New England Mamas

Tooth brushing in Massachusetts

If you have young children in preschool or daycare in Massachusetts chances are you've heard about the new state-wide mandate to have those children brush their teeth while in care.  How do you feel about this?  I don’t hate it.  I actually really like the idea.  However, I realize not everyone agrees with me.

How can we stomp out mean girls?

The other day, my five year old came home from preschool. As we talked about his day, he described three of his fellow classmates as "the mean girls".

"What?!", I asked him in surprise. Did I hear that right? Did he just call three girls, ages 4 and 5, the "mean girls"? 

"What do they do? And why do you call them that?"

Turns out, they are sort of a clique. They like to stick together and not really play with anyone else. 

Mind, you, this is the second clique I've heard of in his class of 20. The other is a small group of boys. 

Cliques. Mean girls. Boys who stick together like glue.

In preschool. A great preschool with caring teachers who are actively trying to do something to stop what they see happening before their eyes.

Lifetime TV's "The Pregnancy Pact". A teachable moment?

Lifetime, a network I normally avoid like the plague, except that now they are the home of Project Runway and I loves me some Tim Gunn and the Drama with a capital D that happens on that show, premiered their "original" movie, The Pregnancy Pact, on Saturday.  "Original" is in quotes because it's loosely based on the real story of 17 teenage girls from Gloucester High School who allegedly made their own pregnancy pact in 2008, so exactly how does that make it original?  And I say "loosely based" because the truth of an actual pact has been debated and denied by those involved. 

Anyway.

Scott Brown pimps out his daughters. Hilarity ensues. (not really)

Okay, I'll admit that I'm a little late to this story but in my defense I was busy working on my time machine.  I want to go back a couple of months and advise Coakley and her advisors to get their heads out of... the clouds.   At any rate, I don't care if you voted for him or not - Scott Brown telling Massachusetts, no, the whole country that his daughters are single, available and looking for love is not cool.

What's next?  He starts advising his daughters that posing nude will only further their careers?  No wait, that only works if you're a tall, good looking, truck driving man.  My bad.

Freedom and Equality at the Expense of a Little Negativity

If the non-stop barrage of commercials and automated phone calls from politicians, their families, and Curt Schilling related to the special election for US Senator from Massachusetts have left me with only one impression, it is that I disagree with Republican candidate Scott Brown's oversimplified view of the world. 

Election Fever

Yesterday my daughter and I attended the rally for Martha Coakley, who is running for Ted Kennedy's seat in the Senate. President Obama, Senator John Kerry, Rep. Barney Frank and Mayor of Boston Tom Menino were some of the dignitaries also in attendance to lend their support to Coakley.

It's a political candidate, calling again. This is sewious! And also why caller I.D. was invented

There’s this little senate race going on in Massachusetts right now, maybe you’ve heard of it?  Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is running against state Senator Scott Brown for the U.S. Senate seat left empty when Ted Kennedy died last year.  Ring any bells? 

How about this, does this jog your memory?

*Ring, ring*

*Ring, ring*

*Ring, ring.  Ring, ring. Ring, ring. RING, RING.*  OMG, make the darn telephone stop RINGING.

How about now? 

WWJD? I'm guessing not what the Taunton School System did.

 An 8 year old boy from Taunton, MA was sent home from school Monday after handing in a drawing of Jesus on the cross, His eyes X'd out to signify death.  The second grader thought he was drawing a holiday picture, his assignment for the day. 

They kicked him out of school for completing an assignment.  The mind, it boggles.

In support of Britney

Like a lot of people I tuned into MTV on Sunday night to watch Britney Spears on the VMAs attempt a musical comeback and, like a lot of people, I watched Brit Brit sleepwalk her way through her routine with some sense of glee.  I know it's not right to gain satisfaction from watching another's demise, but Britney makes it so damn hard not to.

She dominates the gossip pages and websites.  Her antics are legendary and well documented.  Every misstep, every trip and stumble while holding her baby, every poor choice in hairstyle, every crotch shot (can someone PLEASE get the girl some proper underwear already?), we've read about it.

I find it hard to relate to the former pop star even if she is, like me, a mother.  If claims made by her staff are correct, I'd like to take Britney by the shoulders and shake her for the way she's raising - or more to the point, having her staff raise - her kids.

But after Sunday night, and after I stopped giggling, I got angry.  Not at Britney, though there was some anger directed her way for mailing in that performance and wasting everybody's time, but toward the media that flogged her for her less than perfect abs and for carrying more junk in her trunk than she used to.

