Category Archives: Parenthood
The Problems of Gendering Parenthood
I read a great article yesterday about how so much advertising aimed at women is actually advertising aimed at parents. When the infamous “They” say that women like something, what they often mean is “parents may find this convenient.” Obviously, … Continue reading
Perpetuating Cynicism Perpetuates Rape Culture
Recently my daughter and I both read a book called Keeping Corner, which is a novel about Leela, a 12 year old widow in India in 1918. (It’s a wonderful book—you should read it. You’ll find my full spoilerific review … Continue reading
The Quest for Characters Like Me
I’ve recently read a lot of articles, tweets, and so on about girls not finding female characters in games, movies, etc. I have a geeky daughter, and I’m painfully aware of how common this is. And while she’s not necessarily … Continue reading
Story Matters
Story matters, on a fundamental level. Fiction reveals reality and can, in turn, change it. I have a masters degree in children’s literature. Really. I studied how we use stories, often unconsciously, to teach our children about how they should … Continue reading
Getting There
Being a parent is frequently terrifying. You know you’re screwing your kid up. You’re certain that every influence or bad thing is screwing your kid up for you in ways that you never imagined. It’s so hard to see what … Continue reading
#1reasontobe
I don’t feel like I’m any kind of hero for sticking it out to become a woman working fulltime editing RPGs. It’s pretty much a dream come true, and I’ve never been more accepted and respected. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, … Continue reading
Copper and Ice
I met the very cool Allegra Selzer at Gen Con this year. During a Twitter conversation about bullying, she agreed to write about her own experiences. You can follow her on Twitter @Penny_Dreadful or hear her as a co-host on … Continue reading
Resurviving Middle School
My little girl started middle school two weeks ago. Go ahead—feel sorry for her, for Clark and me, and for anyone affected by the scourge that is middle school. Except…she loves it. And she’s annoyed by all the books and … Continue reading
Glee-ful Sex Ed
In our school district, 5th grade is the year for the puberty and sex talk. Wow, I do not envy those teachers—they’re walking this ridiculous tightrope that requires that they give 50 different kids of wildly varying religious backgrounds all … Continue reading
Kids – the Future of Gaming
As we start taking our kids to gaming conventions, I’m keeping notes on the practical things that we’re learning (see my previous posts). However, I realized a much more important and somewhat more philosophical thing this year: Engaging kids is … Continue reading