Romper

David Clover

David is a painter, writer, activist, queer, sometimes interfaith-lay-preacher, always animal-lover, and full time parent. He lives in beautiful Detroit, Michigan, with his wife, their baby, and three cats. His favorite food is graham cracker pie crust, and yes, that does count as a favorite food.
I Came Out As Transgender After Weaning. Breastfeeding Doesn't Feel Like It Belongs To Me.
In the spring of 2015, I gave birth to a beautiful baby, and plunged head first into breastfeeding culture. That part of my story is not exactly atypical of millennial parents, particularly those with a slightly “crunchy” bent. But there’s one big…
By David Clover
As A Witch & Trans Person, I Regret To Inform You That 'Sabrina' Left Me Wanting
In the nine-episode-long Part Two of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, we finally get what we were teased with in Part One, an out transgender character. One of Sabrina’s mortal friends, played by Lachlan Watson, reveals that he is a trans boy and…
By David Clover
Do I Overthink Halloween Costumes?
Halloween is almost upon us, and everywhere parents are prepping for one of the most sugar-filled nights of the year. Some parents are running out to buy last-minute costumes, hoping those pop-up Halloween shops aren't out of whatever their kid…
By David Clover
If You’re Feeling Somehow Guilty For Being Broke, You’re Not Alone
At the time that I gave birth, I was the poorest I have been in my adult life. I don’t use “poor” as hyperbole here, but as an accurate descriptor of a financial state. While I’ve spent a lot of my adulthood below the federal poverty line, or…
By David Clover
I Was Anxious Before Becoming A Parent — But Afterward Was Very Different
My heart was racing while I read and re-read the confusing car seat manual. My spouse offered to help and I snapped “I’m doing it!” I had planned to read the manual and even practice installing the stupid thing before the birth. I had also planned…
By David Clover
I Couldn't Afford A Second Baby, & This Is What I Spent My Money On Instead
The first time I floated (get it) the idea, my partner raised their eyebrows with skepticism. I'd been angling for baby number two off and on for a while, always with the caveat that we could (hypothetically) have a second child in the…
By David Clover
This Joke We Make About Trying To Conceive Is Archaic & Homophobic
When you reveal that you're trying to get pregnant, you'll get some kind wishes, while other people take the moment as an opportunity to launch into a well-worn comedy routine. If the person trying to conceive is a cisgender woman partnered with a…
By David Clover
We Never Talk About The Emotional Labor Of Pregnancy, & It Can Shatter You
Ah, pregnancy. There’s nothing quite as relaxing as gestating a fetus, your hair blowing in the wind while you stare off into the horizon, hand lovingly propped on your perfect baby bump. Oh wait, I’m describing a stock photo, whoops! Actual…
By David Clover
What It's Like To Lose Your Job After Having A Baby
When I got pregnant, I had a full-time job. It wasn’t an especially thrilling or lucrative job, but it made money which helped to pay our bills, and despite everything, I did enoy it. “I sell dog food for a living!” I would tell my friends with a…
By David Clover
I'm Queer, & I'm Terrified Of Being Stripped Of My Parental Rights
A few years ago, my wife and I sat in our tiny living room, hashing out plans for how to make a baby. As a same-sex couple, we had many decisions to make before becoming parents, decisions like “adoption or pregnancy?” and “who is going to carry?”…
By David Clover
I Refused To Admit I Had Prenatal Depression
When I was pregnant, a friend from out of town came for a visit. "Wow, you're glowing," she said when she saw me. "It seems like pregnancy is really agreeing with you." I cocked my head to the side, trying to think of the best way to respond. I…
By David Clover
I'm Sorry, But I'm Totally Judging Your Parenting
I'll admit it: before I had a child of my own, I was one of those people who judged parents. I'm not exactly proud of it, and I did my best to keep it to myself, but sure, I had some high and mighty ideas about raising kids. I always knew that once…
By David Clover
I'm Worried My Kid Will Inherit My Food Issues
Like a lot of adult women in the United States, I've had issues with food for as long as I can remember. I can’t really remember a time when I didn’t feel weird about food. I was a picky kid, so I was constantly at war with my parents to be allowed…
By David Clover
I Only Let My Kid Watch TV Shows That I Like
Like many first-time parents, I went into the adventure of parenting with many high and mighty ideals. And, just like almost every other parent in the known universe, I watched as, one by one, they fell by the wayside. It's true that it's much…
By David Clover
I Can't Mother Alone. There, I Said It.
It probably won’t come as any big shock to anyone reading that parenting can be kind of, well, hard. Kids are great. They're fun, smart, and exciting little people who are still pretty new to this whole “being a person” thing. But, at least for me,…
By David Clover
I Had No Idea Weaning Would Be Physical Hell
As a dedicated breastfeeding mom, I was in no hurry to wean my baby, so I didn’t put too much thought into how it would go when he did inevitably stop breastfeeding. Call me naive, but despite warnings from friends about the possibility of…
By David Clover
This Is Why I Didn't Stick To A Sleep Routine
In the days before I took the glorious and terrible plunge into motherhood, I heard all kinds of truisms about parenting, and many of them I believed. My mother was very fond of saying “kids need consistency” and she was more or less my parenting…
By David Clover
I'm A Mom Who Can't Afford To Strike
By now, you are probably aware that a whole bunch of ladies are striking on March 8 which is International Women’s Day, this year. As news of the strike gets around — dubbed "A Day Without a Woman" — the most common response I hear from friends,…
By David Clover
I'm Embarrassed By Own Lazy Parenting
The thing about having kids is that it is way more work to take care of a child than it is to not take care of a child. It isn’t that people without kids can’t and don’t work hard — they totally can and often do. It’s just that when you have a human…
By David Clover
The New Boy American Girl Doll Is Good For My Son
Growing up, I was really into dolls, and I was also a huge history nerd (I still am!) so naturally, the American Girl line of books and dolls was very appealing to me. My parents could never afford to get me the doll I wanted, but I devoured the…
By David Clover