A resource to inspire, inform and empower parents.

Warning: Serious Amounts of Fun Enclosed

Supplies: 2 large containers of Quick Oats, 1 shallow plastic tub or blanket on the floor, toys such as dump trucks or scoopers, etc, 1 or more babies
Jack playing in oats
Let the games begin!
Jack playing in oats
Won’t they put it in their hair? Yes!
Jack playing in oats
Won’t they throw it around the room? Yes!
jack playing in oats
Won’t they get in it? Yes!
Jack playing in oats
Won’t they eat it? Yes!
Jack playing in oats
Won’t they get covered in oats? Yes!
Kitchen full of oats
Won’t my kitchen be a mess? Yes!
**Sweep up, place back in bin and reuse.

Abby Theuring, MSW

A Day in the Life

Jack eating oats with underwear on his head

 

Jack stopped playing with his bucket of oats to pig out on his raisins. He demanded to have this pair of underwear on his head. Who am I to argue? He then heard my husband peeing (his favorite thing to watch) and took the container of raisins with him…

 

Jack walking to the bathroom with raisins and underwear on his head

 

 

Abby Theuring, MSW

 

 

The Sweetest Kiss

Jack

Jack has been going to bed very late this week. He is talking more. He is energized by life. Such a passion! One night around 3am I was feeling very sorry for myself. I had nursed him and rocked him and sung to him. He was not going to go to sleep. I gave up on him and myself. I turned on the TV and slumped down on the couch as he ran around the living room. The show Scrubs was on. Two characters were in a pool kissing. Jack turned around and looked at me. He ran over and gave me a kiss.

Abby Theuring, MSW

Urban Playground

Jack in a puddle.

One of my biggest struggles as a mother is to let go of my agenda and listen to Jack’s. I set out to the park on an unseasonably warm day in Chicago. I mean how many days do we get to enjoy such a treat? On our way out the door Jack saw a puddle and squirmed to explore it. I tugged on his coat and coaxed him to the park. He resisted. I resisted back.

Jack in a puddle

I stopped myself and asked, “what’s the big deal? Why can’t he play here? Why does he have to play in any designated area just because it is what I thought of first?” I put him down and he jumped into the puddle. He was elated in a way not often seen. I lost 10 minutes on an extra load of laundry, but gained a happy and healthy exploring toddler whose self-esteem and brain developed leaps and bounds in a way it would not have if I had demanded his compliance of my arbitrary structure of the day. I also gained a snuggley warm bath with my baby boy who is growing faster than the speed of light. Splash on, Jack. Splash on!

Abby Theuring, MSW

Normalizing Happiness

By Josh Wilker

I.
There’s a great photo of my wife and son in a park near our house. It was taken just after our son was safely over an illness that had required a trip to the emergency room. In the picture, my wife is breastfeeding Jack and the sun is shining down on both of them. Abby posted this happy picture online, wanting to share it with friends and other mothers, and doing so led her to realize that there are people capable of acting negatively to a picture of pure happiness, a mother feeding her baby in the sunlight. To some people, it was an eyesore.

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, breastfeeding in public,

II. [Read more…]

Kindness Begets Kindness

I often wonder how I will be able to continue with The Badass Breastfeeder Facebook page while maintaining my sanity and my good name. I feel the reasons for my frustration have been misunderstood. I am frustrated not only with trolls. I can delete their comments and ignore them. What has become difficult for me is seeing the gentle parents that have become the voice of this page alienate people who have differing views. We have been lucky to be given this opportunity to teach and pass on our information to others who may not know a gentler way to parent. I did not expect this page to become so big. I did not expect to be given the platform that I now have. [Read more…]

I’m Quitting Breastfeeding

Read this blog post at Breastfeeding Basics!

I’m Quitting Breastfeeding

Nurse-Ins: What Are They Good For?

Abby Theuring, The Badass Breastfeeder, breastfeeding in public,
As I reflect on the Hollister Nurse-Ins of this past weekend (January 2013) I am moved to write a post to address a recurring theme among a minority of responders. I have heard that nurse-ins are “radical,” do more harm than good for the cause and make breastfeeding mothers look like “crazy hippies.” I am saddened and angered by this attitude. It appears to me that this is misdirected negative energy in order to avoid facing the ugliness in society. If a person believes that we can fight for a cause by simply nursing in public as we normally would or that people who organize and agitate are “crazy” then I would suggest that this person has never cracked a history book. Let me explain.

[Read more…]

NIP at the Post Office: Not My Usual Positive Experience

Read this blog post at Breastfeeding Basics!

NIP at the Post Office: Not My Usual Positive Experience

A Badass Is Born: Breastfeeding Advocacy

In March 2012 I started a Facebook page called The Badass Breastfeeder. 10 months later there are more than 14,000 fans, growing business opportunities, Mama Tribes around the world and a steady stream of Mamas reporting that they receive a unique type of support from this community. I spend my days monitoring comments, writing blog posts about my adventures in Attachment Parenting, studying the world of breastfeeding support and trying to fill the gaps, providing support on the page and brainstorming with my Admins on how to better support the Mamas. [Read more…]

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