green mama

green mama

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Mad at Parenting Magazine


The woman that used to live in our house gets Parenting magazine, and I usually flip through it before putting them on Freecycle. I typically find it highly amusing, occasionally informational, and now-frightening. I got to the last page of the magazine and they have a top ten list of "things not to feel guilty about". 
"Feeling secretly glad when you catch your neighbor's "perfect" child in a nuclear meltdown" is number 4. Okay, I can identify. Although I probably shouldn't admit it. There are mostly harmless little tidbits such as that comprising this list. Enter number 5 "Introducing you sister's kid-little miss organic-only-to her very first Twinkie

Smart food choices have never been more difficult or more important than they are today. How dare this magazine suggest that it is okay to sneak toxic foods into your families diet or into someone else's diet or into anyone's diet? I will admit, I am a bit psychotic about it. But in an age of high fructose corn syrup, BPA, growth hormones, genetically modified foods, and antibiotics-how could I not be? Our children are suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes in skyrocketing numbers-how could I not be? The FDA is worthless-how could I not be? Family farms are disappearing and be replaced by giant corporations-how could I not be?

It is a very sad thing that Parenting magazine is encouraging women to betray their friends and family in this way. No, it is not only a Twinkie. It is a life-style choice to be "little miss organic-only", and a responsible one that should be supported by everyone surrounding that child. Everything we put in our mouths is a conscience choice with so many repercussions. There are enough people influencing our children to eat the wrong thing; Hostess, Kellogs, Monsanto. We shouldn't have to worry about it being our sisters.

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