Urban Farming 101 for Portland Families

by Melissa PoulinMay 2, 2021

Portlanders love the outdoors and animals, and with COVID keeping us close to home many families have considered growing and raising animals and plants for fun, hope, and sustenance. New to gardening and want to grow fresh food for your family this summer? Here’s our handy guide to getting your very own urban farm up and running. Read on for all the details on digging in!

Choose your garden location

You don’t need a ton of space to grow a lot of food! Even a sunny balcony or patio can yield a surprising amount. Be sure to choose a location that allows for maximum sun, but a little shade during part of the day is nice during the summer months, to keep tender veggies from burning. For minimal to no outdoor space, try a kitchen herb box on a windowsill, or contact Portland Parks & Recreation to find out about a low-cost community garden plot in one of more than 30 community gardens all over the city. Have a little more space? Container gardening is a great choice for balconies, patios, rentals, and small spaces. If you have room for a raised bed, there are resources for building a simple box of your own, and Portland Edible Gardens will even build one for you! Maximize space by choosing unused areas like parking strips and grassy medians between driveways. A water-hogging lawn can be transformed into an in-ground garden with a little effort, yielding big results.

Prepare the Soil

Good food grows from the soil up! If you want to feed yourself well, you need to feed the soil first. Portland Nursery has a wealth of information available on their website to help you determine soil health. Metro Master Gardeners, of the OSU Master Garden Extension program, can also help, including soil test kits to figure out the presence of lead and other potentially harmful toxins. Smaller container gardens and raised beds can be topped with bagged potting soil available at local nurseries. For larger raised beds and in-ground gardens, local topsoil options for delivery and pickup include Foster Fuel and Deans. For a slower burn, try lasagne-style sheet mulching to suppress grass and weeds. Layer cardboard, manure, and straw directly over the grass, and wait a month or two to harness the power of earthworms and microbes to turn it all into fertile soil. You can add a layer of topsoil before planting.

Make a Plan

For small raised beds, Square Foot Gardening is a great beginner method with gratifying high-yield results. Choose from dozens of books on the method or browse the official website for resources, including affordable online courses from certified instructors. The OSU Extension program has a short guide on raised bed planting as well. No matter what method you choose, draw a sketch of your garden and mark out what plants you plan to grow. Different plants have different germination-to-harvest rates, meaning you can grow quick-growing veggies like radishes in between rows of slower-growing carrots. You'll also want to think about how much space each plant will require. A sketch will help you estimate space requirements, as well as think ahead to fall and winter crops. Check out Portland Nursery's handy planting calendar for fruits and veggies to learn more. Keep your sketches in a designated folder or notebook so you can refer back to it later. For multiple beds and single beds alike, succession planting will help you rotate your crops and reduce pest pressure in future seasons. Take advantage of online instructional videos like the ones at Portland Edible Gardens.

Decide on Irrigation

Before you get your plants in the ground, it's a good idea to think about how you'll water them. Hand-watering with a hose, bucket, or watering can is the simplest choice, appropriate for containers and single raised beds. For multiple raised beds and larger areas, consider a soaker hose that you can wind through plants. Connect one end to your hose and let it irrigate plants while you weed or harvest. Raised bed irrigation kits take automated watering to the next level. Add a timer to take the guesswork out of it. For in-ground gardens, you can purchase irrigation supplies in bulk for more savings.

Plant

Now the fun part! Get those plants in the ground! You can purchase starts (young plants in small containers) for most vegetables, but some plants do better from seed, like carrots and radishes, because they don't like to be moved. You may choose to plant certain things from seed to save money, or experience the magic of watching a plant grow. Consider your timing as well. If you're just getting started in June, for example, you may want to pick up larger tomato starts to ensure you get to eat those tasty ripe fruits before summer wanes. Lay out your plant starts (or draw lines in the soil if planting seeds), following package directions for spacing and seed depth. If you need extra guidance on planting or any of the steps above, Growing Gardens offers virtual consulting to meet your level of experience.

