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Author Archives: ayvalentine
The Most Important Meal of the Day
It’s really easy to think that however things are is just the way they’re going to be. As the kids grow up and we all have conflicting schedules, stressful mornings and dinners out of brown bags in the car started … Continue reading
Posted in Freelancing Life, Parenthood
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RPG Editors You Don’t Know But Should
By the very nature of freelance work, there are often a lot of really talented people continuously looking for work. Some people are really quite good at the difficult-to-learn skill of putting their names out there—if you’re looking for an … Continue reading
Posted in Editing, Freelancing Life, Games
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“Speak”ing Up
Trigger warning: This post is about using literature to talk to kids about rape and consent. Some things may be triggery. A few months back I wrote about reading the novel Keeping Corner and talking about it with my daughter … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Parenthood, Uncategorized
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Why Are Fairytales “Girl Books”?
This is also posted on Reads4Tweens, where I have a list of fairytale books I’ve reviewed. I’ve marked books that I think appeal equally to boys and girls, regardless of what the cover looks like. Jessica Banks also has an … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Parenthood
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Fairy Tale Fortnight!
I’m a total fairy tale geek. I’ve always loved fairy tales—Disney films, gorgeously illustrated children’s books, modern retellings, clever novelizations, you name it. In college, I realized that if I combined a Cultural Anthropology major focusing on folktales with my … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Parenthood
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The Problems of Gendering Parenthood
I read a great article yesterday about how so much advertising aimed at women is actually advertising aimed at parents. When the infamous “They” say that women like something, what they often mean is “parents may find this convenient.” Obviously, … Continue reading
Posted in Parenthood
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Perpetuating Cynicism Perpetuates Rape Culture
Recently my daughter and I both read a book called Keeping Corner, which is a novel about Leela, a 12 year old widow in India in 1918. (It’s a wonderful book—you should read it. You’ll find my full spoilerific review … Continue reading
Posted in Parenthood
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The Quest for Characters Like Me
I’ve recently read a lot of articles, tweets, and so on about girls not finding female characters in games, movies, etc. I have a geeky daughter, and I’m painfully aware of how common this is. And while she’s not necessarily … Continue reading
Posted in Games, Kids and Gaming, Parenthood
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Story Matters
Story matters, on a fundamental level. Fiction reveals reality and can, in turn, change it. I have a masters degree in children’s literature. Really. I studied how we use stories, often unconsciously, to teach our children about how they should … Continue reading
Posted in Games, Parenthood
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Getting There
Being a parent is frequently terrifying. You know you’re screwing your kid up. You’re certain that every influence or bad thing is screwing your kid up for you in ways that you never imagined. It’s so hard to see what … Continue reading
Posted in Parenthood
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