Her choice of wardrobe was questionable - Okay, it was downright horrible.  Bra and sparkly panties?  What were you thinking, girl? - but then the media crucified her for her body.  The body that recently carried two babies and, in my opinion, wardrobe or lack thereof aside, looked fantastic.  The headline from the NY Post on Monday read ""Lard and Clear", and that is just one example of how the press is picking apart the poor girl.

Okay, you want to criticize her ratty extensions?  Fine.  But back off the baby belly.  I wish my baby belly looked that good.

As a matter of fact, there were some other performers and award winner who were larger than the average size -2 that MTV viewers have grown accustomed to seeing on the music channel.  Beyonce, for instance, is no delicate flower.  Neither is Alicia Keys or Jennifer Hudson.  These are women with curves, women who can work the badonkadonk.  They're also women who have slightly better fashion sense - although, after seeing Beyonce's "grecian goddess" look and Alicia Keys ode to bondage I wonder if they got dressed in the dark.  Without a mirror.

Britney made the mistake of trying to relive her glory days.  Who hasn't?  I'd like to think she learned from this mistake and will grow from it, though I am dubious thinking back on her past foibles.  But can we lay off her bod?  No, she doesn't do a thousand sit-ups a day like she used to.  Who does?

Channels like MTV need to start celebrating the real women.  The ladies who have booty and boobs (real ones, please, not the silicone kind).  The girls who aren't puking in the rest room before an appearance on TRL.  And we, as viewers of these channels (and not just MTV, they're just an example, I don't watch that channel much because MTV makes me feel old and I don't need any more of that) need to speak up.  If not with words then with our actions.  Is there a show that features an impossibly thin cast?  Don't watch it.  No representation of the luscious ladies with curves?  Turn it off.

Who is with me?

 

True (school) colors

When I was young, my parents sent my sister and me to a small, private Catholic elementary school.  In kindergarten little more was required of us than sleeping on the appropriate mat at nap time (do they even do that anymore in kindergarten?) and showing up properly clothed and washed, which usually meant clean play clothes with no rips or tears.

Once we graduated from kindergarten and became first graders it became a requirement to don skirts or dresses, for the girls, and dress pants, collared shirts and clip on ties for the boys.  And this was strictly enforced.  If you showed up in something other than the required dress your mother would be called and you'd have to spend the time waiting for her in the principal's office.

Even in winter the girls would have to wear a skirt or dress of some sort and if the weather got below a certain temperature we were begrudgingly allowed to wear dress pants under our skirts.  Tres chic.

Although, occasionally I wore culottes to school.  I felt like such a rebel.

This dress code went on for some time until about five or so years ago, when the perceived guidelines of "dress attire" was strained to the breaking point, with colored denim jeans being passed off for slacks and sweatshirts or t-shirts being worn on days other than the hard won "grub days".  The principal decided that a dress code was in order, or more to the point, a school uniform.

Sure, the kids hated it at first but from what I heard from my mother, who was then still alive and working at the school as its secretary, it became easier and easier to convince the children that the uniform could be worn with pride.

But these were elementary school children.

And the uniform was required at a private school.

This year at Lawrence High School in Lawrence, MA a mandatory school dress code is now being enforced.  And it's not just dress pants and skirts, but full uniforms with collared polo shirts and khaki pants.

The school is broken up into six smaller schools based on the student's prime area of study  - for instance, math, science and technology or health and human services - and this year administrators are requiring students to wear color-coded uniforms to indicate which school they belong to.

"It's unusual," said Superintendent Wilfredo T. Laboy, who launched the six schools within one as part of his educational overhaul effort for city schools. "But all the research that supports uniforms shows that it creates team spirit, it creates identity, it creates collaboration."  (source:  Boston Globe)

This was a big topic of discussion on the local radio talk shows today.  Lawrence High is a public school.  Are civil liberties being trampled on?  Are administrators crossing a line by making school uniforms in a public, city funded school mandatory?  Does having a school uniform hinder a student's individuality and ability to express themselves through their clothing?  Or does this cut down on the amount of obscenely low-waisted jeans that show off a girl's thong - not to mention the low-wasted pants that show off a boy's boxers?

The uniforms are not being paid for by the city.  Parents can purchase their children's uniforms through three stores in Lawrence for much cheaper than a pair of trendy jeans.

I don't know how I feel about this personally.  My daughter isn't even old enough for pre-school (now that is a whole other issue entirely) so the possibility of school uniforms is not really in our near future.  If I sent her to a private school I wouldn't take issue with mandatory uniforms, but I will admit that enforcing this in public schools has made me think.

What if this had been the rule when I was in high school?  I certainly wouldn't have liked it.  But it would have saved me from matching my Cosby sweater with my double layers of slouchy socks and pinch rolling my pants.

Maybe uniforms aren't such a bad idea after all.