Search Results for: blog hair raising dilemma who calls the shots in your family

Wax On, Wax Off

I’m a shaver myself. Whereas I am not opposed to having a perfect stranger smear hot wax on my legs, underarms and lady parts, and then rip it off with reckless abandon, I simply don’t have the money to employ said stranger’s services on a regular basis. What’s more, I certainly wouldn’t fork over cold, hard cash to have my 7-year-old daughter’s peach fuzz waxed off. Sadly, I’m part of a growing minority on that one. According to the New York Times, which, apparently, has its finger on the pulse of what’s hip and happening in the world parenthood, I … Continue reading →

Hair-raising Dilemma

Thank goodness my daughter is not a girly-girl. I stink at applying make-up and I can’t style hair to save my life. Scroll down to my bio photo for proof. Fortunately, my daughter blissfully embraces her short, low-maintenance hairdo. Not only do her not-so long locks save us precious time in the morning, but they also assure that she will never be banned from her class picture because I’ve turned her tresses into an eye-popping coiffure. Sadly, the same can’t be said for Marcella Marino. The pretty 4-year-old blonde made headlines recently when school officials booted her from a class … Continue reading →

My Toddler and Her Tiara

(My toddler and her tiara.) Did you think my previous Toddlers and Tiaras post read like an endorsement for the TLC reality TV train wreck? I don’t. However, I just received a PM from a reader, who clearly felt that I wasn’t harsh enough on the show, which spotlights kiddie beauty pageants. A show the PM-er classifies as a “step above kiddie porn.” Alrighty then, let me take this opportunity to be crystal clear on a few points relating to Toddlers and Tiaras: I’ve seen the show maybe a dozen times, and in each of those episodes I looked on … Continue reading →

Totally Over “Toddlers and Tiaras”

Enough with the bashing of the abomination that is Toddlers and Tiaras. The hit TLC reality show, which features young girls competing in beauty and glitz pageants, has been making headlines again since the airing of recent episodes that clearly illustrate that the some parents don’t utilize the portion of the vertebrate central nervous system that is enclosed within their cranium. Translation: Dumb parents making lame-brain decisions equal big ratings and major media attention. Then again, what do you expect when you dress up your three-year-old as Julia Roberts’ prostitute character from Pretty Woman or force your four-year-old to strap … Continue reading →

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall…

This summer my 7-year-old daughter got her first taste of the Smurfs. I took her to see the little blue creatures’ movie in 3D and my brother purchased her Seasons One and Two of the animated 80’s show on DVD. I knew she wouldn’t count Smurfette as one of her favorites, but was surprised her fascination with Vanity Smurf. “Why does that Smurf always look in the mirror?” my daughter asked after watching an entire episode in which Vanity stared at and subsequently kissed his reflection more than a dozen times. Hmmm… how does one explain the habits of a … Continue reading →

Bugged Out

There’s a nasty four-letter word being used ad nauseam at my daughter’s elementary school. L-I-C-E! Just looking at the word makes my head itch. Thankfully, thankfully, thankfully, on-my-knees-with-gratitude, thankfully, my daughter passed the all-school scalp check and was sent home with a two-page letter from the city health department rather than a head full of nits. Unfortunately, more than a dozen other kids at the school were not as fortunate. Still, it’s not like the lice-free kids should be bragging about their good luck because thanks to a new school policy, which was recently instituted by the American Academy of … Continue reading →

When Daddy Has Long Hair

“Mommy, is that lady a man?” My daughter’s unabashed question rang out like a clap of thunder in the night sky. Her voice was strong, her intonation direct and her face was as sincere as a priest blessing a sick child. There was no time to pray for her to lower her voice, the question was already out there, well within ear shot of a tall, burly guy with dirty blonde hair down to his shoulders walking a few feet in front of us at O’Hare International Airport. All I could do now was close my eyes and hope that … Continue reading →

Tween Make-Up Drama

Thank heavens for little girls… who couldn’t give a rip about make-up. That’s my daughter. The kid couldn’t be more uninterested in eye shadow, lip gloss or face shimmer. Thank heavens indeed. Of course, she’s only six years old, but given that many of the girls in her first grade class have hosted princess parties complete with make-up mini bars, I’d say I’ve got a good thing going. I hope it lasts until she’s 25. Okay, maybe 23. Personally, I don’t think first graders, tweens or teens need to be painting their faces to look “pretty.” What’s wrong with what … Continue reading →

Teen Beauty Queen Reigns Supreme

What would you do if your daughter won the most prestigious beauty pageant in the nation? I’m not talking “Toddlers and Tiaras” here; try having Miss America live under your roof before she’s even old enough to legally vote or consume alcohol. Mark and Jamie Scanlan are dealing with the unusual situation right now. The Scanlan’s are parents to Teresa Scanlan, who shocked the country last week, when she was crowned Miss American at just 17 years old. The recent high school graduate is the youngest contestant to be honored with the title since 1921. While Scanlan may have been … Continue reading →

Gender Challenges

And I thought I had a parenting dilemma. On many occasions I have written about my 6-year-old daughter’s repugnance for princesses, the color pink and anything that could be construed as being even the least bit girly girl. As a parent I pick my battles very carefully and my daughter’s desire to dress like a boy is not something I make an issue of… at least not out loud. I do get slightly annoyed when she places her hands on her throat and makes loud gagging noises when we enter the girls clothing section at Macy’s. And I do find … Continue reading →