Tend and Harvest

For best results, keep soil loose, moist, and weed-free throughout the growing season. Read up on individual crop preferences. Potatoes, for example, need to dry out at a certain point to keep tubers from rotting underground. Alliums like garlic and onions have similar needs. Plan ahead so you can easily block water to those crops while watering others, using goof plugs on irrigation lines. Watch for pest pressure and consult local experts if you're having trouble defending crops against slugs, caterpillars, or other pests. Many organic methods exist to preserve your harvest while respecting Mother Nature! The Master Gardeners at OSU Extension Programs have a well-established Ask an Expert process for fielding your questions about pest control and many other gardening solutions.

Chickens and Ducks

For even more of an urban farm experience, consider hosting your own flock! Portland allows for up to three backyard chickens or ducks without a permit, but roosters are prohibited. Buy chicks, pullets, and ducklings from established nurseries and hatcheries, who do their best to send you home with female birds. (Most offer a 90% sexing guarantee.) Due to recent high demand, you'll want to call ahead or email to join waiting lists. Naomi's Organic Farm Supply is nearing the end of their chick orders, but check the website for updates. They're also a great resource for hen and duck supplies! In Portland and Gresham, Burns Feed Store offers chicks from February through mid-August, and Woodburn's Pete's Hatchery will even mail your chicks to you!

Fun Projects with Kids

To get your child interested in gardening, read Lois Ehlert's Planting a Rainbow, then plant a rainbow garden together. Choose a mix of vegetables and flowers in every color. Try red tomatoes, orange marigolds, yellow sunflowers, "Green Envy" zinnias (or any leafy green), blue bachelor's buttons, and purple kale. Planning and planting a pizza garden is another fun way to get kids invested in tending crops from seed to table. Or build a fun structure like a sunflower house and let kids sit under the impressive canopy come high summer.

Local Shops and Resources

The Portland Metro area is filled with nurseries, farm supply stores, and nonprofits ready to help you get growing. They're working hard during the pandemic to keep customers safe and supplied. So return the favor and buy local whenever possible! With a little planning and some patience, you can get everything you need locally to grow a great garden this year.

OSU Extension Master Gardener Program
Visit the website for your local extension office, and for more information on online events including free or low-cost classes in veggie gardening.

Online: extension.oregonstate.edu

Growing Gardens
3114 SE 50th Ave.
503-284-8420
info@growing-gardens.org
Online: growing-gardens.org

Portland Edible Gardens
503-893-9312
info@portlandediblegardens.com
Online: portlandediblegardens.com

Naomi's Organic Farm Supply
3454 SE Powell Blvd.
order@naomisorganic.com
Online: naomisorganic.blogspot.com

Coronavirus specifics: The shop is closed to the public, but open for online orders. Email your order on any day except Tuesdays and Wednesdays, when staff closes orders. Emails sent after 5 pm Monday and before opening on Thursday will be deleted. This is to stay on top of orders!

Portland Nursery
5050 SE Stark St.
503-231-5050
9000 SE Division St.
503-788-9000
Online: portlandnursery.com

Tony's Garden Center
10300 SE Holgate Blvd
503-760-7718
Online: tonysgarden.com

Coronavirus specifics: Store is open to the public. Wear a mask and observe social distancing guidelines. Taped markers throughout the nursery show appropriate distancing when waiting in line or browsing. Open Daily 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Garden Fever
3433 NE 24th Ave.
info@gardenfever.com
Online: gardenfever.com

Coronavirus specifics: Open for paid order pickup Wednesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Download and attach order forms online, and email. Staff will call to collect payment and explain pickup.

Burns Feed Store
29215 SE Orient Drive
Gresham, OR 97080
503-663-3246
Online: burnsfeed.com

Pete's Hatchery
13148 NE Portland Rd.
Gervais OR 97026
844-307-4777
Online: peteshatchery.com

Mt. Scott Fuel (soil)
6904 SE Foster Rd.
503-774-3241
Online: mtscottfuel.com

Deans Residential (soil)
6400 SE 101st Ave.
503-281-1637
Online: fineroutdoorliving.com

Wichita Feed and Hardware
6089 SE Johnson Creek Blvd.
503-775-6767
Online: wichitafeedandhardware.com

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A Wisconsin Zoo Just Welcomed These Otter-ly Adorable Triplets

by Erica LoopApril 13, 2021

It’s a boy—and another boy and a girl! First-time North American river otter parents Elva and Dragonroll just welcomed triplets at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin.

