Book Review
The Three-Martini Playdate:
A Practical Guide to Happy Parenting
Reviewed by Melanie
Lawrence
Copyright 2004 by Parents' Press
The Three-Martini Playdate: A Practical Guide to Happy
Parenting, written and illustrated by Christie Mellor (Chronicle
Books, 2004, 143 pp., $12.95)
Parents, be forewarned: This is not a nice book. This is not
a politically correct book. Think carefully before giving it
to child-centered friends you know, the kind who will do
anything for their kids (although these friends may need
it most).
Christie Mellor, after all, pens such chapter titles as "Bedtime:
Is Five-thirty Too Early?" and "'Children's Music':
Why?" The cover art alone will shock many an earnest NorCal
mom and dad.
In other words, Mellor, a Los Angeles-based actress, writer,
and mother, has written a marvelous, hilarious little guide to
living a happy life with children. Her credo is simple: kids
need to be loved and looked after, but they are not the center
of the universe, nor should they be.
In the interests of promoting her goal contented parents
and, hence, contented children Mellor dispenses sensible
advice with insouciant charm: Assuming you don't keep them
manacled to the radiator, she writes, toddlers are generally
thrilled by the mere act of living and breathing. So cut
the frills, continues Mellor, and save yourself a lot of work,
not to mention stress. (No, it's not necessary to leave the house
with enough child gear to outfit a conquest of Annapurna. Yes,
the Tooth Fairy is magical, and kids will think her just as magical
if she dispenses coins, as opposed to $20 bills. And anything
designed solely to promote a child's self-esteem is probably
a bad idea.)
As Mellor notes in her final pages, there is a long-term payoff
to all this hedonism: One day you will wake up and find that
your hulking 17-year-old no longer needs you to take care of
him or her. And when that day arrives, you will need friends,
and a proper social life, and perhaps a hobby, and you will not
have these things if you...make your child your only hobby....So
now is the time to start getting that life to fall back on. You
know what you must do. Do it for your child....And do it for
yourself. Cheers!
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