When it comes to raising children, it really does “take a village,” as that clichéd trope suggests. But who specifically is in that village? Your mum, that’s who. Along with her sister, her mother, and her mother. Conveniently, there are now parenting books to advise you on your villager role in the child-rearing scheme, based […]
True Parent
Posted inTrue Parent
Build a Better Parent
Teens and the Self-Esteem Monster
If you have a teenager (or have ever been a teenager), you know how hard it can be. Teenage girls in particular experience so many additional issues regarding friends, society, and self-esteem. They may be keeping feelings locked up, unable to understand their emotions, or dealing with things outside of your control. Self-esteem is more […]
Posted inTrue Parent
How to (Teach Someone to) Ride a Bike
There are swimming teachers, soccer teachers, violin teachers—where are the teachers who show your kid how to ride a bike? Until that glorious day, here are a few tips to reduce tears and frustrations (primarily your own). • Start slow, stay slow. Rather than buying an expensive Skuut bike, take the pedals and crank off […]
Posted inTrue Parent
An Undiminished Life
How I Stopped Being a Disability Super Mom
Late in my second trimester I was hit with the thought, “What if this baby grows up to be someone I don’t like?” At the time, my worst fear was that my child would turn out to be a drug addict, a religious zealot, or a Republican. My partner and I didn’t want to know […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Ask the Parent
“High Anxiety!”
Every day it’s the same: Our 10-year-old son is slow getting ready for school or events, while our always-prompt daughter gets increasingly anxious about being late. It’s gotten to the point where we’re afraid her anxieties are going to expand into other areas. How do we nip this in the bud? —Daughter in Distress Ugh. […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Good Advice/Stupid Advice
The BEST part about being pregnant—and subsequently having a baby, because that’s how pregnancy usually works—is the unsolicited advice! (Note sarcasm.) Parents may “mean well,” but they also sometimes offer stupid, unhelpful advice, like some kind of fraternity hazing thing. What follows is some actual good advice to counteract all the crap platitudes from baby […]
Posted inNews
Getting the Lead Out
A Water Quality Crisis Continues to Unfold In Portland Schools. Here’s What You Need to Know.
WHEN KIDS head back to Portland Public Schools (PPS) on August 29, Superintendent Carole Smith will still be on vacation. Smith announced abruptly on July 18 that she was taking three months of accrued leave, and retiring directly afterward—not at the end of next school year as previously planned. The surprise move followed a damning […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Parent to Parent
“Throwing Quarters”
I had a complicated relationship with my dad. (Bet you’ve never heard that sentence before!) Like so many other guys in my age group, I had one of those stoic Don Draper dads—sadly, not as handsome—for whom parenting was a job best left to family members who had some capacity for expressing emotion. (Hi, Mom!) […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Together We Can
Black Parent Initiative Helps African American Parents Embrace Identity
Aly’ce Brannon-Reid—a cheerful, impassioned 25-year-old North Portland woman with light brown skin, curly black hair, and a master’s degree in nonprofit leadership—insists that she not be identified as an “expert in parenting” for this article. Fair enough. However, for many parents in Portland, she’s provided expertise that has fundamentally changed their relationships with their children. […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Parent to Parent
“The Breakdown”
If True Parent had its own Goodyear Blimp, written across the side would be, “THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF PARENTS, GUYS!” It’s true. Some people assume there’s only one kind of parent—those who stroll blissfully down the street pushing a doublewide stroller, sipping Stumptown, and beaming gloriously at the adorable progeny who sprang […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Just the Nanny
A Longtime Nanny Reflects on Parenting, Motherhood, and Secrets Kept
We’re at the bookstore where Eleanor, edging on two and dangerously bright, gropes the staff weekly picks like summer fruit. Touching her back, I remind her again to look with her eyes, not her hands. “That’s great parenting.” It’s the cashier—a woman with a short bob and blunt bangs. “Thanks,” I say, yanked toward the […]
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The Temporary Parent
A Foster Mom Explains Her Insight Into Troubled Teenage Boys
Picture this if you will, one of those teens you hear about in the news, see on the MAX, or who maybe appear in nightmares about your own kids. They’re never home, ignore authority, and get into serious trouble. They’re angry, shut down, and living by their own rules. Now imagine opening your home to […]