and then feel like a miserable failure as a parent afterwards?
I hate those things! I mean theyre great for ideas but one would get the impression that people have NOTHING else to do in life but to sit at the ( newly refinished by mom) kitchen table and do "Martha Crafts" with their kids while listening to classical music based foreign language tapes and planning their next trip to a war torn country to help the orphans.
All of which are good things mind you, but truly, do these super parents really exist???
Isnt there a magazine for "normal parents" with regular issues??
How about one with a story title of " I know you like Spongebob but I dont so we're not going to watch it right now!" and "No, we dont shove an entire pancake in our mouths till we choke" or maybe " We're going to the grocery store, not the toy store, so deal with it. If you want to eat this week we MUST BUY FOOD!"
Thats the kind of articles I want to read!
I hate those things! I mean theyre great for ideas but one would get the impression that people have NOTHING else to do in life but to sit at the ( newly refinished by mom) kitchen table and do "Martha Crafts" with their kids while listening to classical music based foreign language tapes and planning their next trip to a war torn country to help the orphans.
All of which are good things mind you, but truly, do these super parents really exist???
Isnt there a magazine for "normal parents" with regular issues??
How about one with a story title of " I know you like Spongebob but I dont so we're not going to watch it right now!" and "No, we dont shove an entire pancake in our mouths till we choke" or maybe " We're going to the grocery store, not the toy store, so deal with it. If you want to eat this week we MUST BUY FOOD!"
Thats the kind of articles I want to read!
Me too! That is all they are good for!
Those Parenting mags are like Vogue - who actually lives that way? I'm sure there are some moms who strive to be the Stepford perfect mother, but most mom's lives aren't nearly as glossy as the picture-perfect ones in those mags. I also find that they make new mother's paranoid about every little thing with all their silly articles. Most of it is fluff, and they seem to cater mostly to the upper-class, June Cleaver family scenarios. They try and sell you ever toy and gadget under the sun. There is one mag called "FamilyFun" that I read from time to time. It's a Disney owned magazine and loaded with crafts and activity ideas, but has a lot of stuff in it that I can really relate to, like travel ideas, recipes, ect. Last October they had some really great and simple make at home Halloween costumes. This is the only one I'll read!
One of the best articles i ever read was in Parents magazine a couple years ago, titled "What it's really like... to raise an autistic child". There in all his glory sat there low-functioning autistic "baby" boy, 12yo sucking on his favorite bottle, as the tale unfolded about his most recent public meltdown, their encounters with over-zealous law enforcement officers, changing diapers on a pre-teen, food fights and school. Even though my heart broke for the parents of this child, it was so uplifting to read their story, to sense their courage and the tremendous love they have for their son. A refreshing change from the Martha Stewart wannabees who have one "gifted" child and think they know from parenting. 
( said in utmost respect for my fellow Disers LOL)
