A Mother's Balancing Act

Beyaz...a lot of B.S.?

Have you seen the ads for Beyaz birth control? This campaign is wrong on so many levels...truly, my first reaction was one of irony/humor. Did the gurus in Bayer's mammoth marketing department honestly not realize that the name sounds like they are saying "B.S" over and over? Seriously?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdSmXKRqFHM 

(Note: Apparently this link is no longer functional in the normal sense, but if you copy and paste it into a new browser, it does work...it really is worth it...talk about an inane commercial.) 

But on a much deeper level, the women in this ad are portrayed as if they are a pack of materialistic Stepford wives on a mission to find their next shopping conquest. Will it be:

• A trip to Paris
• A new dream house
• A graduate degree
• A dream guy (um, yeah...)

All while they coyly wave off the cute little stork carrying a wrapped up bundle of "un-joy".

The commercial is demeaning to women and the committed relationships that we cultivate. Shame on Bayer for promoting their product via this shallow, showy advertising.

Balanced Babe (Molly Wendland)

 

Bullying - Celebrities Speak Out

Bullying is certainly in the news this week. Good Morning America ran a story this morning, interviewing one of my favorite actors from Modern Family, Jesse Tyler Ferguson. He said that his situation got so bad in junior high that he had to change schools in 8th grade. They aired a quote from Tim Gunn (Project Runway), who said that he had such angst as a young gay male at 17, that he tried to commit suicide.

A public service announcement about the gravity of this issue will be aired sometime later this week or early next. I have seen comments where people have asked why there is the sudden outcry only now, when a string of homosexual young men have committed suicide. From what I understand, this particular demographic is particularly at risk over all other teens (even lesbian teens) due to pressures and bullying that seem to be worse for them than their other teen peers.

Every home, every public school, every college must be a safe place for our sons and daughters to be.

Balanced Babe - Molly Wendland

 

Tolerance -- We Can Make A Difference

Tolerence.

We can make a difference.

Ellen Degeneres said it quite eloquently last week:

http://bit.ly/ci783W

Talk to your kids, America. We have to stop the bullying. We can't let another one of our teenagers die because he or she feels:

• Alone
• Different
• Stupid
• Sub-Par
• Lost
• Alienated

Talk to your principals.Talk to your teachers. Talk to your neighbors. Talk to your kids.

Let them know you're watching. Let them know you care. You're there.

And be sure your kids know that you'll love them no matter what. No matter what. No, they don't know unless you tell them. Yes. They do need to hear that.

We. Can't. Keep. Losing. Children.

It has to stop, America.

Balanced Babe (Molly Wendland)

 

Rihanna, Don't Do It

Aside from the obvious knee-jerk response of my headline above, I find myself contemplating Rihanna's recent reconciliation with batterer Chris Brown disheartening on so many levels. Many of you know that I serve on a coalition for a local domestic violence shelter for women and their children. The primary purpose of our group is to raise awareness about domestic abuse in an effort to stop the abuse before it even happens. Education results in prevention. It's been proven time and again.

Until this week, I hadn't realized that little kids (like 4 and 5 year olds) are talking about this incident on playgrounds. No, I am not exaggerating. They have heard about this from their older siblings, in after school care, day care and when the news is on. Perhaps they've even overheard their parents talking about it over a nice glass of wine.

The point is, little kids know that their hero from Nickelodeon and Sesame Street (yes, Chris Brown has made numerous appearances on Sesame Street) beat up his girlfriend. And now, as if that wasn't bad enough, Rihanna has taken him back.

The message to the kids out there?

It's OK to beat up your girlfriend as long as you're sorry you did it afterward.

As a celebrity, Rihanna had (and perhaps even still does if she wakes up and kicks Brown's butt to the curb), the opportunity to make a huge impact on young people in our society -- both male and female. I know she's practically still a kid herself, but in taking Brown back, Rihanna just set us back about 25 years on the domestic violence awareness campaign.

Rihanna, dump that sorry sleazbag, and move on. No one deserves to be hit. And he didn't do it once or even twice. He beat the living daylights out of you.

Kick him to the curb. Today.

And parents? Talk to your kids. They know more than you think. And less than you think. Check out the resources below for some conversation starters. You'll be glad you did.

Balanced Babe (aka Molly Wendland)

Some Resources that May Be Useful to You:

Tips for Parents

How To Talk To Your Children About Healthy Relationships Handbook

Resources For Parents

How To Talk To Your Teens Handbook

Teen Dating Violence Survey Results

Communicating with Teens About Dating Violence

And check out my writing partner over at White Trash Mom's post on this same subject. Michelle has some great links to awesome info.

"I Love Jesus, But I Drink a Little"

Have you seen this clip from the Ellen Degeneres show? I had to share it. Hilarious. Perfect for this time of year. And a perfect "pick-me-up" for the last week before Christmas when you think you can't go on. This old gal is a hoot!

http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2007/ellen-gladys-hardy-p1.php?emf=1

 

Scranton? It Sucks! You Betcha'! We're Mavericks!

Did you guys happen to catch the opening skit on SNL last weekend? I was so hoping that they would do a parody of last week's vice presidential debate, and boy oh boy, did they deliver! Only Big Strong Man and I were out at a fundraiser for our daughters' school, so we missed it. Thanks to my ever trusty big brother, however, this link served as a worthy replacement for the original moment.

Dig it. And even if you saw the original, you know where I'm coming from when I say, it's worth rewatching.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/10/tina_fey_as_sarah_palin_nails.html

For those of you in Palen's court:

Jason Sudeikis skewered Biden for his repeated references to Scranton, not to mention his undying love of John McCain.

And for those of you in Biden's camp:

Tina Fey did an outstanding job, winking and mavericking her way through the role, complete sentences that led to nowhere.

Watch the video. You'll see. Too funny. Life is meant for laughing. Enjoy the clip.

Balanced Babe