Treat Them As Queens

Let me ask you something – since when do 8 yr old children have wrinkles? I’m only asking because it seems that there are ( thankfully ) a small group of parents out there who think its completely acceptable to be giving their 8 yr old daughters Botox. And full body waxes. At 8 yrs old. Frankly, to these parents I say – You.Make.Me.Sick.

The most famous child beauty of them all....

Any of you who read Mamamia or New Idea magazine ( and to a lesser extent, last nights A Current Affair ) would have seen these stories already. And though I know these outlets aren’t exactly poster-boys for “serious” journalism, I don’t doubt the truth in these recent articles. I have to say – they concern me. The thought that someone, somewhere thinks its ok to give their 8 yr old daughter regular Botox treatments to treat and prevent wrinkles ( that cannot possible be there at that age ) and semi-regular full body waxes ( even though she hasn’t puberty yet, which means a distinct lack of short and curlies… ) really has me worried for the state of the world. How do these ideas even enter the head of any sane person? You can rabbit on about the role the media places in promoting one particular idea of beauty, or the ideal body shape, or whatever…. But I think, in the end, level-headed parents should be able to go someway to dispelling these media-controlled body myths. Sure, it doesn’t matter how many times you tell your daughters (especially ) that they are beautiful just the way they are, they’ll probably still want longer legs, or straighter hair or smaller noses.

But that doesn’t mean you should cave in to every crazy demand they come up with. Just because an 8 yr old sees models in magazines shaving their legs, doesn’t mean she needs to. Just because a 12 yr old thinks her nose is too big or her boobs are too small doesnt mean you go out and get them plastic surgery. As the parents, you set boundaries and give the encouragment needed to boost your childs self esteem. You DON'T plant the seeds of low self esteem by telling your daughters that only beautiful, hairless, wrinkle-free, big chested woman become superstars. You DONT (quite literally ) groom your daughter for fame by using her as a hairless human pin cushion.

 I'm going to be quite frank - if your doing these things, you are NOT a good parent....

Do We Really Need To Go THAT Overboard?

I think i have may have mentioned before but.... i'm getting married next year. November 5th, 2011 to be exact. So even though my wedding is still quite a ways away i'm already bookmarking wedding blogs, and searching Google images for pretty wedding hair and bitching about the other brides on " Four Weddings".  And yesterday i came across this article about a women who's wedding budget blew out so much that her wedding debt has now outlasted her marriage ( a shame on both accounts ). Which, though i have pondered it before, got me thinking - why the hell is there any need to spend sooooooooo much on a wedding which is, in reality, only one day of your life?

We've all heard of the crazy bridezillas who spend fifty, sixty, seventy thousand dollars on their "dream wedding ". Celebrities i can understand, but how on earth any normal person can justifty spending the equivalent of a house deposit on one day - hell, its only a few hours of the day! - is just beyond me. I'm sure there will be women out there saying " But i loved my day! And it was MY day, what i WANTED, so why shouldnt i spend that much ? " To that i say - fair point. Its your day, spend what you want it on it. But to me, i just cant see how a $5000 dress makes you any happier than a $500 dress, or how Swarovski crystal table centrepieces brings you any more real, lasting joy than a beautiful bunch of flowers. Sure the pretty things and the extra fine dining might give you momentary thrills, but a few months down the track, when your struggling to pay all your bills, is that really going to be worth it ? I wouldnt think so.

Mick and I have a budget of $10 000 ( very kindl, traditionally and generously supplied by my parents. Otherwise, we wouldnt be having a wedding because we gots very little money of our own ). We're hoping to squeeze at least part of the honeymoon cost in under that $10 000 and i cant see why we cant make that happen. We're simple people with simple tastes - though " simple " does not ( as some people seem to think ) equate to " tacky ". No - i like fine, pretty things as much as the next woman, i just refuse to spend exorbitant amounts of money for those fine pretty things. I've already bought my dress and i paid $400 for it, marked down from $1200. To me thats nothing to be ashamed of - its a beautiful dress, it looks gorgeous on me, and its savvy shopping! I'm not the kind of girl thats dreamed of her " big day " since she was 5, but my dress is a beautiful Grecian style and thats what i was looking for. It may have been on sale, it may have been " cheap " but i fail to see how spending a few thousand dollars more on a similar dress would make me any happier....

What i'm trying to get at is I personally am not going to feel the need to spend a small fortune on one day of my life. The wedding is, after all, only one day and what is going to matter to me more is the marriage ....all those days after the white dress and the flowers and the cake. I'm going to be grossly, vomit-worthy happy to be in my $500 dress, in a local park beside a pretty (albeit man made ) lake, exchanging vows and jewellry with the man i love. And i'm going to enjoy my reception afterward at a local " boutique beer " establishment, upstairs in its function room with its fairy lighted ceiling, eating gourmet " pub grub " and more than likely dancing to an IPod playlist. As long as the man i love, and the little man i love, and the rest of my people are there enjoying it with me, the dollars spent ( or not spend, in my case ) wont matter a dot....
What about you? If your married, did you have a budget do or a an extravaganza? If your not married - what do you think ?