Mothering to Go Web-Only

[georgia]

Thank you so much for your support of Mothering. We are announcing today that Mothering is becoming a web-only business. Printing the magazine is no longer financially sustainable. The Jan/Feb and Mar/Apr issues will be Mothering's final issues, and these are digital only. We apologize that we could not provide this information sooner, but it only became apparent to us very recently. While this is a big change for us, we look forward to continuing to bring you the information and support you have come to enjoy online at Mothering.com and here at MDC. 

If you are a current Mothering subscriber, your remaining issues will be fulfilled by Natural Life Magazine, with your first issue arriving in May/June. We ask that you please read Peggy O'Mara's editorial here for more information on this transition, and you are welcome to post your thoughts here at MDC. We will do our best to answer your questions. For anyone who has individual subscription questions or concerns, please email Sarah in Circulation: [e-mail] for assistance. Sarah and staff will respond just as quickly as possible. 

Thank you so much for your support and understanding. 

Edited by georgia - 2/14/11 at 4:00pm

[annettemarie]

*sniff* This is definitely the end of an era.

I was given my first copy of Mothering magazine at a La Leche League meeting when my oldest, who turns 12 on Thursday, was a newborn. In a print world filled with parenting advice to put your baby down, let him soothe himself and cry it out, and how to make him independent as soon as possible, it was such a relief to read articles on how to be more attached, more connected, and more involved with my baby. Now my family has grown from that one small baby to six children, and I still find myself going back to my old copies of Mothering. And while I'm sad that I won't be able to look through the magazine while nursing my babies anymore, I am so thankful we have this web space to safely explore attachment parenting and natural family living topics with like-minded parents.

[Drummer's Wife]

This is sad. :(  According to the FB announcement, there won't be a digital magazine, either - so, just the web content on the site will be available? 

I do mainly read articles and news online, and prefer ebooks - but I look forward to Mothering magazine arriving at my house.  Totally understandable, though... just a little sad. 

[AdinaL]

Such a sad morning. Mothering has been a huge part of my life since before I was even pregnant.  I will be sad to no longer get the magazine. Much love to Peggy and everyone at Mothering.

[sgrcn77]

My heart stopped when I read this. I love this publication and I will miss reading it every month. I wish you the best of luck in your new venture ; I'm sure you will be successful.

[*LoveBugMama*]

I still can`t believe this. 

I will be forever grateful for Mothering Magazine. Without it, I am pretty sure my life, my motherhood and my sons life would have been very different.

And not in a good way. I was struggling when my son was a baby. He slept extremely poorly, and "the world" wanted me to let him CIO.

Mothering helped me understand that I didn`t need to do that. That there was another way.

Over the years I have devoured every single issue, and the magazines are still some of my most valuable possesions. 

Thank you, Peggy. For making me a better mother. 

[georgia]

According to the FB announcement, there won't be a digital magazine, either - so, just the web content on the site will be available? 

Yes: The Jan/Feb and Mar/Apr issues will be Mothering's final issues, and these are digital only. The good news is we have a lot more capabilities online now as far as hosting podcasts, video seminars, etc. so, Mothering will still be able to provide the natural family living information, just in an online format.

Still, we know there's something inherently special about curling up with an actual magazine. Thanks so much for the kind words. I know Peggy expects to come over today to this thread, so please do post to let her know your thoughts.

[Autumn Breeze]

I will miss you Mothering! If not for you, I would not be who I am today. Though I had much more, and far superior support during my second pregnancy, I do not think I would have been as excited and "in the moment" as I was if not for everything MDC, and Mothering had offered me.

I have quite the stack of issues that I will always treasure, and will find ways to share, and continue to promote Mothering as a valuable resource. I will be quite sad to never see it in my mailbox again.

[ABMama]

I have been a subscriber since 2005. This sucks. I get it. But it really sucks. I love my mags and hide them around the house/car to read when I have a quick moment. :( 

[copperfox]

ooohhh! Podcasts & other digital content is super exciting.  Though I'll definitely miss the magazine. 

Originally Posted by georgia 

The good news is we have a lot more capabilities online now as far as hosting podcasts, video seminars, etc. so, Mothering will still be able to provide the natural family living information, just in an online format.