Montello, Fisher, and Lily made their grand debut Feb. 15. The zoo recently announced the birth on its Facebook and Instagram pages, noting that the river otter pups are currently hanging with their equally as adorable mama. Head to their social pages to see a photo of the adorable threesome!

According to the Henry Vilas Zoo, river otter moms have the sole responsibility of raising their newborn pups. This means the triplets won’t meet dad, Dragonroll, until they are around six to eight weeks old and can swim.

Zoo manager Johanna Soto told WMTV, “We are beyond excited to welcome these pups. Soto continued, “Triplets can be demanding, especially for a first-time mom, but Elva has been doing great and they have been growing at a very health rate from day one.”

While Dragonball is currently out and about at the Zoo, guests won;t get to glimpse the baby river otter awesomeness until sometime in late May.

—Erica Loop

Feature photo: kyonntra via iStock

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Frankie Muniz & Wife Paige Welcome Baby Boy

by Erica LoopMarch 30, 2021

Frankie Muniz is a dad! The actor recently shared a sweet Instagram post of his brand-new baby boy.

Muniz and wife Paige welcomed their first child on Mar. 22, 2021. The former Malcolm in the Middle star posted a pic of his baby boy, starting the caption with, “World, meet my son Mauz Mosley Muniz.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Frankie Muniz (@frankiemuniz4)

The actor did more than just share his son’s name and birth date. Muniz continued his post, “He was born on March 22nd at 11:15 AM. That was the moment that my life changed forever. I had heard that it would, but I never would have expected the impact seeing my son would have on me.”

Like other new parents, Muniz quickly released the major impact a new baby has, “Honestly, I didn’t know it was possible to love anything as much as I love him. It took me a long time to post because I’ve been 1000% obsessed with him, already striving to make every moment he lives on earth the best it can possibly be.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Paige Muniz (@pogmuniz)

Mauz’s mommy. Muniz’s wife Paige, also posted an adorable newborn pic on IG, captioning the photo, “No words can express what it feels like to be a new mom. My entire life, I was terrified of children and having that responsibility to raise them into good human beings. Today, I am so proud of the fact that I have an ultra strong boobie hungry little monster that I get to call my own!”

Congrats go out to the new family of three!

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: FeatureFlash Photo Agency via Shutterstock

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I’m Scared for Our Daughters

By Ali Flynn

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

March 24, 2021

Photo: Ali Flynn

As I raise daughters in today’s world, I am often scared. Scared for their safety and for mine. Scared of what can happen at any given moment.

After reading the news over the weekend, about Sarah Everard in London, I am scared of what our girls must be feeling.

If they can’t feel safe walking around fully clothed, a mask covering one’s face, and talking on the phone, where can they feel safe? We can’t raise our girls to live in a bubble.

So as I raise my daughters to listen to their gut, pay attention to their surroundings, and physically and emotionally defend themselves, thoughts keep popping up.

Do men ever have the fear of walking alone in an enclosed parking garage, a busy street, or a dark parking lot?

Do men ever think they must find a spot, to park the car, under the street light?

Do men feel uncomfortable walking alone on a street or navigating unknown territory?

Do men always need to listen to their gut instincts before a date? Or while walking on the street?

Do men ever think they shouldn’t accept a drink from a stranger in a bar?

Do men ever feel a need to paint their nails, with special nail polish, to make sure their drink isn’t roofied?

Do men ever feel concerned about how to get themselves out of a potentially dangerous situation with a woman?

Do men fear a woman will attack them sexually and with such aggressive behavior that many years later they still carry around the fear?

