Our Writing

Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

Parenting During A Pandemic: online learning options

What a whirlwind these past few weeks have been. In our house, we’re hustling to find “the new normal” for all of us, which includes transitioning the big kids to homeschooling. Hailey especially has been missing the connection to other students and the intellectual stimulation of the classroom, which is why we’ve signed her up for iD Tech’s virtual tech camp!

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Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

Acts of Solidarity: Love languages, reimagined

I first heard about the Five Love Languages at a “Healthy Relationships” workshop at a trans leadership training in Los Angeles—and my mind was blown. It was 2013, Biff and I had been dating for two years, and I didn’t feel like he really cared about me because he never held my hand or kissed me in public…

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Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

#OnOurSleeves: Celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month!

Riley has always had to work hard to focus on what was happening in front of him, and has often struggled to stay in a positive mindset. When he was seven, we had him assessed so we would have a better sense of what he might need from us in terms of supports. I thought I was ready for whatever might come up during those assessments, but when the pediatric psychologist gently told us that Riley met all the criteria for ADHD, I was shocked…

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Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

Nosy Nellies: How to endure unsolicited pregnancy/parenting advice

When you’re pregnant (and even after you give birth), everyone has opinions for you. And for some reason, most of these advice-givers don’t seem able to simply share what worked for them... instead, they all seem convinced that their way is The Right Way and all other ways will inevitably lead to Doom and Gloom for you, your partner (if you have one), and your baby…

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Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

"Is that a boy or a girl?" Gender and Parenting, part 2

“Why did you decide to gender your baby at birth?” Every once in awhile, a stranger (usually online) will ask us this question. In most cases, it’s intended as a “gotcha.” People who don’t want the best for us will ask it in jest, attempting to poke holes in our argument that perhaps gender is less rigid and fixed than we’ve been led to believe…

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Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

Birth Parents

We made a video recently in which Hailey answered questions posed by our Instagram followers. One of them asked about her relationship with her biological parents, and Hailey wanted to tackle it. Check out the video to see her answer!

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Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

Traditions

This year, we’ve been able to accomplish a couple of our holiday traditions with ease using the new Fire HD 8 Kids Edition. Hailey got hers just a couple of weeks ago and it couldn’t have come at a better time for her development. As it turns out, the Parent Dashboard allows me to pick and choose exactly what games, movies, and apps she’s allowed to access, AND I can see what she’s played, watched, and read at any time…

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Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

The Small Stuff

When you have a crappy stroller... you know it. It doesn’t open up easily, so you’re always trying to somehow balance your cup of coffee and your baby while pleading with the stroller to JUST UNLATCH ALREADY. There’s this little tiny space underneath where somehow you’re supposed to fit your diaper bag but in reality, only one kid-sized sweatshirt can be stored there…

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Travel Trystan Reese Travel Trystan Reese

Into the Wild, pt. 2

The first couple of hours were tense. We both held tight to the other’s mistakes of recent weeks. The time he told me he wished Biff was his only dad. The time I told him he couldn’t have screen time because he pushed Hailey (I found out later that she lied about the pushing thing but was so mad about their bickering I said no screen time anyway)…

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Parenthood Trystan Reese Parenthood Trystan Reese

Trauma and Parenting

This is the second blog in my series on parenting with a social justice focus. In each post, I start with a specific parenting situation that I found a way to bungle through. Then I cover what my big-picture parenting goals were, in that scenario. Finally, I'll give a few tips and tricks for how to navigate similar situations in your own parenting life. Hopefully, others will learn from my mistakes.

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