Mama media | Offbeat Mama

This is Offbeat Mama's archive of Mama media posts.

Our thoughts on parenting issues in the news or on the screen.

Most Recent Posts About Mama media

My old, now closed family-focused blog, Casa de Kaloi.

Cat recently wrote a fascinating piece on Offbeat Home called My door is open: why I'm pretty public online about my home. In it she discusses the transparency with which she blogs about where she lives and what she does. Cat's digital reach in the home-focused community is pretty far — she runs two websites (the other being Hipster Housewife) about homes, and tweets many, many details about her life every single day. In fact, within another month or so I might have her whole TV schedule worked out. (I KID! Kind of.)

The idea of blogging about your home, or in a more Mama-centric context, about your family is nothing new — millions of people do it every single day, and we've talked about it on Offbeat Mama before. Most of us are probably at least familiar with the Big Time Parent Bloggers (Dooce, Girl's Gone Child, Finslippy, etc.), and I know for a fact many of you have your own family-focused blogs you're writing. In fact, the abundance of parent bloggers is one reason our submission policy contains a no overly personal information clause — there are some things we feel like readers of this site don't need to know about you and/or your kids.

Education is always a big topic on parenting sites — we've chatted about those who opt for public, private, home, and unschooling throughout this site's existence. Michelle recently shared a piece that resonated with me: Linda Perlstein's Why Urban, Educated Parents are Turning to DIY Education.

It was clear that Miro was no ordinary kid and his mum was no ordinary parent. Mother and son had left their home in LA back in 2009 in order to travel the world for eight years. They had left behind all the traditional models for parenting and education in search of a nomadic existence. They were currently staying in a hostel in Manizales, Colombia. They were my first introduction to the concept of world schooling and I was fascinated to learn more of their story.

You may have seen the Wall Street Journal article that's now circulating called Why French Parents Are Superior. If you haven't, I'm sure it will pop up on your Facebook feed sooner or later. In it, Pamela Druckerman, an American ex-pat living in France, talks about how French children seem better behaved than American children and French parents seemed much more relaxed.

Jenn recently shared a NY Times piece calledThe National Womb, which is a project that documentary photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind underrtook. The focus is a "birth encouragement program" that the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh implemented in 2008: basically, the government gives cash to newlyweds each time they have a kid.

Annie recently shared an NPR article called What's Behind A Temper Tantrum? Scientists Deconstruct The Screams. The title immediately caught my eye, as I'm always on the lookout for anything that will help us cope with our son's tantrums.

I'm always very interested in hearing or reading about stay-at-home Dads. To me, it seems like something that's happened only recently (at least in US), and it's a movement that I dig. I was pleased to find this piece, Second Generation Stay-At-Home Dad, about a man who is rocking the homestead — after growing up with his dad doing the same.

You know what I've learned since becoming a parent? Everyone just loooooves to talk to you about how you're parenting your kid. This can be good, sometimes, when a stranger pauses to comment on how well-behaved your child is. It can be bad, sometimes, when a stranger pauses to obviously roll their eyes at you while you insist on counting backwards from ten before addressing your screaming toddler, or you insist on not using cups and utensils that aren't BPA-free (because yes, those still exist), or maybe your kid is watching a third episode of Curious George because you need those twelve minutes for yourself.

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Offbeat Mama supports and celebrates parents and caregivers who are moving beyond mainstream visions of parenting. We welcome anyone who's interested in families, whether you're pre-parental, in the process of becoming a parent, or choosing to live childfree. Got a story or tip? Email us!

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