Burning 500 calories a day without any cardiovascular exercise? Sign me up!
Oh wait, you mean I have to go through childbirth and then breastfeed a baby? Damn it, New York State Department of Health. There you go burying the lede. Keep reading »
Tag Archives: Parenting
Girl Talk: Step Off, Stepmothers
For years, stepmothers have complained that “Snow White” cast them in an unflattering light. Pop culture has tried to rehabilitate their reputation, presenting us with such paragons of step-parental virtue as Julie Andrews in “The Sound of Music,” Florence Henderson on “The Brady Bunch,” and Allison Janney in “Juno.”
But in real life, many women find coping with another woman’s child harder than they had hoped. Some balk. Many moan. They form support groups, write articles about their hardships, and even publish books based on their challenging new situation.
While I’m sure parenting your partner’s kids can’t be a cakewalk, I think these women should shut up and wise up. Because no matter how hard it might be to become a step-parent, it’s twice as challenging to gain one. Keep reading »
Quotable: Betty Draper Just Like All Our Mothers
“The question of Betty Draper’s motherhood is very peculiar to me. Because we were all raised by women like this. And I know it’s easy to hate her and think she seems childish and impulsive. We’re all here because of women like that. We’ll see how those kids turn out. They could end up being TV writers.”
— Matthew Weiner, “Mad Men” creator, defending Better Draper’s parenting skills. It’s unclear whether the “we” in “we’re all here because of women like that,” refers to writers, TV writers, entertainers, or, literally, everyone. I’ll speak for myself and say I am not here — as a person, a woman, a wife, or a writer — because of a woman like Betty Draper. My mother, like everyone else, isn’t without her flaws, but if she raised me the way Betty is raising her children, I think the only place I’d be right now is in serious psychotherapy. Weiner went on to say, “People must see a lot in themselves, or they wouldn’t be reacting so strongly [to Betty]. I guarantee one thing: If she weren’t so good-looking, they wouldn’t have a problem.” Uh, it’s not her beauty that’s disarming people. Keep reading »
Mommy Loves Her “Princess Boy” Who Likes To Wear Girls’ Clothes
This is the sweetest story: this little boy likes to wear princess clothes and that’s just fine with his mom. Cheryl Kilodavis has written a children’s book called My Princess Boy about how it’s OK for boys, like her son Dyson, to enjoy pretty dresses. It warms my dark, craggy heart. Some moms are the best. [My Princess Boy via Colorlines] Keep reading »
Parents Did Not Want 6-Year-Old Cheering “We Shake Our Booties Left To Right”
“Our backs ache/
Our skirts are too tight/
we shake our booties from left to right!”
Jennifer and Duane Tesch, of Madison Heights, Michigan, would have sooner gang-banged the cast of “Yo Gabba Gabba” than hear those words come out of 6-year-old daughter Kennedy’s mouth. I mean, who did the coaches think these kids are — Destiny’s Child? But when the Tesches complained to the cheerleading squad that perhaps there might be more age-appropriate cheers for tykes, what did the adults who run the Madison Heights Wolverines flag football cheerleading team do? They unanimously voted Kennedy off the team and told her she could try out again next year. The Tesches were told they would be reimbursed the cost of her $125 cheer uniform and to not let the door hit them on the way out. Kennedy will pursue gymnastics instead, her parents said. [FOX News] Keep reading »
Meet The Baby Girl With A Pet Python
Someone call Child Protective Services! Baby girl Sidhi Siddharth Sinune of Maharashtra, India, plays with a python that her father brought home after earning extra cash as a snake catcher. “I can’t buy her costly toys, but I can get her snakes to play with,’ he told the Daily Mail. Sorry, that’s a parenting FAIL. But, hey, if she’s not squeezed to death, some day she could have a nice purse. [The Daily Mail] Keep reading »
Girl Talk: My Dad Is Gay
My dad is gay.
It is usually after I have known you for a little while before I will say those words to you. Sometimes it’s our first long conversation, when people go through the whole “Where are you from; what do you do; where’d you grow up?” script that everyone in the world receives once they are old enough to attend any social events. And it’s after I say that that the real questions begin. Keep reading »
Cute Or Offensive? Tool Belt Diaper Bag For New Dads
So what do we think of this Daddy’s Little Project Diaper Bag? It is designed to look like a tool belt, with a ton of pockets, and comes with blueprints on how to change a diaper.
Now, a diaper bag is just a bag you put diapers in, so clearly this is all about marketing. Some people — like Amelia, whose guy friend owns one — think the toolkit diaper bag is totally cute. [Cute enough that, made for "men" or not, I would want one for myself. -- Editor] Others — like me — see how it’s a cute product, but also think it’s as annoying/offensive as the pink-ification of products to signify they’re “for women.” I mean, diaper-changing blueprints? Men aren’t stupid. Keep reading »
Should Mothers Blog About Their Kids?
In a new post, “The Older Child,” blogger Heather Armstrong, better known as Dooce, seems to suggest that her eldest daughter no longer wants her mother to blog about her, at least not without her permission. Which begs the question: Should so-called “mommy bloggers” be able to blog about their kids without their kids’ permission? Keep reading »
A Stay-At-Home-Dad: Status Symbol, Mr. Mom, Babysitter … Or Parent?
There are many names you could call a stay-at-home dad who raises the young’uns while wifey brings home the bacon. “Mr. Mom.” The babysitter. Or, according to Marie Claire magazine, a status symbol — the beta husband of the “alpha mom.”
One stay-at-home dad, however, has a different label he would like you to use. This morning, “The Today Show” interviewed a pediatrician mother and her husband, the full-time parent of their toddler daughter. This proud papa was frankly disgusted that traditional stay-at-home mommies at the playground have asked him, “Oh, are you babysitting today?”
“No it’s not babysitting,” he sniffed. “It’s called parenting.” Keep reading »
