Brain, Child Magazine

When I received Brain, Child magazine in the mail, I had not heard much about it. I was expecting the "how to have the perfect kid and be the perfect mother" kind of magazine. The kind you find in doctor's office waiting rooms, and usually feel like barfing all over by the time you get to the exam room.

Then I read the tagline, and my mind went in the other direction. "the magazine for the thinking mother." Oh. In the politically-charged culture in which we live, the word "thinking" is usually code-word for "atheist, liberal."

I don't usually fit in either of these groups: the vomit-inducing "June Cleaver" types, or the "intellectual elites." (I am really very intelligent, I just hide it to make all you dummies feel better.)

And I have something in common with Brain, Child Magazine. To my delight, this magazine does not fit into either of these groups!

As I do with most magazines, I began by reading the humor piece on the last page. It's called, "Terrible Horrible," and it's about one mom's really bad day. (I mean REALLY bad) At first, I thought it was a little heavy on the complaining, but then, as I got through it, I started to savor the fact that this mom was just like me. I have days like this sometimes! (Well, maybe not quite that bad) There wasn't a neat little package to tie it all up at the end, except the author's last line: "My mom says some days are like that. Especially when you're a mom." YES! And that's OK! We don't have to have a solution for everything! (barfy magazines, please take note!) And if we're honest, we'll admit that we all have days that may not be that bad, but sure do feel like it! It's just nice to know I'm not the only one!

I then read the feature article, "Seller Beware," about the misrepresentations and pitfalls of multi-level marketing companies. It was so informative, and the women Stacey Schultz interviewed were very candid about their experiences. I have been tempted more than once to get into one of these direct sales companies, and this article reinforced my decision. The author cited many statistics and anecdotal evidence, and even included a rebuttal from a MLM proponent. I was also happy that she highlighted my favorite direct sales company, as the only one who is accepted by watch dog groups: Pampered Chef. Ooh, I love Pampered Chef!

But I digress... The personal essays in the magazine ranged in topic from "happiness in disabled kids" to "Adventures of Dismembered Man." I was a little scared to read that one, but it was about explaining warning signs to your kids, while their brains envision all the terrible scenarios, and you say, "but that won't happen to us." One great thing Brain, Child magazine does is to use intriguing titles to draw you into compelling essays.

All in all, this magazine is refreshing and honest, candid, and a little irreverent. And I love it. By the way, it really did get my brain going... and now I'm going to have to read last month's issue of Perfect Parent magazine to get to sleep.