[miss_honeyb]

Oh Mothering... I feel like a dear friend is moving far far away. Still there, but not intimate anymore. I love MDC but I *cherish* my Mothering magazines. I have loaned them out, read and reread them, and always look forward to getting a renewal from my hubby at Christmas. Nothing will ever compare for me!! I know deep down I will cherish the hope that someday Mothering will again be able to arrive in the mail... and I know I'll treasure the issues I have and hopefully be able to pass them down to my 12 year old daughter when she becomes a mother.

All I can say is THANK YOU. I don't think you fully know what you've done for so many families around the world... best wishes for moving on with web-only. Thankfully you'll still be helping thousands and thousands of mothers - and children, partners, families.

Will back issues still be available to purchase??

[almadianna]

This is truly breaking my heart. Love to all of you on the mothering staff and to you Peggy.

[CaitlynsMommy]

I'm very sorry to hear this.   I will definitely try to order some of the back issues.

All the best to you!

[tankgirl73]

Copying what I just posted in the Facebook discussion... believe me, we understand the difficulties faced by print magazines, but this was handled Very Very Badly:

 If the magazine had to close, then it had to close. But this is being done in a VERY unprofessional manner, a very poor way to interact with your loyal subscribers and fans. Other magazines have folded and/or gone digital-only without this kind of bad blood that seems to be fomenting here.

This is being dealt with poorly in these specific ways:

- No advance notice *anywhere*, so people were still *buying new subscriptions* up until *yesterday*, when by your own admission you had already been contemplating this move for quite some time. And, in fact, had already decided to only publish the March/April issue in digital form. 

- No options for how people want their subscriptions dealt with -- conversion to another magazine is fine for those who want it, but *forcing* it is bad, bad business. Why is a refund not on the table? What about people who *already* subscribe to Natural Life?

I really can't see any reason why this couldn't have been decided and announced ahead of time, giving your *loyal and devoted fans* time to make necessary adjustments. Leaving it until the last minute and not offering refunds makes it appear like a very cynical money grab -- "let's get every last subscription dollar we can out of those folks, even though we're pretty sure we won't be printing the next issue." 

Deciding not to publish a magazine anymore at all (even no digital version) is NOT a decision that was made lightly or overnight. So you cannot expect us to understand and accept without complaint the fact that you were still accepting new, multi-year subscriptions in both formats even when you knew this was in the pipe. This very nearly amounts to fraud, plain and simple.

It is absolutely possibly to go to digital-only in a way that's fair to subscribers. The lack of transparency in the process and the sheer suddenness of it is causing us to question what's really going on here.

6 minutes ago · Like

[tinybutterfly]

Mothering Magazine and LLL were the main support I had for how I was trying to raise my boys.

I LOVED getting my copy in the mail and it was a PLEASURE to read it and be encouraged, learn new things and feel understood.

I found Mothering in the late 80s and was a subscriber for years. I have a few copies left and they will be tucked in a box with the few baby things I have left from my childrens' early days.

Thank you, Peggy, for being there on my mothering journey and helping me to be a better mother.

Much love,

tinybutterfly

[Bad Mama Jama]

it is a sad day, truly.  i have loved Mothering since i first laid eyes on it via my doula.  i love this community.  the magazine is what brought me here.  i am proud to be a member of the moderators and have enjoyed the hugs of my mod sisters and the hugs of Peggy.  all of this came from the print magazine.  i would have never found you all without it.  i am truly saddened.  i understand, i truly do.  as a librarian, i get it.  but i am still no less saddened.

i love you all and let's keep our community strong.  thank you, Peggy, for all you have given us.  we appreciate and love you.

[RiverSky]

It's a sad day to lose such a wonderful institution.  We can't pass digital copies of a magazine onto our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, or probably won't be, as the technology will likely change.  I understand though.  Thank you, Peggy, for all that you have done with Mothering and beyond.

As for the people complaining about how their subscriptions are being handled, I have had subscriptions to other magazines in the past that folded.  Sometimes, the magazines simply stopped and I was never notified nor compensated.  Occasionally, the subscription went on via another magazine.  It's pretty normal and I don't think Mothering should be berated for it.  It's great that you can just email Sarah and try to find a solution for your own individual situation.  

I hope that perhaps some small spirit or part of Mothering can transfer over and add to Natural Life Magazine.  