Do men fear that if they share information about an assault that no one will hear them?

No one will believe them? They will be blamed and ridiculed?

Do men fear a woman could potentially kill them because their footsteps are just a bit too close behind them to feel comfortable?

Do men feel a need to double-check the Uber driver’s name and learn how to unlock child locks in the back seat?

Do men feel that a self-defense class is necessary to learn how to fight off a woman?

Do men purchase bracelets to alert police and emergency contacts they are in danger?

Do men wonder if police, those protecting us, are actually the police?

Do men question how much clothing covers their body so as not to be blamed if they are taken advantage of?

Do men have to worry about being followed home, looking in rearview mirror, or turning their heads around while walking?

Do men need their keys on hand before they approach their apartment door so there isn’t any lag time?

Do men need to downplay their sexuality to not be blamed?

Well, the reality is this, many women feel this way.

I wish these fears, for many women, didn’t exist and maybe the fear doesn’t show up daily, but it is enough to take pause, take notice and often take action to ensure one’s safety.

But how do we make these fears end?

I don’t have the answers…but I have a simple wish.

As our world moves forward, may our daughters feel safe, protected and continue to listen to their gut instincts.

This is my silent prayer for all of our daughters.

And for the men who carry these fears as well, my hope for you too is to never have to carry this burden around with you, and rather know you are safe and at peace.

Ali Flynn

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Ali Flynn Is excited to share with you the joys and hardships of motherhood with an open heart, laughter and some tears. Ali is a monthly guest contributor for Westchester County Mom and has been seen on Filter Free Parents, Grown and Flown, Today Parents and Her View From Home.

5 Unexpected Things I’ve Learned from My Daughter

By Flow Belinsky

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

March 16, 2021

Photo: Adina Voicu via Pixabay

Before my daughter was born, my husband and I wrote her a song called “Wise Teacher.” We knew she would teach us a lot by coming into our lives. It’s hard to remember her wisdom sometimes when she is picking her nose and handing it to me or when she is throwing an epic tantrum because I ran out of bananas and offered an apple instead.

But, there is no doubt that becoming the mother to this little being has totally transformed me. Here are some of the unexpected things I learned from her.

1. I have to prioritize caring for myself in order to care for her.

This girl is a high energy, high maintenance little force of nature. As sweet as she can be, caring for her every day gets exhausting. If I don’t deeply care for my physical, mental and emotional parts, I will burn out. I have to meditate. I have to get in nature. I have to journal and go to therapy. I have to eat well. I have to prioritize sleep. I have to take baths, feel my feelings and get out to have some fun on my own.

I have to do all that and more in order to be well-resourced and rested enough to be the best mom possible for her.

2. Meltdowns are not just for toddlers.

Even with all my self-care routines, sometimes it just gets to be too much for me. Running a business and raising a child is an epic juggling challenge. Sometimes I drop a ball or two and that can lead to an emotional meltdown for me. But, just like with toddlers, it’s not actually a big deal.

My emotional tantrums are a natural part of life, a release valve when the pressure gets too high. And, just like I love her through her big emotions, I too am lovable and worthy of support in my meltdowns. They don’t mean I am bad, wrong or crazy. They are a show of my vulnerable humanness and it’s ok.

3. It’s okay to need people.

Obviously my tiny daughter needs us. We dress her, feed her, comfort her, play with her, make sure she doesn’t die, etc. And obviously I needed my parents that much too. But somewhere along the way I decided it wasn’t ok or a good idea to need people. I tried to be so independent, to not care if I didn’t have someone there for me, to not rely on anyone.

Eventually that all backfired and I realized I am actually stronger with the support and connection of others. But, that realization is still landing fully in my body and life. Seeing my daughter receive our care and love and experiencing her needing us so fully helps me deeply remember and accept that I need people to help and care for me, too. And that’s okay. It’s actually great and really natural.

4. When I follow my passions, everyone wins.

When I first started this motherhood thing, I felt like I had to give up things I really loved doing and creating in order to be a good mom. But what I learned from raising my daughter, is that when I leave her in the care of someone else so I can do something I love, like write or give a healing session or create music, it is great for all.

