One Tough Mother

As a mom you get lots of advice. TV shows, magazines, cyber-sites, friends, your own mother (and mother-in-law) are all telling you the best way to raise your kids. But all this well-meaning counsel can paralyze you...Enough Already! Unapologetically raucous and refreshingly relevant, Julie Barnhill, (One Tough Mother author and mom to three spawnlings), offers SANE and SENSIBLE conversation to help you STEP UP and be the firm and effective mother you were meant to be.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Fright Night

More likely to resemble a paparazzi snapshot at tmz.com today's Halloween get-up for girls is frightening. Scarier yet, parents actually buy this junk. Forget the days of princesses and tiara's--you're more likely to spot a wanna-be Paris Hilton decked out in incarceration-stripes with accompanying plunging neckline and cropped up-to-there hemline. Needless to say--but I will anyway--when it comes to sense and sensibility during Halloween the less your ten-year old daughter resembles someone off the cover of a tabloid the better.

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One Tough Mother Q& A

Q: I want to take our 3 children on vacation to a family theme park in July. The problem that I have is that my oldest is a diabetic, so the heat will be a bit of a factor in how we do things, my 4 year old has an anxiety disorder and hates crowds, people, noises etc., and my 2-year old is just like her brother but maybe even a bit worse. I am dreading the airplane ride and getting them back and forth from the park to our hotel. Any advice?

A: Um, why on earth are you embarking on this trip with all these factors at play? As the mother of three (19, 18, 13) and veteran of numerous horrific vacations and a few gems, I would recommend you down-size your trip. The crowds can be crushing and while theme parks such as this market themselves as "family destinations," let me tell you, the lack of attendee empathy for moms and dads with small ones can be nerve-wracking. (Memory circa 2002.)

Pick a smaller park within a short driving distance of home. Maybe a water park friendly to small ones. Hold off on this sure-fire Mother Lode of Vacation Angst for several more years. You'll save money and your sanity. And relax, The Mouse will be there in five years and your children will be able to remember it a lot more too.