Category: Parenting
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The Joys of Letting Kids be Inappropriate
Co-parenting under any circumstance has difficult moments, but in one household, even when parenting styles are misaligned, there is usually motivation by each parent to occasionally bend on at least some values in the name of preserving a semblance of a peaceful and united parenting front. When marriages end, a parade of therapists, court system…
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Raising a Justice-Oriented Sports Fan
I was 12-years-old the first time I fought with my dad about sports. He grew up in rural Michigan, rose every day at 4 a.m. to head into his maintenance job for a General Motors parts supplier, and rarely missed a day until he became too physically weak to turn a wrench. He proudly boasted…
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I’m Trying to Delete my Babiez off the Internet
“How many likes? More than Isla?” My hyper-competitive 9-year-old son Oliver breathlessly asked that question every time he realized there was a photo posted of him on my Instagram page. And … I mean … of course you didn’t get more likes than your sister. You’re cute and all son, but have you seen her…
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Black Panther And The Power Of Siblings
Writing in Rolling Stone this week, Tre Johnson had the following line about Black Panther: Like anything black in America, Black Panther will be politicized for being black, which is to say for being and for announcing itself as a having a right to be here and to be heard. Johnson is right, of course. There are dozens of Google search results…
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Silence is Privilege
A couple of weeks ago, I took my kids to play and swim at our apartment pool. As we got closer, something fairly … uh … conspicuous caught my eye: a giant swastika tattoo on the chest of a man in the pool. I grew up in and spent a lot of my life in…
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Be a Feminist for Your Sons, Too
President Obama wrote an essay for Glamour, proudly proclaiming why he is a feminist. The entire thing is beautifully written and worth reading, but this particular passage really stood out to me: Michelle and I have raised our daughters to speak up when they see a double standard or feel unfairly judged based on their…
Patrick Hayes 