A new book aimed at 4-7 year olds just came out called "My Beautiful Mommy". It chronicles a little girl's visit to the plastic surgeon with her mother for a consultation, their discussions of how mommy will soon be "prettier", an explanation of where the bandages will be and then an illustration of the final results. Am I the only one screaming "WTF?!" at the top of my lungs?? I actually felt physically ill. Not at the fact that the mom wants a tummy tuck, boob job and a nose job but at the fact that there is a book... More »

We are urban dwellers. We live in a typical Toronto neighbourhood. We are near the subway, near the high street, and our house is very close to our neighbours. We share a driveway and have a postage stamp backyard. My kids spend far more time at the school playground or park then in their backyard. There are speed bumps on our street to slow down the harried drivers rushing to the Starbucks at the corner. My kids are city slickers and their world is defined by what they know. This has never been more clear to me than tonight.... More »