Despite the plenitude of parenting Web sites, there’s a paucity of online destinations offering more than recipes, due-date calculators, and pop-up ads for belly balm. Why? Most breeders don’t check their brains at the delivery-room door (or toss them out after the homebirth). The void grew when Salon.com downgraded “Mothers Who Think,” their parenting section, to the more generic, thinly populated “Life.” Enter AustinMama.com, which brings together original writing and art with community resources for “Austin’s thinking mothers” (and fathers). The “Mama Said” section (for original fiction, poetry, and essay) includes heavy-hitters like Katie Allison Granju (author of Attachment Parenting), Spike Gillespie, and Marion Winik. Sarah Higdon’s surreal illustrations make the site look both whimsical and polished, while the bulletin board, which covers topics from garage sales to circumcision, aims to be “a sanctuary against isolation, loneliness and estrangement,” bringing parents from the Austin area together. Another plus is “Mamas We Like,” a light-hearted Q&A profile of a local mama. Past honorees include Maria Corbalan, the owner of Taco X-Press; cartoonist Penny Van Horn; and commercial sculptor Faith Schexnader, whose designs festoon such local businesses as the 503 Coffee Bar. Some areas of the site need a little goosing: the “Mamas Feed” section, which features user-submitted recipes, is a little thin, and the bulletin boards are somewhat sluggish, especially compared to heavily trafficked, high-profile sites like Mothering.com. And for such a homegrown, local labor of love, it seems strange that the AustinMama Bookstore ironically exhorts browsers to “support our local writers” but doesn’t mention local booksellers (the site is an Amazon affiliate). But a recent update announced that the site will offer the wares of the “Coo de Tot Coalition,” a network of Austin-area work-at-home moms who offer kid stuff and services. According to founder, publisher, and senior editor Kim Lane, “We plan to feature clothing, accessories, slings, bags, hats, vintage goodies, etc., with a dedicated concentration on supporting our local vendors through e-commerce.” Lane adds, “We believe in building a women-supporting-women community through local partnerships and collaboration, and we believe our nurturing community deserves a realistic spotlight and voice.”
This article appears in August 30 • 2002.