[elanorh]

I am so sorry to hear this, and hope that the web-only transition goes well for Mothering.  There is a reason that I purchased a Supporting Membership quite some time ago (and renewed it when I noticed that it had lapsed).  I do love MDC and all the community that is available here - but I found Mothering via its print version, and loved, loved, loved receiving it in the mail.  I may be quite tech-savvy about a lot of things, but I'm a Luddite when it comes to reading books and magazines - I doubt I'll ever transition to a kindle or iPad for my reading; I like to turn the pages, the anticipation of what's ahead .... I would read Mothering while watching the girls take their baths, and carry it to swim classes at the Y in hopes that another mother would see it and say, "OH!  I subscribe too!" and start a friendship with her .... I have recommended Mothering to friends, and sent links to the online articles/blog posts to friends as well, and I think that Mothering has helped me and my friends to be better mothers. 

That said, as a print subscriber, I'd appreciate knowing how I can access the two remaining online editions, as I'd like to read them.  Please? 

I do hope that the transition goes well.  I read Mothering articles that I would never have clicked on as blog posts or online articles, and I'm not sure how that broadened outreach will happen online.  One of the great things about Mothering was its ability to expose its readers to wider ideas beyond their worldview (whether that was homeschooling, or teenage piercings, or unassisted childbirth).  Can I just say, it's miserable to type Mothering in the past tense?  And yes, I know there will still be a web presence, but the magazine itself is gone.  A lot of us are going to be mourning that, as I am sure you are as well. 

I will reserve judgment on the transition to the other magazine for the fulfillment of my print subscription; it sounds a great deal like Mother Earth News, with a few parenting articles thrown in.  I already have a Mother Earth News subscription.  The fact that Peggy chose Natural Life as our transition leads me to hope that I will like it ... we'll see. 

Thank you to all those who work(ed) at Mothering - I know that this had to be a difficult decision, and one you fought.  I'd like to think that we, your subscribers, could have helped prevent this but that's probably just the optimist in me.  Best of luck to those who are leaving Mothering, and to those who are remaining to craft its web presence.  I hope you're able to help Luddites like me find a way to still incorporate Mothering into our lives (beyond MDC community and facebook posts). 

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

This is such a sad day! I still remember buying my first magazine at Whole Foods when I was pregnant with Collin, 12 years ago. I can still remember thinking, "Oh my goodness! I'm not alone!" Then, after he was born, I don't know how many times I would sit while he was nursing and inhale every single article. Mothering gave me the courage to trust my instincts. More recently the articles regarding autism have really meant so much to me. I will miss Mothering so very much. But I do understand the need to stop publishing the magazine. My thoughts go out to Peggy and the staff of Mothering. Thank you so much for everything you've done for me personally, and all you have done for attachment parenting and natural family living. You are an inspiration, and I look forward to seeing all the wonderful things that will come of MDC.

[JMJ]

This is very sad news.  I know you've moved on to the world of podcasts and twitter, but I don't live in that world.  I will continue to frequent the forums here, but I don't know how much good the new format will do me.  It was about curling up with a magazine, but it was about far more than that.  I can get my questions answered, but Mothering magazine had a way of answering questions I never thought to ask.  After reading the article about a Maiden's Moon, I'm still considering my relationship with my own period and puzzling over how to pass on a positive view of this monthly reminder of womanly fertility to my daughter.  The articles about creating an emotionally safe space and handling rage have helped my communication with my husband and helped both of us to treat our toddler's feelings with a greater respect.  It seems like every issue helps me to see some way in my life that I could be better.

I'm very sad to hear that you are not well funded enough to continue.  It's not just because I will no longer benefit but because it feels like the validation for the lifestyle I am living is going away.  I was hoping that some of these ideas about full-term breastfeeding, cloth diapering, gentle discipline, natural and informed medical decisions etc, were catching on in the culture.  Now it feels as if those of us who homebirth, skip vaccines, don't circumcise, and try to treat children with the respect we would give any other person are pushed more into the shadows.  Mothering magazine is no longer on magazine shelves in our health food stores and libraries where everyone can see.  It is confined to a domain name on the vast world wide web.

I will miss you, Mothering Magazine.  Thank you for being there for me as I found my stride as a mother.  Good luck in all your future ventures.