parenting
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A 2-Year-Old Was Abandoned On a Stranger's Doorstep and We've Got Questions
This story is horrifyingly wild AF. Try to follow this: A Houston, Tex. mom is in the hospital. She calls her son’s father to see if he can watch him while she’s in the hospital. The dad says “of course.” Mom says, “ok my homegirl will be dropping him off at your house.” Dad is…
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A Father's Social Media Campaign Is Sparking Much Needed Change in Men's Restrooms
Like many young fathers, Donte Palmer is eager to take on a greater share of childrearing responsibilities that have often been relegated to women—like changing diapers. But often, the 31-year-old Florida man would be confronted with the same annoying problem: public restrooms for men almost never have changing tables, requiring Palmer to squat on the…
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The VSB Group Chat: Insecure Season 3, Episode 6, 'Ready-Like'
The #LawrenceHive got to sing praises and rejoice when Lawrence popped up on Issa at the convenient store in Episode 5. Now his storyline is back and in full swing (both literally and figuratively) on Insecure. We also get to see a bit more about the (d)evolving relationships of the Fearsome Foursome. Let’s roll into this…
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I Ended Up in the Middle of a Street Fight Yesterday. Here's What Happened
Have you ever accidentally ended up in the middle of a fight by sheer virtue of your location and inability to remove yourself from said location. Like say you’re stuck on a ferris wheel cart that sits six people and on the way up, three of the people sharing the cart with you end up…
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My Son Starts 'Big Kid School' Next Week and I'm Not Ready
It’s back-to-school time in America. Your Facebook timelines are full of pictures of back-to-school pictures of kids you may or may not know (depending on how many “friends” you actually have) preparing to Shiggy Dance on down the road to that fresh education provided by the state or sponsored by that employment you maintain. My…
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This Dad Giving His Daughter a Virtual Rollercoaster Ride Is the Blackest (and Best) Thing I've Ever Seen This Week
Perhaps later this year, after the midterms and/or in two years after the next presidential election, we’ll be able to confirm the existence of the silver linings we hope the Trump presidency has gifted us. Maybe the Democratic Party will actually embrace a more progressive and inclusive agenda instead of just positioning themselves as the…
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How the Book of Ryan Became My Therapy and Helped Me Understand Fatherhood
When I’m in the studio, I sometimes have these visions of conversations I’d like to have with my father. It leads me to think what it would be like if he and I could communicate on a higher level because there’s always been this barrier between us. Not even just us—everybody in our family. In…
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Dear Laura Mvula: Thank You for Being the Musical Bridge for My Daughter and Me
Since my daughter was born, I’ve had two very clear objectives: 1) Raise a good human being who goes to Spelman College, and 2) Turn my daughter (and the rest of my kids) into music heads. I want my kids to be the ones who go to school talking about that new Marvin Gaye Here,…
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We Used to Have Money, Now We Have You! Is the Bedtime Story We All Secretly Tell Our Kids
Editor’s note: Corey Richardson, the author of We Used to Have Money, Now We Have You! A Dad’s Bedtime Story, is a frequent VSB contributor. If you’re a father of any number of kids, as much as you love your children, the pragmatist in you always manages to seep into your thoughts. You love your…