My daughter gets a chance to be loved by and bond with another family or community member, the caregiver gets blessed with a really fun and nurturing time with my awesome kid and I get filled up inside with the glow of creative vitality that only comes from pursing my true passions and doing my creative work in the world.

Then, my relationship with my husband is better because my vitality is flowing, my daughter benefits because I am able to be more present and attentive to her when I am done and I get the absolute joy of feeling like I really can have it all without guilt, which also benefits my health and stress levels.

5. Running around naked is the best feeling ever.

Ok, bare with me on this one. Before or after bath time, if we let her, my daughter will streak up and down the halls of our house naked, laughing and shrieking with joy. She absolutely, unabashedly loves it. Yes, I like being naked too, but where I’m going with this is more metaphorical.

By baring my soul, by sharing my raw truth, by being nakedly vulnerable with my emotions and insides, life becomes a lot more thrilling and fun. Being transparent and authentic is the best feeling ever. Instead of hiding parts of myself or pretending to be something I’m not, I’ve gotten incredibly honest in my motherhood journey. I tell the truth, I share the hard parts and the real details of my journey. I let it all hang out.

And, just like my little naked daughter, people love me even more for it. I inspire others to get more naked in their truth and life is way more interesting, connective and fulfilling.

So, those are a few of the unexpected things I’ve learned from raising my daughter. I know this girl and this journey of motherhood will continue to teach and inspire me in ways I don’t even know yet. She’s only a toddler, after all.

We have a lot of growing and learning to do together in this life. But, through all the ages and stages, I commit to learning from her as much or more than I teach, to stay humble as a student of life and to receive all the wisdom I can from my little wise teacher.

Flow Belinsky

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Flow is an Author and Memoir Writing Coach for Womxn. Feeling the call to write your true life story into a book that inspires? Sign up to join a Free Memoir Writing Breakthrough Workshop through her website, and get the clarity and momentum you need to make it happen.

Zac Hanson & Wife Kate Welcome 5th Child

by Erica LoopMarch 10, 2021

Former ’90s boy bander Zac Hanson and wife Kate welcomed a new member to their growing brood—baby boy Quincy Joseph Thoreau Hanson!

The “MMMBop” super-star is now a dad to five (yes, five!) kiddos. This means a brand-new Hanson Band that’s even bigger than the original trio could become a reality in the not-so-distant future.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Zachary Hanson (@zachanson)

Hanson and wife Kate announced the birth of their newest family member with a sweet Instagram post. According to the post, Quincy made his grand debut on Mar. 7, 2021. Along with his new baby boy’s birthday, Hanson added a sweet shout out to his wife/new mom-times five, “I am a little late, but I celebrated #internationalwomensday the best way I know how. Marveling at the superpower women are uniquely gifted…”

Musician/dad to five Hanson also added, “As well as freaking out over the fact that I am now responsible to help raise another person.” The other people Hanson is also responsible to help raise (a.k.a., the couple’s other kiddos) are four-year-old Mary Lucille Diana, seven-year-old George Abraham Walker, 10-year-old Junia Rosa Ruth and 12-year-old John Ira Shepard. Congrats go out to the happy parents and Quincy Joseph Thoreau’s big sibs!

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

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Starbucks New Reusable Line is Spring in a Cup

by Karly WoodMarch 8, 2021

Raise your hand if you’re ready for spring! In celebration of all things pastel and pretty, Starbucks just dropped their newest lineup of tumblers, cups and mugs and they’re beyond fit for the impending warm weather.

In addition to the 50th Anniversary Copper Tumblers that are a collector’s dream, the coffee purveyor shared the newest collection of reusable cups that are all about spring. The six-pack comes in blue, pink, purple, coral, mint and dark blue with Easter-inspired prints.

We spied the set at our local Starbucks inside Target for a cool $14.95. Each set comes with fun designs that include Easter eggs, florals, bunnies and more designs to get you excited for winter to be over.

