So, you melt the chocolate into the diaper and everyone guesses what kind of candy bar it is. Or, you could have all of the guests taste-test baby food while blindfolded, guessing what flavor they've just savored. Baby shower games. We've all played them -- the good, the bad and the gross. Most of us aren't really sure how or why they started (or who thinks up the new ones that make the rounds every couple of years), but we gamely play them before we move on to cake and presents. We love to shower our loved ones with gifts to help them prepare for their baby. But, not all of us love to participate in the games at baby showers. What about you --do you love them or hate them? What's the best baby shower game you've played recently?
Moms, it's okay to ask for help.
Moms today are overworked, overbooked and overwhelmed. Unfortunately, we're also likely to feel guilty if we reach out and ask for help. In years gone by, people used to live close to their families and had an extended network of friends, neighbors and families to turn to for help with parenting. Yes, the old, "it takes a village to raise a child" approach. If a mom needed to run errands for a couple of hours, she could drop the kids off with a grandma or a neighbor. Now, we're less likely to know our neighbors and more likely to live far away from grandma. We're also more likely to feel bad for imposing on others for help once in a while. Many of us have somehow bought into the belief that we can (and should) do it all -- all of the time. One pediatrician says all of this self-sufficiency is putting too much stress on parents. He says it's time to set aside our pride and start asking each other for help again. He says no mom should be an island. He believes that by relying on each other for help raising our kids, we actually build stronger communities. Do you ever feel like you live on your very own mom island or have you managed to create a helpful village?
Sexual prenups?
Prenups usually outline who gets what in the case of a divorce. But, one man in England is asking his girlfriend to sign a prenup, guaranteeing him sex twice a week, every week, over the course of their marriage. While most couples (especially those with kids), experience a decline in nookie over the years, some question the wisdom of court-mandated intercourse. Aside from the loss of romance (get into bed before you're in breach of contract), there are practical provisions to consider. Is there a contingency for the recovery time post-delivery should the couple have a child together? This guy's girlfriend was troubled by his request and wrote into an advice columnist. Our advice? Sweetie, if you're weirded out by it, there are plenty of other fish in the lawyer's lobby.
Tats at 10?
One mom found herself in hot water after she let her 10-year-old son get inked. The young boy asked to get a tattoo in memory of his brother, who died two years ago after being hit by a car. His mom knew the loss had been hard on her tween son and agreed a tat was a good way to help with the grief. What she didn't know was that it's illegal for anyone under 18 to get a tattoo in Georgia. Now, that mom's been arrested and the tattoo parlor is being investigated.
It's a (five-year-old) boy!
On today's episode of extreme-gender-neutral-parenting, we have the family who kept the sex of their child a secret until five-year-old Sasha enrolled in school. Although they'd refused to share the information with friends and family, the proud parents did divulge the information to school administrators so their son could attend school. So intent are they on gender-neutral parenting, that little Sasha's mom didn't even check to see if she'd had a boy or a girl for 30 minutes after giving birth. Throughout his life, he's been given only gender-neutral toys. However, while Sasha's been allowed to wear pink, sparkly clothes, more masculine duds have been banned from his closet -- which has made some question the "neutrality" in all of this.
Dana Macario is a TODAY Moms contributor and Seattle mom to two sleep-depriving toddlers. She is currently developing an alarm clock that will start an IV coffee drip 10 minutes prior to wake-up time. Once properly caffeinated, she also blogs at www.18years2life.com.