In the wake of the Babble waffle about the importance of dads, a bastion of mommy-dom has officially made room for men. Isis Maternity - a Boston area chain with stores and classes for moms - has officially changed its name from Isis Maternity: The Place for Expecting and New Moms to the new Isis: Parenting Starts Here. The Boston Globe describes the change as reflecting the wider range of services and products that Isis provides beyond those for maternity, but I view it as a small step in degendering that whole holy madonna-and-child first few months and years.

Maybe Isis will always be a mostly-moms kind of place...with a focus on New Moms Groups (no dads allowed). But they now have New Dads Groups too (no moms allowed?), and a name that matches better with the concept that there are two gender possibilities for both the babies and their parents.

Thumbs up, Isis!