The variety packs include six 16-ounce cups with lids and is dishwasher safe. You can find them at Starbucks, Starbucks inside Target and even on the Starbucks app when you place your order (if your local store carries them).

––Karly Wood

All photos: Red Tricycle

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New Research Finds This Is the Best Place in the World to Raise a Child

by Erica LoopMarch 1, 2021

Nestlé recently released the results of the brand’s new Parenting Index—and the United States ranks fifth globally in the best places to raise children. The top countries to raise a child based on The Parenting Index are Sweden, Chile, Germany, and Mexico.

The beloved brand’s Index looked at parenting views from more than 8,000 moms and dads of children zero to 12-months in 16 different countries. After analyzing the responses, researchers were able to identify eight universal factors universally impacting parenting practices.

photo: Andrea Piacquadio via Pexels

Pressure ranked as the top factor impacting U.S. parents. Not only did American moms and dads feel pressure for their kids to “have it all,” but they also reported high levels of pressure from others. Other issues U.S. parents reported were social shaming (46 percent of parents), loneliness (30 percent), the baby blues (45 percent) and the desire for greater sharing of parenting responsibilities (51 percent).

Dr. Ming Cui, Professor of Family and Child Sciences at Florida State University and M.S. in Statistics and Ph.D. in Sociology, Fulbright U.S. Scholar, reviewed The Parenting Index methodology and findings. Of the result, Dr. Cui said, in a press release, “Today’s parents are increasingly parenting in a state of anxiety, which can be reflected from findings in this report, such as the external/internal pressure, lack of confidence and financial demands they say they are experiencing.”

Cui added, “Influenced by popular media along with technology advances, many parents from different cultures and socio-economic classes feel pressured to do it all.”

Even though the findings may highlight some of the not-so-great parts of parenting, the results weren’t entirely negative. American parents did report feeling positive in general. They also felt they have access to the health and well-being resources they need.

To learn more about the study’s findings, view The Parenting Index here.

—Erica Loop

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Advice That Every Mom Needs to Hear (Seriously)

By Lisa Aihara

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

February 21, 2021

mom kids tantrum

Photo: Jose Escobar on Unsplash

Ok, I’ll admit it, one of the most surprising and aggravating parts about parenting is advice from other parents. But hear me out, I think the reason why they’re usually so annoying is that they’re utterly useless most often than not, amiright? Oh really, we need to be patient with our kids when they’re throwing a tantrum? That is such a revolutionary idea Kim—I’ve just been screaming at them as my first line of defense up until now but let me go and give that a whirl! But as I’m knee-deep in toddler years with my first and about to embark on a second go-around with this whole child-rearing thing, I couldn’t help but think of all the lessons I had to learn in the trenches of baby sh*t (both emotionally and literally) that I wished were more mainstream so that moms could stop feeling guilty, helpless, and just miserable.

So here’s some advice that I want us to all start giving each other so that we could all cut ourselves some slack around here!

1. Set your priorities straight: if your baby is alive, you’re doing fine. I really wish someone told me this before I found myself on the couch pumping breastmilk naked while crying uncontrollably in those early weeks. It’s super cliché but I just fell in love with my son the moment the doctors plopped that little gooey cottage cheese covered monkey on my chest, and for the first time in my life I felt like my heart was bursting at the seams with a love that felt semi-familiar but so much more intense than anything I’ve known. That sounds all rainbows and unicorns, but what followed was anxiety, fatigue, and doubt, which is a disaster cocktail that just fuels each other into a dumpster fire of emotions where I felt like a failure every second.

But you know what? New parents deserve a gold star at the end of the day for keeping the damn thing alive. It literally CANNOT survive on its own because it’s quite incompetent at pretty much everything that is required to keep itself alive. Didn’t change the diaper right away because you happened to drift off? It’s not going to die. Didn’t realize that the mitten fell off and they scratched their eyelid? The red mark will be gone by tomorrow, their skin is like Wolverine. And yea, it’s going to be fine. Call it lowering the bar if you want, but I call it setting realistic expectations. Because when you become a parent, you realize that you are going to love this thing even if it never does anything worthy of an award, recognition, or even praise. You’re just happy for them to be alive. So yes, that is literally your only job.

