| Do you pay attention to how the mom characters are portrayed on your favorite TV shows? Loathe the so-called "mommy wars" on which the news media love to focus? Each week, Meredith O'Brien's Working Moms in Pop Culture & Politics column provides a reality check on how TV shows, movies, and the media depict moms. A longtime journalist and mother of three, Meredith O'Brien formerly taught journalism at the University of Massachusetts, is the author of A Suburban Mom: Notes from the Asylum and writes the Picket Fence Post blog for GateHouse Media. Follow Meredith on Twitter: @MeredithOBrien |  |
Mother's Day: Bah Humbug.
It’s hard to avoid that nasty little fact that Mother’s Day is precariously close (at an insanely early May 11 for those who haven’t yet checked their calendars and/or live under a rock). Virtually every form of media – TV, newspapers, magazines, etc. – are nearly screeching with sheer delight and are overflowing with advice on how mothers should be treated on “her” special day in May and, the most important part, to what she should be treated.
Baby Mama: Does it Deliver?
Tina Fey knows where it’s at. An award winning TV writer and comedian, she’s also the mom of a 2-year-old. So when my gal pal and fellow Fey fan Gayle and I to see Baby Mama on its opening weekend, we had very high hopes that the movie would make us – moms with six kids between us -- laugh out loud. more
A Recipe for Disaster.
It’s hard out there for a gal. A political gal. On the campaign trail. Even if the gal isn’t the one who’s running for elected office.
Ode to thirtysomething.
I was a freshman in college when thirtysomething began its four-year run. And even though I was only 18 at the time, there was something about this show that drew me in. It was unlike any program I’d seen before and I remember thinking that when I eventually became a mother, I’d want to revisit thirtysomething to see how its storylines resonated with me.
Random Thoughts & Gripes.
My working mom’s Pop Culture & Politics notebook this week is filled with random notations, gripes mostly because it has been a lousy week. Among my early April complaints:
Baby Mama & More.
Have you been wandering aimlessly through the television abyss, feeling entertainment-deprived, wondering when all the new programming (delayed by the writers’ strike) will return? As we patiently await new episodes of our favorite shows, I’ve created a list of my currently-airing favs – yes there is still good programming airing right now – in addition to the spring programs and films I’m eagerly anticipating. more
Secret Live of Soccer Mom, Revisited.
Whoa Nelly! Who would’ve thought that a tiny, little reality show on TLC would stir up so much angst?
Secret Life of a Soccer Mom: Surprise Reactions.
Among the books I’ve adored reading to my three children over the years has been Rosemary Wells’ “Bunny Planet” collection. In each of the three books in the set, a child-bunny is having a bad day, falls asleep and has a dream about visiting the “Bunny Planet” where a benevolent Bunny Queen named Janet shows the youngin’ the day that “should have been,” a day that exists only in the little one’s dreams.
Sex & The City . . . With Kids.
I recently saw the trailer for the “Sex and the City” movie that’s due out in the spring. And my great anticipation to see the film made me realize why the other “Sex and the City”- wannabe-TV-programs are lacking and why, perhaps, they’re not catching fire like the original. more
Michelle Obama on What's Really Important.
I have a hard time trying to imagine what it must be like to be married to a presidential candidate while simultaneously trying to raise two children under the age of 10. I find it challenging just tackling my own work, preparing semi-healthy meals, keeping the house clean enough so that it won’t be declared a Superfund site and raising my three small children with my husband, who works long hours out of the house. And that’s with no overnight work trips for either of us during the week. more
