Playdate / happy hour

Many of my girlfriends have joked that when they have kids, they’re going to instruct their little tykes, “Now fetch mommy a cocktail!”
Well, the Today Show wasn’t kidding around when they put together this “trend” piece more or less alleging that mothers who have a glass of wine while their kids are playing nearby are bad caretakers. The story implies they don’t just drink, they get drunk: “There are safety issues to consider. Who would drive to the hospital if a child were hurt?” (Um, don’t know about this reporter, but I can have a glass of wine and still be under the legal blood-alcohol limit, perfectly fine to drive or watch children.)
One of the women featured in the “momtini” story recounts her experience with NBC, exposing how the TV reporters framed the story. The producers’ goal: Portray desperate moms who opt out of the workforce and opt in to alcoholism!!! Psst– Who’s watching the kids??

In the beginning they wanted to come and film my playgroup for the piece. Since our kids are now all in school full time, we don’t have a weekly playgroup anymore so this was problematic. I suggested a more ‘happy hour’ gathering where we’d meet after school and our husband’s would swing by after work for our usual family pizza night. Alicia [the NBC producer] said the mixing of dads would ‘taint’ the story (Read: “Make the subject more palatable because men keep their women in line and they have an auxiliary liver in their penises.”) So I told Alicia it just wasn’t going to work out.

But she ended up appearing on the portion of the segment that was taped in the studio, and basically asked to defend alcoholic moms rather than those who sip a single drink during a playdate.
Mommybloggers have been up in arms over this, and rightly so. At least they’re keeping their senses of humor…

I happen to know that I’m more fun when I’m one-sheet-to-the-wind. And I give a damn good impromptu puppet show.

At least the Today show will be allowing some of the mothers to respond.
Via.