Co-parenting is like firing a business partner, but still needing to work with them. You both love the business (ahem, child) you created, while being so over loving one another. Throw in visitation schedules, child support, the original reasons that led to the relationship’s downfall, and you’ve got yourself one murky, confusing, sometimes irritating hell […]
True Parent
Posted inVideo Games
Girls and Gaming
A New Hero(ine) Approaches
People are usually surprised to learn I enjoy video games. While it may seem odd to see a grown-ass woman playing Legend of Zelda, it turns out roughly half of all gamers are female, and a recent study suggests that nowadays, more women than teenage boys are playing. In spite of this, the industry itself […]
Posted inTrue Parent
The Saving Grace of Romance-Porn
How Steamy Romance Novels Set My Mojo Free
“Mommy. Mommeeeeee! I needed a wipe and you didn’t listen!” My five-year-old daughter has backed her naked bottom up to me, waving a wet wipe. Once again, I’ve been busted for shirking parental duties while listening to a steamy romance audiobook. This one’s about a young woman whose family died in a flaming car crash, […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Cry About Other Things
After Two Years in Prison, a Mother Reunites with Her Three-Year-Old Son
The La Quinta Inn in Bryan, Texas, is pink stucco. The Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, is khaki stucco. The La Quinta employees wear uniforms with name tags and the customer is always right. The employees at Bryan Federal Prison Camp wear uniforms with name tags but the customers are always wrong. My brain […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Gone Girl
A Father Learns the True Meaning of Sacrifice
By the time my daughter was born, I’d broken off my relationships with two other women, neither of whom were her mother. But by then, it was too late. Because of my foolishness, I found myself in the middle of an emotionally untenable quagmire; one that would ultimately destroy my dreams and visions of fatherhood […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Where’s My Universal Preschool?
The Case for More Publicly Funded Family Programs in Oregon
Parents of young children in Oregon face a tough financial paradox: They earn less than the national average, but pay more to raise their kids. This has been proven numerous times over the last decade in different studies—the most recent being an audit released in December by the Oregon Secretary of State’s office, which found […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Parent to Parent
“Crushing It”
So I had the sex talk with my 9-year-old daughter the other day, and I’m happy to report I CRUSHED IT. But let me tell you, the odds were stacked against me. Mom was at work, and my knowledge of female anatomy is… ummm, not embarrassingly terrible? It started when my kid admitted to watching […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Sex and the Single Mom
Being a single parent sucks. I’ve consulted with my friends who are also single parents, and we’ve all come to the unanimous decision that raising your kids alone truly does, in fact, suck. Unfortunately, the only thing freeing you from the terrors of single parenting is not being single anymore. And do you know what […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Ask the Parent!
“Is My Kid a RACIST?”
My four-year-old daughter is obsessed with the Disney princesses, but it’s obvious she wants way less to do with Tiana (the only black one). When I ask her why she doesn’t play with her Tiana doll she says, “She doesn’t have hair like me.” I want her to feel confident making choices, but I also […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Secrets of Stay-at-Home Parenting
1. Routines are good. Ours includes a daily, post-breakfast dance session. There’s nobody else around except you and the baby, so own it and be ridiculous. 2. Beatboxing. It stops her crying every time. That and 89.9 all classical FM radio with our favorite host, Christa Wessel. 3. Drop in baby/toddler gyms (like the one […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Fear of Vaccinating
Why are so many people afraid of air travel? Statistically speaking, flying is far safer than driving, but most of us don’t hesitate to get in the car. The true side effects and risks of modern flight—long waits, physical discomfort, exposure to other people’s germs, and the indignities of airport security—don’t keep them from flying. […]
Posted inTrue Parent
Build A Better Parent
“Temper Temper”
It happens to all parents: From time to time we lose our shit. Whether we’re trying to get our kids out the door so we won’t be late for work again, or attempting to get ’em to bed so we can get some self-care time—we huff and puff, raise our voices, slam doors, and say […]