Category: Parenting
Weaning. Not Weaning. Weaning. Not Weaning.
| November 14, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
Yesterday, I decided to start day-weaning Dylan. Then I changed my mind. Then I changed it back. Then I changed it again. Maybe some more times, too. Then I started to get really upset at my lack of decision. Then I realized that most mamas have complicated feelings about weaning. So I gave myself some slack and nursed my baby. I’ve been nursing Dylan for 17 months now. He nurses 6-8 times a day still,… Keep Reading
How Long Will I Continue To Trust My Child?
| November 12, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
Parenting has a lot to do with trust. You set the stage for so many things. You prepare, you explain, you suggest, you encourage, you discourage, you show and you tell. But you also trust your child to pick up on the other side of the equation, to take what you’ve offered and run with it, to be a person, and specifically to be a new person. To be an individual who has never existed before.… Keep Reading
Planning a Freebirth Experience
| October 16, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
This article of mine originally appeared on the site Write About Birth. I recently noticed that Write About Birth no longer exists, so I want to republish that article here. This was written in March 2011, three months before Dylan was born. The path his birth took differed from my imaginings, and you can read the whole birth story as well, starting here. Planning a Freebirth Experience I’m pregnant with my first child, and sometime… Keep Reading
Bitti Tutto One Size Cloth Diaper Review
| October 15, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
Dylan has gotten to the stage where he needs new, bigger cloth diapers if we’re going to continue on with cloth. I got an offer to check out a sample of Itti Bitti brand’s new one size diaper called Bitti Tutto. This sounded like the perfect opportunity to check out a new diaper possibility for Dylan as well as review it for you guys. My product review went through a few stages – the good,… Keep Reading
Fed Up with Frenzy Book Review
| October 8, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
When I was offered a free copy of Fed Up with Frenzy for review, I jumped at the chance. Slow parenting? Escaping the fast-moving world? Yes, that sounds just right to me. This is a book I definitely wanted to review for you guys. I don’t know if any helicopter parenting, over-scheduled types are reading me, but if you are, I wanted this chance to encourage you to slow down. And if you’re already a… Keep Reading
Do-It-Yourself Flavors – Baby Gourmet Review
| September 19, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
Have you seen these new baby-food-in-pouches things? Dylan tried some sample applesauces that way awhile back. He was newly excited about drinking from a straw, so drinking applesauce was a big hit. But…. I just couldn’t justify buying them. I could just buy regular applesauce. Then I got an email about Baby Gourmet. I was offered a free sample 9 pack of flavor combo packs so that I could do this review. I’ve got to… Keep Reading
Yes, Unless
| September 17, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
One of my jobs as the parent of a small child is to pay attention to the things Dylan wants to do and declare whether or not he gets to do them. YES or NO, I decree. This is a great and heady power. It would be so easy to default to NO. Chances are, whatever he wants to do will make a mess, risk injury, or bore me to tears. A casual NO, a… Keep Reading
Who Is Listening? Who Am I Writing For?
| September 12, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Blogging, Parenting |
I love writing publicly, which I can easily tell by the fact that as soon as I discovered online writing (LiveJournal, circa: back-in-the-day) I almost entirely stopped my private journalling and have been thinking out loud on the internet ever since. I get a HUGE satisfaction from having an audience, from getting comments, from seeing my stats, etc. “Lifestyle” bloggers, the sort of niche-less catchall category into which I fall, are the ones I see… Keep Reading
Holding the Empty
| September 5, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
In 2008, I moved into a van and I started blogging. I named that first blog Holding The Empty. That was a strange turn of phrase, and I was frequently asked to explain the name. Here’s what I posted in explanation (slightly modified): I started this blog when I decided to move into my van. Moving into the van was an odd decision for me, made on impulse and with a desire to “give up”… Keep Reading
Raising Generation Tech Book Review
| September 3, 2012 | Posted by Issa under Parenting |
A couple of weeks ago on the Unconditional Parenting (UP) discussion group that I moderate, the terrible dangers of cell phones on kids was brought up. One parent mentioned that parents these days felt pressured to give young kids cell phones. I said I didn’t feel pressured about it. Rather, I’m looking forward to Dylan having his own cell phone! I love my technology and don’t fear it in Dylan’s life. Other parents see things… Keep Reading
