Our Writing
The Intervention Tool in Action: Teaching Kids About Racism
Sometimes, kids say things that we perceive to be rooted in racist ideas or beliefs. But simply telling a child that what they’ve said is racist may not be the best way of building a lifelong commitment to anti-racism. What should you say instead? Here’s a tool to help!
Anti-Racist Parenting: An Example
I’ve been receiving lots of DM’s from parents who want to raise socially conscious kids but aren’t sure where to start. I thought I would film a little video of Hailey and I chatting about her opinion on parents sharing tough subjects with their kids.
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!
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…
Not That Kind Of People: Stepping outside of your box
I try hard not to label myself as being “not into something.” But let’s face it… there are just some things I am not into. I am not into sports. I am not into car racing. And I am not into trucks. But when we decided to go to Oregon’s premier sacred music festival, Beloved, I imagined how nice it would be to have a truck.
#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…
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…
Being and Seeing: Diversity in children's books
This National Reading Month, we are partnering with Amazon to make sure you’re providing your family with books that will help prepare them to be proud allies and friends to LGBTQ+ families!
On the Road Again! Tips for surviving (and even enjoying!) family road trips
Ah, the dreaded/dreamed-about family road trip. Biff and I have taken dozens of trips with the kids, and boy have we had some mega successes and some horrific failures. Here are some tips we’ve developed over the years to help us cope with family road trips!
"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…
"Is that a boy or a girl?" Gender and Parenting (Part One)
As a transgender person, I’ve had many strange conversations about gender. But none are as strange as the ones I have with and about my kids. Here’s part one in my series on gender and parenting, in which I discuss my resistance to dressing Hailey in feminine attire. Check it out!
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!
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…
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…
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)…
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.