three children were all born and began their schooling. The children were always just a little different from their hometown compatriots. They frequently traveled to Europe and were always competing to see which of them had visited the most countries. They were already up to about 15 apiece before we began our life as expat Americans. Their extensive travels... read more
Born (Child)Free
Some breed, some screed...
By Alan Thomas
Childfree. A clever appellation for a group of people who are “childless by choice”, the... read more
Baby No Sleeping
The Giving-Up Guide for Parents Who Can't Get Their Kids to Sleep
By Nell McCarthy
Below is a list of some of the things well-intentioned people told me to do to help my son sleep,... read more
Adjusting
I don't know how you do it.
By Kristy Dallas Alley
It’s a warm spring afternoon and I am at the playground with an old friend and her neighbor, a woman... read more
The Peanut Gallery
What do cowboys and marionettes have to do with sex?
By Scott Warner
When Michael Jackson was booked on child molestation charges, he put me in a difficult position. I twisted... read more
More Parenting Features
Shades of Gray
It's not always black and white.
By Misty Nuckolls
I've avoided writing this for a long time now. Over eighteen months, if the truth be told. But tonight, reading an essay by Ayelet Waldman on Salon.com, and in light of the upcoming Supreme Court debacle and what it's going to mean for reproductive freedom, I couldn't put it off any longer.
So here I am, finally writing about the A-word. Oh, I've written about it plenty before, in my usual callous, there-are-too-many-goddamn-mouths-on-the-planet-to-begin-with vein.
But that was before.
Not before I became pregnant. I was pregnant once before, at eighteen. I didn't know it until I lost it. I mourned that baby, even... read more
Little Miss Feminist
We're just not a beauty queen kind of family.
By Rita Fiorentino
Earlier this summer, the owner of my kids’ Taekwondo school sent us an e-mail. It said:
I’d... read more
Red Fish, Blue Fish
A view of Conservative vs. Liberal values in America's classrooms.
By Alan Thomas
Clearly, liberal values nurture children to the pinnacle of their potential, while the effects of... read more
A Socially Irresponsible Stroll Through My Neighborhood
Sometimes convenience trumps political correctness.
By Robin Dutton-Cookston
By the time you finish reading this essay, you will think I am a depraved, cold-hearted, unfeeling... read more
Coping with the Adoption Option
How could I possibly keep a third child?
By Natasha Johnson
I’ve cried myself to sleep every night for months, wondering if my children will ever forgive... read more
More Politics/Social Issues Features
Beautiful People Make Better Mothers
Screw you, Cindy Crawford.
By Kelley Cunningham
Elizabeth Hurley lost her baby weight faster than YOU did. Look! Pamela Anderson can give birth and blow her husband at the same time! Cindy Crawford looked better pushing her baby out than you looked at your wedding! Sarah Jessica Parker walked out of the maternity ward wearing Manolo Blahniks!
Listen up, People,... read more
Ask the Angry Baby
Cursing habits, sippy cups, co-sleeping sex, international travel, and saying "no"
My 7-year-old has a habit of cursing. He occasionally does it in front of me, and I've heard... read more
An open letter to the J.M. Smucker Company, maker of Uncrustables
April 1, 2005
Executive Offices
The J.M. Smucker Company
Strawberry Lane
Orrville, OH 44667-0280
RE:... read more
The New OSHA Guidelines
RE: Strategic Partnership For Worker Safety And Health Guidelines For Drivers of Family Vehicles
By Joan Conde
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ADMINISTRATION... read more
WTF?! Toy Roundup
Hershey's S'mores, Don't Wake Daddy, Bratz Twister, and In Your Face
Hershey's... read more
More Humor Features
Pole Dancing Mama
My new exercise routine.
By Esme Mills
Yes, it’s true; I am a pole dancing mama. But let’s get one thing straight before I continue -- I do it for pleasure, not for profit. I don’t sneak out after I put my boys to bed and work in a dark bar to pay the bills. I have new respect for the girls who do, but it’s not for me. No, I’ve joined the latest fitness trend, and I stomp around in my living room, imagining that I resemble a brunette Pamela Anderson minus the big lips, big hair, and, well, big everything. So, not quite like Pam at all.
In fact, as I pull my rather out of shape body up the pole, I realize that I’m not like any celebrity that may be a fan of pole dancing – celebrities which include Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie,... read more
Sick Days
I don't feel so good...
By Peggy Duffy
My oldest succumbed first. She came downstairs in the gray light of a winter morning, her face blazing... read more
The IP Bookshelf
Walter Was Worried by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
... read more
HMOM
Attention all expectant mothers: be your own healthcare advocate!
By Pam Mitchell Mangas
Health has never been a big concern in my life. As a child, my mother chose to avoid the doctor because... read more
The IP Bookshelf
Don't Forget Your Etiquette! The Essential Guide to Misbehavior By David Greenberg, illustrated by Nadine Bernard Westcott
... read more
More Lifestyle Features
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