7.17.2007

down with parents {magazine}!


does anyone else subscribe to "parents magazine"? well i do. not by choice-it was a gift. my august issue arrived today and as i sat in bed thumbing through it tonight, i became increasingly aware that i was beginning to hyperventilate. in standard magazine fashion, we start with ads galore, then it's quick into the heavy stuff: autism, germs, dehydration & summer rashes, unsafe drinking water, backyard saftey, trampoline hazards, emergency guide. wait a second! it didn't say anything about this on the cover. the cover listed more enticing topics: "raise a terrific toddler," "nap? snap? helping kids sleep longer," "mommy-cise," and "super, easy baby food recipes." i hope i'm not the only one who was tricked by this. i picked up my magazine tonight hoping to get some great tips and learn a few things about being a mommy, but instead i was smacked in the face with articles designed to turn me into a para-mommy (that's a word i just made up: paranoid mommy).

i don't think any of us are oblivious to the hazards of our surroundings. sure, water can be germ infested. sure, kids can fall off of swings. do they have to spell it all out for us in one issue? why on earth would a parenting magazine want me to live in fear and teach my child to do the same? they must be trying to sell something...unless there are people in this world who are oblivious to this stuff. in which case, they should call it "special parents magazine." i'll tell you this right now: i'm done with it! september is scheduled as my last issue and i will not be renewing my subscription.

and one more thing: if kids never fall off swings, then they never cry so hard and run to mommy for a hug and kiss all better. THAT is something to worry about!

7 comments:

Jason said...

This magazine sounds like it's doing nothing but creating "helicopter parents," which is what higher education calls those parents who call in about every single issue, instead of allow their son or daughter to grow up and figure it out. Johnny got a bad grade? A parent will call. Johnny wants to know how to register? A parent will call. You get the idea. It's awful stuff.

Alifinale said...

Yeah, I just skip over crap like that. I don't want to live in fear and worry all the time. Hakuna Matata. I like the "Special Parents" . Ha!

Unknown said...

Hi Lizzie,
Ouch! (said as a senior editor at parents magazine) but i'm hearing you and i'm going to bring up your post at our next editors meeting...can i win you over to liking goodyblog? (i really like your blog btw)
Anyway, stinging critique aside, nice to meet you!

{lizzythebotanist} said...

judy-
yikes! ...the power of the blog. i have to admit, though, that i wrote this post after only making it half-way through the issue. once i picked it up the next day (to scan for neat stuff/links)i will say it got better! i hope you noticed that i do have "goodyblog" listed in my mommy links section as i do LOVE IT!

emilie s. d. p. said...

So blogs can change the world...or at least the contents of magazines.

Bethann said...

(sigh)

Bethann said...

Oops, hit return to quick the first time, so let's try this again. (sigh) I too have a subscription to Parents and more often than not find I don't have time to read it, get months behind and feel horrible that I have missed some wonderful article that will change my life. I have found more often than not, as you did, that I just become overly obsessive with crazy unlikely crap. Get a subscription to Better Homes and Gardens. . .it has good stuff for home, family and you, and rarely magnifies any OCD (obsessive/compulsive) feelings you might have, with the exception that maybe you need to get busy planting something ;-)