As plastic surgery becomes more common, so do the issues surrounding it. For instance, how does a woman tell her kids about her upcoming tummy tuck or boob job? To tackle this problem, a plastic surgeon has written My Beautiful Mommy, a book for four- to seven-year-olds.
As Newsweek reports:
[The book] features a plastic surgeon named Dr. Michael (a musclebound superhero type) and a girl whose mother gets a tummy tuck, a nose job and breast implants. Before her surgery the mom explains that she is getting a smaller tummy: "You see, as I got older, my body stretched and I couldn't fit into my clothes anymore. Dr. Michael is going to help fix that and make me feel better." Mom comes home looking like a slightly bruised Barbie doll with demure bandages on her nose and around her waist. . . . The book doesn't explain exactly why the mother is redoing her nose post-pregnancy. Nonetheless, Mom reassures her little girl that the new nose won't just look "different, my dear—prettier!"
While I'm for anything that helps kids better understand changes in their world, this book makes me think of the 12-year-old girl who wants implants because her mom has them. Do you think this book is a smart idea, or does it send the wrong message?
Benefit
James Darby
Rupert Sanderson
This and the post yesterday make me want to gag.
1A children's book to explain plastic surgery is entirely inappropriate. What kind of message are they trying to send to kids and why would a parent try to take the easy way out of a difficult conversation?
2Weird...
3that is screwed up.
4Why in the world do we need a book to explain everything these days? What ever happened to just talking to your child about issues that come up? If you have to justify your plastic surgery to your child with a book there are bigger problems!
5Wow...
6RIDICULOUS.
No wonder young girls have such low self-esteem. 
7this is so sad.
8Wow, this is just about the most awful thing ever.
9Blech. What a disgusting cover and idea.
10This society has just sunk to a new low. And what does that cover and title suggest? That mommy is beautiful only after her myriad of plastic surgeries? This is so disturbing.
11Wow, things have changed since I was a little kid. I always thought my mom was beautiful (and always will)...and I hope if I have kids they will think the same thing, even without the boob implants and tummy tuck. Jeez...
12This is just sad. I feel bad for little girls today.
13This is really bad. I wish we didn't have this in our society.
14This is awful. While it is good to explain things to children, it will just make them feel like surgery is an acceptable norm, which it is not.
15Horrible!
16Ditto. Weird.
17What an awesome, sparkly, fun-filled way to teach kids all about how there is only one type of beauty, and your only hope to attain it is through surgery!
18Especially since there's a good chance you share those ugly-nose genes with Mommy.
Gag.
The first thing I learned in a high school human development class was that the best way to ensure your kids grow up with a huge repetoire of self-esteem issues and obsessions with outward appearance is to openly act on and voice your insecurities about yourself around them.
utterly wretched.
19This book disgusts me.
20Love your comment Lambsauce.
21This is a sad commentary on our society today.
22That's just not right
23that's messed up. Wouldn't it be better to have a book for children explaining why Mommy needs to take some time for herself and why she goes to the gym? that it's important that Mommy gets some time for her so that she can be a better Mommy and Wife? My children are so excited and happy for me and supportive of my "me" time and my new routine of going to the gym. They can see that it's making me a better Mom and wife, I'm happier, perkier, less tired, and they're reaping the benefits. Plastic surgery won't help the endorphines that affect a person's mental state the way exercise will.
I agree with bella, I'm all for books geared towards children to help them better understand the changes going on in their world, but this is sending the wrong message to our children. girls will think that a)they have to fit a stereotype and look like the fake models in magazines, b)that plastic surgery is the answer for everything and boys will think that that's what women are supposed to do.
24sorry one more thing (guess I wasn't done with my rant)...
25it would be nice to have a book with the same title that talked about the beauty within Moms and all the things they do for their families, sacrifices that many make for the betterment of their family.
This is terrible and disturbing. Little girls need to be taught that intelligence and personality are far more important than beauty.
26Horrid.
27Love how this book was written by a man. Haha!!! How incredibly sad.
28Having my daughter really changed how I see my body. I don't see the "flaws" anymore--there aren't any. Look what my body did! It's amazing! I don't want her to grow up thinking she is not good enough as she was made--she is beautiful and she should be proud of how strong, healthy and gorgeous she is, naturally.
29I think most kids think their moms are beautiful. How is a kid supposed to feel when they are told they aren't without surgery? How is that going to psychologically affect the child? xzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzXXXXXX
30And that's what my cat has to add to that.
Yeah, I keep thinking of the kids who might have Mommy's nose/waist/whatever. Bet they're going to grow up feeling REALLY secure with themselves. Sigh.
31Our world today is an odd one...
Never criticize your appearance in front of your children, they look at themselves and think theirs is wrong too...
32This just seems all kinds of inappropriate...starting with the plastic surgeon being made out to some type of "super hero"...somebody has got a false-sense of self.
33So basically this book is telling little girls "You need to "fix" yourself to be good enough and what you look like is all that matters anyway." Great message idiots! I'm not letting my future children, if I have any, be exposed to garbage like this. Even though things like this make me think I really do need to have kids.
34That is the stupidest way to mess up a child.
35Ewww....to me, this implies that beauty comes from surgery, which is horrible. Plus, how will the kids who've inherited the "flaws" feel when mom has surgery to "fix" everything?
All kids think their mom is beautiful, and that's exactly how it should be. Ick.
36This really makes me sad. I would like to think that the age of plastic surgery and vain attempts to look like someone else died with the 90s... How sad that our children are learning that in order to be a secure and amazing human, you need to change yourself when they should really be learning how to love themselves for who they are inside!
37argh!
it completely sends the wrong message. double edged sword though. good information but if mommy doesn't have positive self-esteem where does the daughter learn it???
38Its disturbing !!!!!! Ewww
39If they really wanted to write a book to explain plastic surgery to kids, I think it should go something like, "Well my dear, the patriarchal underpinnings of our youth- and sex- obsessed society pressure me to loathe rather than appreciate the miracle of my body, even and especially after bearing life! Plus, Dr. Michael really, really wants to make more money!"
Make no mistake, this has nothing to do with explaining things to children. It has to do with intentionally conditioning girls to accept and want plastic surgery -- why do you think the main character is a DAUGHTER and not a SON?
40The saddest part is that the mothers getting plastic surgery wouldn't be able to talk to their kids about it and would instead need a book to do it for them.
41so.wrong.
42could we get any more superficial?
43I'm literally appalled. The message this book sends, based on its cover (hah, judging a book on its cover), is that beauty is put at a premium, which it is, and can only be attained by plastic surgery.
Beauty begins from within, people.
44How absolutely ludicrous. What a way to tell little girls that they (and women in general) aren't beautiful as they are, and need modifications to fit an ideal.
Good Lord.
45I'm with Lambsauce and Kimpossible on this one. They've said it perfectly. Where will this lunacy end?
46This is insane. Hate it.
47What a stupid idea for a children's book. The author should have written a book to women, maybe giving adivce and different tips in explaining the surgery with their children. Instead, he took the easy way out and decided to write a brainless book that nobody wants to buy. Clothes stop fitting because we gain weight. For that matter, people usually buy clothes that do fit them when their old clothes stop fitting. Duh. I could talk about this for hours but it would get all of us absolutely nowere, and fast.
48My "Mommy" was beautiful. She was an oncology nurse and a devoted mom and a wise teacher - she taught me that I was fine just as I am. She was beautiful as a PERSON.
She died of breast cancer at 52.
This book makes me sick.
49I don't agree with this AT ALL.
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