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

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

Now I’m Scared

As a parent, what scares you more? A. Having your child flunk out of school B. Having your child imprisoned for criminal behavior C. Having your child get sucked into a life of drug use D. Having your child get regular bikini waxes to please her boyfriend Up until a few days ago some of my greatest nightmares involved A, B, and C. Then, I received the following comment on a blog entitled: “Would You Allow Your Teen Daughter to Get a Bikini Wax?” and I was forced to add “D” to my list: “From a teens point of view, … Continue reading

What Would You Do if Your SON Was Voted Prom QUEEN?

It’s a question 18-year-old Sergio Garcia’s mother has no problem answering: “I don’t have a problem with it,” the teen’s mom told news reporters. And apparently neither did the throngs of students at Los Angeles’ Fairfax High School, who voted for the openly gay teen to reign over prom as queen. That’s right; Garcia, a high school senior, made history recently when he was crowned as the belle of the ball. And no, Garcia didn’t show up wearing a frilly pink dress to match his glittery headpiece. According to reports, the boy that would be queen; wore a charcoal-gray tuxedo, … Continue reading