Hello all! Long time since I’ve posted. I got a new job at the same place after all the baby time was up. Also - I’m a trans woman - didn’t realise this until about a month ago. I’m in the weeds folks. I’m just so happy that the little one will grow up in a time where my transition will be safe and understandable. So I guess this is an open thread for any trans folks to express their family dynamics: how did your family take your transition / your decision to transition / your being out as trans? Is your child trans? How are you finding it? What even is reality? All loving thoughts are welcome. Hope everyone has been happy and healthy and aggressively distilling communist theory for our lumpen friends and family everywhere. Vote Bernie.

Hello comrades! I expect this thread will evolve to more issues revolving around the immediate family of an active and theory-ridden communist. A bit of self disclosure: I’m an only child. My mother is a Boomer and my father is just over the cusp in the Silent Generation. You can imagine the issues growing up with them. I’ve found, now that I’m an adult and a father, that toning down the Marxism and practicing as much compassion as possible has helped solidify a genuine and positive relationship with both of them, even though their understanding of the world is inextricable from capitalism. It’s not even that they have hardline political views, it’s simply that they do not see another way. Trust me, I’ve been a leftist teenager with all the “Mom, I have some stuff you should read” bullshit. The more patient and compassionate I can manage to be, the more they’ve been able to understand that my political standpoint is important to me, and it’s a heartfelt and purposeful guide for my life. They’ll still scoff when they ask what I’m reading and I say Lenin, but they’re not openly hostile - at least anymore. What are your experiences with family? How do you deal with the generational divide, where previous generations were force fed capitalist propaganda? Who’s got a racist right wing uncle like me? (That’s a story for part 2, and possibly more). Tell your stories! This subcom isn’t just about kids, we all have families!

This is a small branch, but growing quite nicely. If there’s anyone out there who would like to moderate with me and can create a new post at least once a week hit me up. Preferable that you have a child/children in your care.

Hello again comrades! This week, I wanted to build on a point Magpieinthesky made a few days ago about avoiding gendered products and activities for your kids to help them develop into their own individual selves. Myself, I’m battling my mother who assured me within a year everything will be pink unicorns and rainbows for our girl - which is fine if that’s what she really wants - but the inevitability with which it’s stated rubs me the wrong way. If it counts for anything, what I’d like most for my daughter is for her to have all the tools she needs to be her best self. The game is stacked against individuality in terms of gender identifiers. I’m by no means an expert in this area, but I know when something is restrictive to human development. Has anyone had issues or run-ins with capitalist duality of gender? How did you respond? Have you had success with these ideas in mind? I’d love to hear from you all. Thanks and take care!

My baby makes a lot of shouts and cries, but isn’t verbal yet, so no Das Kapital just yet. Any parents out there with 2-4 year olds who ask loads of questions? I’d like to try to outline the child-accessible topics that we might run into in the course of a day: sharing items, roles of people in society (“daddy why does that man want to pick up trash?” Etc), the value of money (“I want that one [toy/candy]!” “Why can’t I have it?” Etc), polite behaviour to others. Anyone have any experiences with this? Or any useful “buzz words” that kids might use that open up a teaching opportunity? Have a great weekend comrades, take care of yourselves!

Hello comrade families! I wanted to start a discussion about values in raising children, from infancy and toddlerhood. I think it’s safe to say that trying to get your 2 year old to understand Marx is a fruitless endeavor - they’re children after all! What I’m looking at for my 6 month old is trying to get her used to being around as many kinds of people as possible. Keeping things simple might be best for me for a while yet until she gets into school. My priority as a parent right now is to provide a loving atmosphere first and foremost, and to give my girl every opportunity to learn and connect with others. I saw some Reddit thread advocating home schooling for a Marxist family, but that sounds to me like a recipe for disaster, and far too insular for a growing mind to make formative experiences. So what are your plans? What do you think about schooling? Daycare? Life at home? Thanks all. Solidarity forever.

I’m a father of a 6 month old girl and have been married for 2 years. I’ve been most heavily involved in communist theory for the better part of a year, though I already had these beliefs about 15 years ago and was laughed out of social relevance. We are fucking the earth to death and capital must expand and consume everything it can to sustain itself. We are at a flashpoint of action. I want to address certain questions about raising a new generation (aside from whether or not it’s responsible to have children, I’m very happy we had ours) - what should they know? How do you approach a child with these ideas? Authority figures as teachers and coaches and religious characters have the template for indoctrinating the expansion of capital at the expense of all human life. How do we raise an ethical and conscious child into a revolutionary adult? Thanks comrades for your participation. Solidarity forever.