Raising Bakersfield

Welcome to RaisingBakersfield.com!

I'm Jason, your Content Manager and host here in this new online community for local parents.

 My wife and I moved to Bakersfield in 2003 from Los Angeles for her work, and I left behind a career as a high school social studies teacher.  After our daughter was born on Halloween 2004, I was privileged to be able to stay home with her.

For her first two years of life, I was proud to be a stay-at-home-dad, and I started writing about the experience on a blog called daddy in a strange land (where I write as "daddy in a strange land," or "d.i.s.l.," and where I call my wife "la dra." and our daughter "The Pumpkin").  I cofounded (and still coordinate) a group blog by Asian American fathers called Rice Daddies, and became a contributor to another group blog, Anti-Racist Parent.

In an effort only to reach out and find other parents to talk to, I stumbled into a vibrant, welcoming community of mombloggers and dadbloggers writing about their experiences with the daily challenges and triumphs of modern parenthood.  This experience in blogging and online community led, unexpectedly, to a job as "community content coordinator" on Bakersfield.com, where I've worked since right after my daughter turned two.

And now, I'm delighted to have come full circle and be able to welcome you, my fellow Bakersfield parents, to a place of our own on the web.

Here, we can blog about life in online journals, and read and comment on what others have to say.  We can go to the forums to ask the experts--each other--about everything from what to do with the kids this weekend to advice about potty training or discipline to where to find the best doctor/barber/daycare/party clown/fill-in-the-blank in town.  We can share our favorite family snapshots in scrapbook galleries, browse user profiles and interests to find new friends and potential playdates, and buy from and sell to other parents via our online classified ads.  We can find the latest deals and bargains from local shops and vendors participating in our Parent Perks program, and we can find out exactly what is happening around town--and let others know about our own events--in the most comprehensive, interactive family calendar in town.

If you ever have any questions about the website, don't hesitate to email me at jsperber@raisingbakersfield.com.

Thank you for joining us, and remember, together, we are all RaisingBakersfield.

User Name:Jason
Real Name:Jason Sperber
Email:jsperber@raisingbakersfield.com
Member Since:April 08, 2008
Last Signed In:October 13, 2008
Profile Views:617
Blog Views:816