Mother Talkers

The 2007 Bad Parenting Awards

by Elisa

Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 06:32:09 AM PDT

In case you missed it, we were nominated for a Bloggers Choice Award. Thank you, Melissa, and all who have voted!

Here is an award I do not want to be nominated for: Parenting magazine just released its mean-spirited -- but guilty pleasure reading -- the annual "Stinky Diaper Awards". While many of this year’s award recipients deserve the bad rap, I actually felt bad that Britney was called out as No. 1. Surely, there are worse offenders and can we leave this poor girl’s parenting alone?

I nominate Lori Drew, although the parents of Riley Ann Sawyers are pretty vile, too.

Without further ado, Parenting's other six recipients of the Stinky Diaper Awards are the following:

2.) Virgie Arthur, Anna Nicole Smith’s mother, for being a money-grubber. As proof, Parenting listed some photographs she sold to the paparazzi for $12,000, which in the grand scheme of things, is not a lot of money. I thought Parenting’s case was weak. The woman lost her daughter. Let’s show her a little more compassion.

3.) Women who schedule non-emergency c-sections. Clearly this is a risky trend started by the celebs, but I am surprised the magazine went there. Rawr!

4.) Bill Maher for his sexist breastfeeding comments. With the apt title of "Bigger Boob Than Ever award" -- this is apparently his second nomination -- I would have placed him higher on my list.

5.) Charlize Theron for this comment: "Getting pregnant doesn’t excite me," Theron told Parade magazine. "I don’t really want to look like a whale." This did not even register on my radar screen. Surely, there are worse offenders. Paging Lori Drew...

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6.) Facebook.com for suspending the account of a woman who posted a breastfeeding photo of herself. Anyone who deems breastfeeding obscene, deserves to be called out on a list as cruel as this one.

7.) New England Patriots Quarterback Tom Brady for spending only a day with his newborn son:

The New England Patriots' star QB dumped actress Bridget Moynahan for model Gisele Bündchen back in December — and then found out Moynahan was expecting his child. He gave her the Heisman throughout her entire pregnancy, but we thought he scored a late-in-the-game safety when he hopped a plane to L.A. to be with Moynahan and his new son, John, after she gave birth in August. But despite having reportedly been granted a week's leave by his team, Brady spent only a day with the two, hightailing it to North Carolina to suit up for a preseason game. We're throwing a flag on that play.

And we are complaining about overbearing helicopter moms? Seriously, why wasn't there more publicity on this?

Who else deserves a Stinky Diaper Award?

Tags: Parenting, Stinky Diaper Awards, Lori Drew, Britney Spears, Bill Maher, Blogger Choice Awards (all tags)

Permalink | 28 comments

  • Boo on Parenting (0 / 0)

    I wouldn't put women who schedule C-sections for whatever reason on there.  

    That is really getting too personal.

    You never really know the reasons that people are doing that, and I believe that women's bodies and medical decisions should be between them and their doctors and not subject to the scrutiny of Parenting Magazine.

    by NJmom on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 07:32:37 AM PDT

    • totally agree (0 / 0)

      this is personal business and has nothing to do with whether or not a person is a good parent. i would think that the only redeeming quality to calling people out on bad parenting would be as society's way of saying, "you've got an innocent person in your care and we're watching you." judging people on their birth decisions or their feelings about getting pregnant is really lame.

      by Stacey on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 09:45:41 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    • with you on this (0 / 0)

      it's too personal, and really, who cares? It has nothing to do with me if someone schedules a c-section and it doesn't make that person a bad mom for having done it. Although I do wonder whether OBs are pressing a bit for this - a woman acquaintance had a scheduled c-section for her birth earlier this year because the baby was breech and "the doctor said it wasn't worth trying natural labor." OK, fine, but pre-delivery, the woman thought it would make for an "easier" time of it as well. I'm not sure she was well prepped as to what C-section recovery was like and I'm certain she wouldn't exactly say it was "easier" now.

      by Rachel on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 01:14:39 PM PDT

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  • I don't see the problem with charlize Theron (0 / 0)

    getting pregantn didn't excite me either and I hated looking like a whale. I HATED having my body taken over and I wasn't filled with all sorts of oozy swoozy maternal joy and I didn't breastfeed on top of it.. they might as well have added me to the list.

    What EVERY woman is supposed to get dreamy eyed adt the thougt of getting pregnant?  I think not.

    by MKatherine1966 on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 08:57:07 AM PDT

    • I agree... (0 / 0)

      it is over the top to give her a "stinky diaper award" for that!

      by Elisa on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 09:43:41 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    • Havin a vague idea of her views (0 / 0)

      maybe she'd rather adopt?
      She didn't at all say anything against other parents.

      by lonespark on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:10:54 AM PDT

      [ Parent ]

    • Charlize might be surprised... (0 / 0)

      I never liked the idea of being pregnant either. I found it downright yucky. Turns out I LOVED it and felt beautiful. Surprised the hell out of me.

      Then again, unlike Charlize, I am not in a profession where my success is largely dictated by my looks...so maybe that's why she doesn't want to go there. Maybe she thinks her looks could never "recover" after being a pregnant whale ;-)

      by Erika on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:21:01 AM PDT

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    • I also agree... (0 / 0)

      I wasn't that warm and fuzzy kind of pregnant woman. I HATED it. I cried when my clothes didn't fit me anymore. Whenever Karina moved while in my belly, I freaked at how it looked as if aliens were in there.

