Deciding if you want to be a parent may be one of the biggest questions you will ever consider. Whether you already have children or are considering parenthood for the first time, both the idea and the reality of raising a child can bring up lots of emotions, fears, and hopes. Our All-Options Talkline (1-888-493-0092) offers a space to explore all your feelings about parenthood without any assumptions, limitations, or judgments.
Parenting Resources:
- Parenting Resources from the Dept of HHS: An index of resources and information on parenting compiled by the Administration for Children & Families.
- 1-800-311-BABY: (1-800-311-2229) This toll-free telephone number will connect you to the Maternal Child Health Department in your state. The webpage also has additional links.
- 211: 211 connects people to all kinds of community-based resources for emergencies and basic needs. Just call 211 or use the website to find the 211 agency in your area.
- National Parent Helpline: Run by Parents Anonymous, this line offers emotional support to parents and caregivers of children and youth of all ages. 1-855-427-2736. The website also has lots of resources.
- National Diaper Bank Network: Diapers are a major expense and they are not usually covered by food stamps, WIC or welfare benefits. This network of local resources distributes free diapers.
Parent & Family Advocates:
- Strong Families is a 10-year national initiative led by Forward Together to change the way people think, feel and act in support of ALL our families.
- Mothering Justice: Mothering Justice is a grassroots policy advocacy organization that provides mothers of color in America with the resources and tools to use their power to make equitable changes in policy.
- Parents Together covers the latest research, policies, and trends affecting kids and families, so busy parents have the information they need to help their families thrive.
- MomsRising: Where moms and people who love them go to change our world. Together we can build a nation where children, parents, and businesses thrive; and end discrimination against mothers.
- Legal Services for Prisoners with Children unites the struggles for criminal and reproductive justice by protecting incarcerated parents’ rights, seeking their release, and fighting for reunification of families.
Stories & Support for Parenting – or Not!:
- Single Mothers by Choice offers virtual and local support and information to single women who are considering, or have chosen, single motherhood.
- MUTHA Magazine explores real-life motherhood, from every angle, at every stage.
- Childfree.net is a group of adults who all share at least one common desire: we do not wish to have children of our own. We choose to call ourselves “childfree” rather than “childless,” because we feel the term “childless” implies that we’re missing something we want – and we aren’t.
Books on Parenting:
- Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines by Alexis Pauline Gumbs, China Martens, and Mai’a Williams (editors)
- Like A Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes
- We Live for the We: The Political Power of Black Motherhood by Dani McClain
- Giving Up Baby: Safe Haven Laws, Motherhood, and Reproductive Justice by Laury Oaks