Two totally divergent stories about parenthood ran today in the UK's Mirror (not including the one about Madonna adopting another baby from Malawi). The first is an awesome blurb from our main man, William H. Macy. Macy reveals (like my use of tabloid language, there?) that he and wife Felicity Huffman schedule dates and force themselves to actually go on those dates. Says the Mace:
"You'd better make a date and take your wife out within a month - whether you want to, or not - and you can't talk about the kid. And you'd better have a romantic weekend within two months because it tears couples apart, these babies do... Felicity and I have been really good about finding time. We'll go away for two days - for one day, even - and we try to do it four, five, six times a year."
I believe I speak for parents everywhere when I applaud these two for finding making time to spend together as a couple away from their (no doubt delightful) two children. More pointedly, I applaud Macy for actually coming out and saying, "It tears couples apart, these babies do." I would perhaps have amended that myself to say babies can tear couples apart. But this is a truth that so few people, especially in the public eye, can actually bring themselves to speak (though there are some exceptions).
Case in point: when I heard Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz were reportedly having marriage trouble (though they deny it), I was all, "Well, hell, yeah, there's marriage trouble! Don't they have a newborn baby?" (yes: ol' Bronx was born in November; IMHO, a couple needs a good six months after a baby arrives before the dust truly settles).
Elsewhere on the Mirror is a video of Tina O'Brien, who most of you will not be familiar with as the actor who played Sarah Platt on Coronation Street. Tina is now a mom (sorry, mum), and the video features her and some random mums advising all of you mums out there to cherish the little moments with your wee ones.
Okay, it is true that sometimes the most mundane times spent with your baby become the most memorable (like, you wouldn't believe how clapping has become a superawesomefun activity for me and my rugrat). But the cultural saturation point for "parenting is so great!" has exceeded its maximum limits (jumping the shark with this t-shirt company). It's time to start redressing the balance by being honest about parenting and motherhood. Thanks to William H. Macy for doing just that.
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