The World Is a Mess...so Fucking DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
Listen, there’s no point in sugar coating this: The world is a disaster right now and holy shit we’re raising babies in this.
As easy as it is to get caught up in the day to day exhaustion of feeding and diapers and naps and errands during tantrums and oh shit do I have ANY clean clothes??? right now the most important parenting we can do is activism.
But where do we even start? It’s overwhelming, but closing your eyes and picking literally anything is better than nothing at this point. Still stuck? Here’s a handy-dandy tasting menu of causes and resources.
Concentration Camps in the United States
Remember learning about WWII in school and going ‘how did everyone just let that happen?’ GUESS WHAT! Right here, right now is how. If you’re not out there actively opposing Nazis, guess what that makes you? I promise you that if you don’t stand up and stop this now they will come for you and for your children next.
What can you do? MoveOn has a great list of ways to stay informed and organizations to turn to.
Climate Change
I could beat this issue to death, but I’m not going to waste my breath. Get serious about reusable bags and travel mugs, recycle, pay attention to the packaging of the food and products you buy, and reduce your carbon footprint. Arcadia Power ties directly to your electricity provider and makes sure you’re using renewable energy resources if your provider doesn’t have a renewable energy program itself.
Veganism
Everybody loves to hate on vegans, but I’m sure your kid will consider “but meat tastes sooo good” and “vegans are just annoying assholes” as totally legit excuses for more than one quarter of the world’s species going extinct during their lives. Listen. We make sacrifices for our kids, end of story, and if you want your kid to have a future then you need to be pulling your weight. This is how you do it. Suck it up and make yourself healthy in the process.
Abortion Access, Birth Control, Safe Sex, and Women’s Health
Have you heard the news? Turns out, people with uteruses are nothing more than incubators! Fetuses have more rights than grown women (and individuals with uteruses) but people in concentration camps are exempt from human rights. Pissed the fuck off? You motherfucking should be. Get your ass over to Planned Parenthood and see what you can do.
LGBTQ
Yeah, I know pride month is over but guess what? Queers exist 365 days a year and we’re in deep shit right now. The good news is we’ve come a long way in the fifty years since Stonewall, but the fight is ongoing. Especially since Pride just happened (and is still happening in some places) you probably have heard of some local organizations, but if you’re not sure where to turn Lambda Legal, PFLAG, GLAD, and GLSEN are all organizations with great track records and ways to act locally and globally.
Gun Control (and Unexpected Fashion)
Let me be very upfront: I own guns. At times I carry a concealed firearm. I am in possession of several levels of licenses and a lot of training to do so. And holy shit do we need better gun control! My kid isn’t even old enough to go to school yet and my partner and I are already having to consider homeschooling or a similar alternative because of the commonality of school shootings. For fucks sake, this should not be a hard concept to grasp! And this issue offers a way more low key way to advocate! Buy some sunglasses! The money from buying sunglasses through OYE goes to gun sense groups and the website also offers direct ways to advocate and stay informed.
Vaccine Trials
Did you know they are doing human trials on the HIV vaccine right now and you can sign up? You can’t currently be pregnant or breastfeeding, but otherwise you may qualify. Not feeling comfortable with that? There are a ton of vaccines (both new and improved) that are in safe, legal clinical trials right now. I’m not saying Big Pharma doesn’t have their own motivations here, but wouldn’t it be great to help ensure your kids won’t have to worry about the life threatening diseases we do?
Call Your Representatives
I can’t stress this enough: Contact your local government representatives. I know we all have phone anxiety. I hate, hate, hate doing it, too. But no fucking shit, guys, this is life and death. Are you really going to let your anxiety about a phone call to a receptionist (who I promise you does not care how awkward you sound) make you stay silent about Nazis? Pick up the phone, scream SHUT DOWN THE CAMPS or STAND UP FOR CLIMATE CHANGE or NET NEUTRALITY IS STILL IMPORTANT or whatever the main point of your chosen issue is, and hang up. That simple. You’re not doing this for you, you’re doing this for your kid.
Speak Up, Speak Out. Always.
Remember no matter what parenting style you have you are modeling behavior, values, and attitude for your children. Teach your children that being quiet and passive is not an option. That human rights are not privileges. That bravery can be as little and as important as making that phone call even when you’re shaking. Teach your babies that you give a flying fuck about them and their future.
