Jody Allard

Jody Allard

Bio

Jody Allard is a former techie turned freelance writer living in Seattle. Her online work has appeared on Time, xoJane, and Offbeat Home, among others. She writes primarily about food, family, mothering, and life with a chronic illness. 

Jody Allard Articles

Cut it out with the pink ribbons.

6 Things You Can Do Today To Help Someone With Breast Cancer

As you've probably gathered by the explosion of pink everything, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And, while many people try to spread awareness with the best of intentions, there isn't anyone left on this planet who hasn't heard of breast cancer. Breast cancer patients need many things, but sharing silly Facebook statuses and engaging in other click-it-and-forget-about-it forms of awareness isn't one of them.

Read...
Credit: ThinkStock

Debate On "Free-Range Parenting" Obscures Real Issues Facing Children

It's easy and painless to poke our noses into the minutiae of other parents' decisions, but it in no way tackles the real epidemic of child abuse.

Read...
The author meets Macklemore.

What Macklemore's Relapse Reminded Me About Loving An Addict

What I do know is what it is like to be the wife of an addict, and those years taught me to claim responsibility for addictions that aren't my own. Thankfully, while that is still my first instinct, I have come far enough now to pause and remind myself that I am no one's caretaker. I am not responsible for my ex-husband's addiction, and I am certainly not responsible for Macklemore's.

Read...

Your Daily Coffee Habit May Actually Save Your Life

If you're anything like me, your first coffee of the morning is just a warm-up for your next cup of coffee. But now, thanks to the wonders of science, you can chug those buckets of joe guilt-free because coffee may actually make you live longer!

Read...

Baltimore Mother Who Beat Protesting Son Is A Child Abuser, Not "Mother of the Year"

You don't get to beat someone simply because you have a feeling. And that is true whether you are a mother or a cop.

Read...

Brace Yourselves, Kids of the '90s, Nickelodeon May Bring Back Your Favorite Shows

If you lay awake at night praying for new episodes of your favorite childhood TV shows, your prayers may soon be answered. Nickelodeon confirmed that it is considering re-boots of its most beloved shows from the 80s and 90s.

Read...

School Bans Tag At Recess And Childhood Is Officially Dead

It's hard to think of anything more synonymous with childhood than playing tag.

Read...
credit: Ashley Anderson

Please Do Not Dub Sandra Bland A Crazy Black Woman

"Ultimately, it doesn't matter much whether Bland killed herself or was murdered. In both cases, she died because she was hauled into custody for a minor offense that didn't really even merit being pulled over to begin with. Maybe her head injury led to uncharacteristic behavior, or maybe the traumatic arrest triggered a severe PTSD episode, or maybe someone flat out killed her. But, in every case, she died because she was in that police cell."

Read...

New People Rating App Is Literally The Worst Idea Ever

In case you thought that the Internet couldn't sink any lower, the creators of a new app are about to prove you wrong.

Read...

Video Shows What Happens When Men Are Erased From Power

If you've ever wondered what would happen if all men were removed from positions of power, a

Read...