2. Look to other cultures for “norms.” This was a big one for me. Luckily I’m bilingual in English and Japanese. I think my fellow children-of-immigrants can relate to this, or in homes that are multi-ethnic. I won’t lie, it also leads to a lot of heartache and conflict and full-on hormonal screaming deathmatches with your family too, but when the dust settled from these fights, it made me realize that there is no right way to raise a child. So when I would obsessively Google every burning question I had, I also Googled the same query in Japanese. This completely changed the way I thought about parenting best practices because I would see completely conflicting information. It was especially true for those hot-button topics that are so divisive you’d rather discuss abortion laws or whether 9/11 was an inside job (I’m talking things like breastfeeding, co-sleeping, sleep training… you know them). For example, Japanese people don’t expect kids to sleep alone until they start elementary school. Yea, that would take a ton of pressure off of moms who have kids like mine who refuse to sleep alone.

Now look, I know that we don’t live in Japan where they eat sushi during pregnancy—so our cultures are quite different, which means that parenting advice may not always translate. But what’s important is that those countries, despite having committed parenting sins that American parents would CRUCIFY you over, have raised healthy, smart, and capable children. That’s why I’ve been reading a lot about how other cultures raise their kids, and it has been transformative. We need to tell more mothers to lean into their multi-ethnic background or learn about different cultures because American doesn’t always mean best. In fact, some of our baby best practices have been built on consumerism, not science. #mindblown

3. Take all parenting advice like additional tools in your tool belt, not an end-all. This may seem like I’ve just negated everything I’ve said up to this point, but the truth is, it’s an attitude that could save your sanity. There is going to be so much information, opinions, studies, and “facts” thrown your way—more than you could ever imagine from the life you’ve led to this point. It is so easy to get overwhelmed at first and take everything as the gospel, but then you quickly realize that there is no universal truth, and sometimes these things contradict each other. So instead, take every new information as an invitation to look over the tools you’ve accumulated, and whether it has a place in your tool belt. Is it going to complement the tools you already have? Does it actually seem better than one of the ones you have, and will you replace it? Are you still unsure about it and will keep it close but not use it at this time? Know that your kid, your rules, and you and your parenting partner get to curate this tool belt together to fit the needs of your family.

This post originally appeared on Lisa Aihara.

Lisa Aihara

Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Lisa Aihara is a writer and artist based in Los Angeles. When she's not busy keeping her toddler alive, she's growing another human and has no time for any BS. For an honest, practical take on motherhood, relationships, and just life's struggles through comics and stories, follow her on Instagram and her Blog.

This Comedian’s “Middle Schoolers Be Like” Videos Are All Too True

by Karly WoodJanuary 22, 2021

Let’s be honest: navigating puberty is hard and we’re all pretty glad when it’s over. From raging hormones and over-the-top emotions to the awkward body changes and meddling parents, no stone is left unturned in the transformation from child to teenager.

If there’s one person who’s managed to capture all the glory of this crazy time in life, it’s comedian Trey Kennedy in his “Middle Schoolers Be Like” videos. Despite being an adult, Kennedy’s portrayal of the all-out frustrating middle school years is so spot on.

Kennedy performs all the roles in his videos: the exasperated middle schooler, the well-intentioned mom and even the obnoxious sister and authoritative dad—which somehow makes it even funnier.

As if he didn’t hit the nail quite squarely on the head in his first video, he returned recently with part two, which offers even more painfully true scenarios between tweens and parents.

This may be the parent inside all of us, but watching Kennedy take out those trash cans? We’re seriously holding back the “go to your room” right now! In addition to a good laugh, we’re also way more sympathetic to our parents-in-arms raising tweens right now!

If you can’t get enough of Kennedy’s Middle School gig, then head to his Facebook page, where you can catch up on the entire lineup of Middle School Maddox videos.

––Karly Wood

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