Back in 2015, a study from an online economic think tank stirred the ire of Long Beach parents everywhere when it declared our city to be one of the worst in the nation to raise a family.
Enter Hazel Quimpo, a full-time Long Beach lover and mom who has not only been fighting against the grain when it comes to unsavory opinions of rearing in Long Beach, but wants to entirely buck those opinions by connecting parents and families through a site called LB Littles.
“Honestly, I can’t imagine raising my family anywhere other than Long Beach,” Quimpo said. “I’m a huge fangirl of Long Beach and the community here and as such, I’m hoping LB Littles will help develop new friendships with parents and families throughout our neighborhoods.”
LB Littles has been more than a few years in the making: Shortly after the birth of her son over four years ago, Quimpo felt compelled to create a site that makes it just a bit easier for parents and families to find things to do, connect with each other, even lament on life’s struggles that some parents are afraid to confess.
“Being a parent can often times be ultra lonely, whether you’re a new mom or getting your kid ready for the first day of middle school,” Quimpo said. “It’s easy to feel like an outsider compared to all those other parents who seem to know it all. The thing is, they don’t know it all either, and I think having a community like LB Littles readily available to parents will help cross that divide of feeling like we don’t belong and ultimately strengthen our community.”
For Quimpo, being perfect doesn’t necessarily mean being the perfect parent—but lists, blogs and other media geared toward parents in Long Beach can certainly make parents feel like they have to be perfect by knowing everything.
Quimpo noted that the vast amount of family resources are focused entirely on either Los Angeles or Orange County, leaving Long Beach to wade in a gray space or what she described as the “same problem as so many other Long Beach things.”
“After searching for something as simple as mommy-and-me classes but being pulled in a million different directions, I knew the same thing the ladies struggling to cook pasta in the infomercials knew: There’s gotta be a better way,” Quimpo said.
That better way, you ask?
Creating videos on how to easily pack for a picnic or concert in the park.
Covering the opening of kid-friendly spaces.
Poking fun at the much-needed breaks moms should get.
Reviews of easy mini-vacations.
Hell, even a nod toward representing Long Beach proudly.
Funny, witty, but most importantly, informative, LB Littles is an entirely Long Beach–centric publication for Long Beach families—and Quimpo won’t be stopping there, with future plans to host more events, take over more playgrounds and building the local parenting community.
And that includes her first ever full-scale event, Littlepalooza Family Festival, a Labor Day party filled with live music, raffle prizes, bounce houses, grub from local restaurants and interactive art, music and science stations throughout the event.
“Part of the event will be an emphasis on back-to-school, where kids and parents can check out a school lunch demo area with tons of free samples from kid-friendly brands,” Quimpo said. “Since September is a time when parents are looking for new activities for their kids, they’ll be able to try out demos ranging from acrobatics classes to violin lessons.”
Even the “littlest of littles,” as Quimpo calls them, won’t be left behind: Plenty of attention will be given to babies, including a soft play area and a decked-out nursing lounge.
“This is our inaugural festival; we’ve done a few events so far that have been very successful on a smaller scale, like our No Bummer Summer Kickoff and our Character Breakfast, but this really takes things up a notch,” Quimpo said. “As LB Littles grows, more events like these will start taking place. … I also want to invite the community of Long Beach area parents to be part of LB Littles so we can hear voices and experiences from a diverse group of families.”
Long Beach parents, assemble and represent.