What gets you hot?

When Nicole originally approached me about joining the team I was hesitant. While I lean to the left politically, I'm not a very political person. But when she told me that there would be opportunites for social, as well as political, commentary I gladly accepted her invitation. I'm more comfortable in the social realm so bearing that in mind I bring you a round-up of hot blog topics from the last week. Leave your comments about these stories below. I'm dying to know what you think.

V-Day Detente
Jeanne, one of the Musing Mamas, took on the topic this week of parents who go over the top for school Valentine's Day parties (and she might as well have been talking about birthday parties too). She's irritated with parents who feel that the sweet, little Valentines of years past aren't enough and wishes these parents wouldn't try to one-up each other by bringing extravagant goodie bags full of candy and toys for their child's classmates.

"I wish we could have a parent pact to cease and desist, but in the absence of one I'm going to do my best to teach my daughter that it's not the size of the gift but the sentiment, even if the lesson exacts a little bit of pain."

What is it about children's parties these days? Why do parents feel the need to have their party or party favors be the end-all, be-all that tops the others? Is it the parents who feel insecure and have something to prove or is it the kids who pressure their parents into giving them BiggerBetterMore so they feel confident in their parents' love? I'm not sure. What I do know is that the size and kind of parties kids are having these days seem to be out of control. My daughter isn't quite two and yet she's received several birthday invitations to other two-year-olds' birthday parties being held at places like Chuck E. Cheese and Gymboree. Isn't that going a little too far? Aren't two-year-olds a little young for expensive, flashy parties they aren't even likely to remember? Or am I just a cranky middle-aged penny-pincher spoiling everyone's fun?

Got booze (in your breastmilk)?
Blogging Baby had a post this week about "Milkscreen," a product that tests the alcohol content of breastmilk. Susan, the post's author (and writer of the popular blog, Friday Playdate), asks,

"Perhaps I'm missing the point, but wouldn't NOT having a drink ALSO provide peace of mind that your milk was alcohol-free?"

Sure. It would. But after nine + months of abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy, I desired an occasional glass of wine at dinner with my husband. My daughter completely refused any and all bottles and she had a pretty rigorous nursing schedule. I was an overly cautious (perhaps even paranoid) first-time mother with nothing but my baby's best interests at heart. So I would have loved the chance to test my breastmilk prior to a feeding and after one or two glasses of wine even if I'd waited the recommended two hours per drink before nursing again. The peace of mind a product like this could have bought me would have far outweighed its $13.95 cost. Wouldn't it be better to be safe than sorry? And isn't it great when science provides us with worthwhile products we can choose to use in the hopes of protecting our children?

They wouldn't have assigned that story to Jimmy Olson
Cathy, another of the wonderful Musing Mamas (Yes, I'm pimping them a bit today but you must to get to know these smart, funny women!) discussed the recent story of columnist Debra Pickett resigning from the Chicago Sun-Times after her editor proposed that she breastfeed in public and then write a column about it.

Cathy, a reporter herself, was incensed about the editor's request of the columnist and said,

"Now, I have put the girls on (very discreet) display DURING assignments (Example:...I nursed outside a wedding chapel when I took my eldest along for an interview.). Never, however, have I been asked to bare my breasts FOR an assignment. When, may I ask, has a male journalist ever been asked to haul out his boy parts for a column on...say... vasectomies? Or perhaps erectile dysfunction?

Can you feel the collective shudder in the newsroom budget meeting? I can."

Debra Pickett was not being forced to do the assignment but the audacity her (female) editor and her (male) editor-in-chief had in proposing this story, in a day and age when women still work doggedly for equality in the workplace, was a slap in the face.

I think Pickett was right to quit. Do you agree or do you think she should have taken the assignment and capitalized on the current parent-as-navel-gazer atmosphere that's all the rage these days?

Comments

[mothergoosemouse]

Ooooh...fun! Great idea Colleen.

1. Parties and one-upmanship: My kids benefit from others' extravagance, and we still apply reasonable standards to our own celebrations. Usually.

2. Alcohol in the breastmilk: I certainly had a drink or two occasionally while the girls were still nursing, and I probably wouldn't have bothered testing the milk even if I'd had the means. Then again, I was one of those bad mothers who had a glass of wine or a beer a few times in the last trimester.

3. Breastfeeding on assignment: Why couldn't she just write about how she'd already done so - nursed her children while on another assignment? I understand her editor's motivation, as he may not have realized that she'd already fed in public. But I have a feeling I'm missing a detail or two that led to her decision to quit.

[Jeanne]

1. I love the zen attitude of just enjoying others extravagence, and maybe I'll get there ... eventually. I don't doubt the good intentions of the folks who send elaborate goody bags, but what irks me most, I think, is the sheer wastefulness of it. My 1-year-old, for example, came home with a lunch bag full of chocolate candy, most of which we ended up throwing away.

2. Testing for the alcohol in the breast milk - yikes! There were times I craved a glass of wine, and sometimes, there are things a girl just doesn't need to know.

3. Here's the full Debra Pickett link, for those who want more detail:
http://blogs.chicagoreader.com/news-bites/2007/02/14/pickett-leaves-sun-times-she-doesnt-nurse-grudge/

[Steph.]

Interesting Jeanne! I'm a fellow Soccer Mom and I have direct comments on each.

1. I blogged about this extravagance actually as well! Check it out here:
http://crazymomcat.blogspot.com/2007/02/first-time-mothers-valentines.html

2. Science is amazing and I guess peace of mind is best for a new mom, who has enough things she worries about with her new baby than whether or not that glass of wine is still lingering. I had a silly experience when I craved a margarita so badly that I ordered a non-alcoholic one dining out when I was about 8 months pregnant with my son. The 'rita tasted rotten but it was worth it for the looks I got from people who actually thought I was drinking a mixed drink while pregnant. I hadn't even considered how it would look--doh!

3. I think the editor's request completely exposes the tabloid nature that news has become. I was a journalism major and would have been incensed by being asked to do that as well.

Great post!