parenting

A gay and lesbian pregnancy and parenting is different. Choosing to become a parent in a gay or lesbian relationship is a big decision. Once the parents have chosen to expand their family there are several options for the pregnancy.

At some point in our lives, we are all faced with the question of
whether or not to have children. This question is a multi-facetted
question because there are a number of factors to consider when making
the huge decision of whether to have kids or not.

From
conception to pregnancy and childbirth to child rearing, you probably
think you've heard and seen everything. Until your child drops one of
those common but tough questions. I've always welcoming the tough
questions my children pose.

When I chose
to take a new path in life that would allow me to be there for every
event, celebration and the car rider line at school, I was one of the
few dads in the line. Everywhere I turned there were moms, but dads were
few and far between.

I’ve always
been on the lucky side of parenting. My wife was often the one at home
actually raising the children while I was working on the career I
thought I wanted.

Marrying
into a pre-made family can be a difficult concept for men who don’t have
children of their own, but even the least parent-minded men can make a
connection with their new step-children with a little hard work and an
open mind.

Maybe you want a little time with your partner, or you need to take a
few hours for yourself once in a while. There are hundreds of reasons
why you need a babysitter on speed dial, but finding just the right
babysitter can be a difficult process.

Finding the right babysitter for your child can be a difficult task
for many parents. The idea of giving another person the sole
responsibility of caring for your child is a huge decision, but
sometimes parents want/need time out and there is simply no one else.

Childcare is an extremely sensitive and important topic for many
parents, especially in households where both parents work. When
returning to work after baby, there are three options for childcare –
personal day care, commercial day care, or nanny

When I was
in school, nearly all of my peers had parents that were generally the
same age. I remember one classmate who did not fall into that group. Her
father was in his late 60s when she was a senior in high school.

There are limits to confronting parents about their parenting choices.
Just because a parent does not believe in the disciplinary style you
believe in does not mean they are putting their children at risk – and
that’s what’s truly important – risk.

There are experts who believe maternal instinct is not a genetic, basic
drive at all, but rather a learned behavior developed during pregnancy
and infancy via hormonal changes and close bonding.

Recently,
I’ve noticed a huge influx of men and women putting themselves in the
exclusive OAP group as if it is a badge of courage. OAP stands for only
active parent, which means the other parent is not active from a
relationship or parenting angle.

You may have
noticed some gentle looks of sadness coming from your husband from the
moment you started breastfeeding. Though many husbands fail to admit it,
they sometimes feel lost by the idea that they have no part in the
feeding process.

It is
disheartening how many forum topics address this question. Why are sons
so important to fathers? If the question was asked 50 or 60 years ago,
the answer would be simple – fathers want to pass on the family name and
keep the bloodline alive.

Today, more
men are staying home with the kids than ever before, but despite the
rise in stay-at-home dads, there could be an unresolved issue some
working moms are missing. Is your stay-at-home dad resenting you for
being the one working outside the home?

Miscarriage
is a loss of life and parenthood and though men may not like to show it,
miscarriage deals a huge blow to the hearts of men.

When your
night is spent fighting with bedtime rituals and keeping baby in her own
room, the idea of conceiving another child gets pushed back behind
fatigue, stress and the fights that inevitably ensue over the latter
issues. Try working on that bedtime routine.

The great
debate among breastfeeding women started a short while ago with a
picture of a breastfeeding mother on the front cover of Time Magazine.
The picture showed an almost four year old little body breastfeeding
while standing on a chair.

There was a
time when I worked a minimum of 60 hours a week. My wife took care of
everything that even remotely had to do with our home, kids and
finances. I worked and that was the only job I needed to do as a man, or
so I thought.

I was facing the veggie dilemma. I wanted my kids to eat healthy, but I was filling my body with crappy processed foods.

The idea of describing a set of parents based on a set of pre-determined
characteristics is not a new concept, though the need to define parents
and place them into parenting style categories is a modern ploy.

Coming home and starting a new life as an at-home dad gave me a fresh
perspective on that Mr. Mom title and I’m not the only one. At-home dads
are on a mission, they want the term Mr. Mom banished.

A mother climbed on board with two toddlers tethered to her with child leashes and a baby strapped to her chest in a sling. Was there anything she could do to make traveling easier for herself, her children, and everyone else on the flight?

Many new fathers worry about caring for a newborn. They ask questions
about diapering and feeding, crying and sleeping, but rarely do they
think 10 or 15 years into the future.

Growing up I often wondered what kind of father I would be. My father
was not around, so there was no father figure for me to base my ideas on
so I planned things on my own.

I’m not going to sugar-coat this. The terrible two’s tantrums suck.

There is nothing more important than skin to skin contact between mother
and child, according to the March of Dimes and other supporters of
pregnancy and infant health.

Last night my husband and I were discussing our different experiences
with separation anxiety as children. We assumed it must
have been a gender difference, but I looked into it and found that
gender actually has nothing to do with it.

As an adult, it’s difficult to understand a food refusal problem in
infants. My nephew recently started clenching his mouth shut when his
mom tries to feed him, and she’s concerned that he isn’t getting enough
nutrition.