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It’s getting late and I have toenails to paint, so here we go…

That’s all I’ve got for you tonight, kids.

Is it wrong that I blogged about the Children’s Festival and a naked-ish man in the same post?

I have a guilty pleasure. I love celebrity gossip sites, even though I know I shouldn’t. Why do I find candid photos of him, her and that guy interesting? I can’t explain, but that’s besides the point. Upon perusal of one of my regular haunts, The Superficial (enough said), I came across an article leading me to Newsweek.

Miami, Florida-based plastic surgeon, Dr. Michael Salzhauer, undertook the task of informing children about the plastic surgeries their moms and dads may be undergoing.

“Salzhauer got the idea for a book after noticing that women were coming into his office with their kids in tow. He says that mysterious doctor’s visits can be frightening for children. “Parents generally tend to go into this denial thing. They just try to ignore the kids’ questions completely.” But, he adds, children “fill in the blanks in their imagination” and then feel worse when they see “mommy with bandages,” he says. “With the tummy tucks, [the mothers] can’t lift anything. They’re in bed. The kids have questions.”

You have to see the excerpts from “My Beautiful Mommy” to believe them…

All photos courtesy of Big Tent Books on Newsweek

It’s an interesting endeavour, I must admit. Being one who spent years teaching pre-school, I see the validity in educating children. Adults have an incredible responsibility with regard to being open and honest with children, answering questions they may have and enlighten their malleable minds.

So where are the boundaries drawn? 2008 is an age of plastic surgery and appearance enhancement. And quite often, it goes way over the line. At what point do books like this stop teaching children about the reality of a situation and start teaching them what the world thinks to be “pretty” or “beautiful?”

What are your thoughts?