      I didn't like it AT ALL.

      by gloria on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:22:57 AM PDT

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    • I was all warm and fuzzy (0 / 0)

      until I found out what being pregnant was really like.

      Katherine

      by pat of butter in a sea of grits on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:30:59 AM PDT

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    • Odd (0 / 0)

      I read Charlize Theron's comments, and while I wasn't impressed, I don't think it's particularly horrible either.  But I find it ironic that deciding not to have children because she obviously doesn't have a burning desire to be a mother somehow makes her a bad parent.  Huh?  Maybe I'm missing the point of this Stinky Diaper Award?  What about all the people who don't want kids and have them anyway?

      by Erin on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 11:30:22 PM PDT

      [ Parent ]

      • exactly! (0 / 0)

        just like I get confused when people tell the childless by choice they're being selfish.  Huh?  Selfish is having a kid then neglecting him/her for your own needs,  it's not "NOT" having kids because you know you don't want them.  

        by MKatherine1966 on Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 05:07:00 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        • amen (0 / 0)

          I have several people near and dear to me who have no desire to have children. I'm always saying "better to know and be able to choose not to and be happy with your choice." Just because I have a child and love being a mom doesn't mean I want to force it down anybody else's throat!

          by Rachel on Fri Dec 07, 2007 at 02:05:38 PM PDT

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  • how about parenting trends of 2007 (0 / 0)

    mothertalkers are sick of?

    My nomination?

    1. Trends that pit women vs. women -- all of them, wohm vs. sahm, etc. See My Sorority Pledge

    by brave on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 09:50:07 AM PDT

    • whoa (0 / 0)

      that's some righteous anger there.

      Hard for me to understand why she's still more angry at her sorority sisters than those predatory fraternity brothers...seems to me like there will always be vile people we encounter in life, male AND female.

      by Erika on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:23:19 AM PDT

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      • I can understand her anger... (0 / 0)

        at her sorority sisters and not the fraternity brothers. Yes, ONE guy from the fraternity raped her as she lay there, unconscious, but it was some of the brothers that stopped what was going on and removed her from there. He apologized to her, and eventually "paid" for his crime by being shunned by his brothers, because having sex with a girl while she was unconsious was frowned upon. The guy that raped her eventually dropped out of school.

        The sisters on the other hand did nothing but blame her for her rape, spread rumors about her, and eventually kicked her out of the sisterhood.

        I don't blame her ONE BIT. In fact, I believe she was a bit more cordial to her "sister" than I would have ever been.

        by gloria on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 10:57:37 AM PDT

        [ Parent ]

        • yes but... (0 / 0)

          is that reason enough to be distrustful of all women and compare dealing with them to "swimming in shark-infested waters"?

          Lucky for me, I left my drama with other women behind back in high school. What her sorority sisters did to her was horrendous and unforgivable, but it shouldn't reflect on all women. You don't have to look further than MT to see that women, even "anonymous" women from the Internets, can be a wonderful source of support. We're not all out to demonize and ostracize.

          And in terms of how cordial she was to her so-called "sister," I am guessing that having her daughters with her affected how she could have responded. And how pathetic that the woman in question lacked all self-awareness of how horrid she was, and approached the author like some long-lost friend.

          by Erika on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 12:05:33 PM PDT

          [ Parent ]

          • honestly, i think i'd feel the same (0 / 0)

            and i can easily see how she could compare women to swimming in shark infested waters. i would think a whole lotta help would be required to overcome that experience.

            i luckily never experienced really mean girl behavior as a kid.  but that story? wow, i really hope she can find a way to recover.  perhaps her writing this story is a step in that recovery, i truly hope so. both for her and her daughters.

            by parentalunit1 on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 12:35:17 PM PDT

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            • it was quite a brave essay (0 / 0)

              and I too hope this will be a step toward healing for her. From the sounds of it, she just kind of buried the experience and now it has come barreling back all these years later.

              by Erika on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 12:54:32 PM PDT

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    • Wow, brave (0 / 0)

      I have felt a similar disconnection to women, without good reason.  But over the years I have come to the conclusion that it is not women per se that I have a problem with. It is friendship by affiliation.  Just because we pledge the same sorority, or have young children, or are married to doctors, or work on the same charity fundraiser does NOT mean that we are friends.  We are polite acquaintances.  I enjoy being around these women from time to time, but I do not seek them out nor do I expect anything from them.  The women that treated you badly were not your friends, and your only mistake was to expect support from them.  

      I pity women whose identity comes from affiliation.  They are always bad news.  I would've fled from the former sorority sister too.  But not from anger or shame, but from sheer boredom.

      Thanks for being brave and sharing your tale.

      Let your life be a counter-friction to stop the machine. Henry David Thoreau

      by half dozen on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 12:13:39 PM PDT

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    • I read that (0 / 0)

      and felt awful for the rest of the day. That was such a terrible story.

      by Rachel on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 01:10:23 PM PDT

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  • Ah, BabyTalk magazine... (0 / 0)

    This is actually the same outfit that gave Dick Cheney a "Golden Pacifier Award" for NOT tossing his daughter out on her proverbial backside when she and her partner  had a baby. 'Nuff said.

    by kathoakland on Thu Dec 06, 2007 at 08:49:38 PM PDT

Permalink | 28 comments