Wow! Babble.com doesn’t suck.
When I first heard about this Web site for "the new urban parent," I figured it was another example of a disturbing trend: Your baby/child is a fashion accessory. "Cookie" magazine, events like Baby Disco and Ramones onesies send the message that you’ve had a baby, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop being an annoying hipster jerk.
Babble had all the earmarks — New York City-centric, snarky tone, interns sporting weird haircuts. It was also started by the people behind Nerve.com, the famous sex-focused Web site.
Here’s how the Babble bunch pitch themselves: "The subject of parenting needs a bold new voice because people lie about it so often. The topic is plagued by politically correct clichés and generic sentimentality. This is just what we said about sex nine years ago. Today there are more taboos and more social pressures around parenting than there are around sex. We will cover the most controversial topics in parenting via personal essays, our exhaustive info center, and witty, original columns like "Bad Parent" and "Notes from a Non-Breeder."
OK, here I am a few days since the launch and I’m hooked. Funny blogs, useful information and an overall impression that everyone involved actually enjoys having children. They could use some better copy editing (one blog’s title: "Taking your kids to see a killer whale mame someone isn’t as cheap as it used to be." Mame?)
I particularly enjoyed the blog from the husband-wife team that make up the band Mates of State, about what it’s like to take a 1-year-old on tour. Mates of State live right here in East Haven and they’re playing Toad’s Place Jan. 13. Bring the kids!
Just no Sex Pistols onesies, please.