Spice Girl Melanie Brown has a working wish list that a lot of parents would envy. She says that before she will agree to take a job, her prospective employer must agree to some basic ground rules: her children must be allowed to accompany her to work and she must be allowed to finish up for the day in time to put the kids to bed.My first thought was that she is pretty lucky to be in a position to make such demands. She gets to have a career and not miss a minute with her kids. But then I thought more about it and realized that if Mel gets her way, 9-year-old Phoenix Chi and 1-year-old Angel Iris are likely spending all day, every day, on a set or wherever it is that Melanie makes her money (what does she do these days?).
While on some level, I guess I do envy her ability to have her working parent demands met, I wonder how the kids feel about it. Is she really doing what is best for her children by dragging them to work with her? Or is she being selfish in trying to have it all?
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1. Okay...honestly I could care less as to what she does as long as her children are safe and well and are taking care of. Does it matter to anyone that she does that...does it affect how you and your children live through out the day if she does it? No it doesn't. Why would anyone blog about it.
My thing though, is it really neccessary to say that she's dragging her children along with her when she is doing something...anything. I am a stay at home mother so I guess that would mean that if my child is not home with me then I am dragging her along everywherewhen I have to do errands and such. Does that make me a bad parent and does it put my child in any hugh risk? How are we to live our lives if I can't even go out and drag her with me. I don't like the terminology. Fact of life, in some households, where ever one parent is, most likely there will be children with them. I am not rich and I certainly don't have someone to watch my child if I want to go to the mailbox and say hi to my neighbor, take a poo on the toilet or even go to the grocery store. Just because she's a working celeb, we are gonna begrudge her on the way she runs her family. I applaud her in making a schedule that includes her children and not always leaving them with someone to watch them. I find that to be at times a part time parent. When people choose career over parenting.
Secondly, is it selfish in trying to be a good mother by allowing yourself to parent and not leaving them in the care of others all the time? Yes, I get a babysitter (usually a family member) to watch my child for a few hours if I want to have a date night but I don't have someone watch her so I can get my hair and nails done. Is it selfish to want to end your work day in enough time to see your children to sleep and keep up with the baths, reading, brushing of the teeth and whatever night rituals are done...if that is selfish then I am #1 on the list because I don't care who you are; if you are a parent and wanted to have children, would you want to do them or have someone else do it for you? I am constantly with my child and I so enjoy being able to her to bed and talk to her about what we did during the day and talk to her about what the next day holds for us. I get angry when my husband isn't home from work in time to be there because of all the cute and heart warming things she comes up with to say and just being able to be the ones she last sees before she sleeps. Would you really want someone to do that for you? If you do I don't agree but hey we all have opinions.
Why can't a celeb parent do the things that us non famous working or non-working parents do or want to do. Are they not just any one of us or are we still placing them up on a pedalstool and envy everything that they do and have. It's getting to the point where I can't stand where some of our mind sets are. Who cares what she does as long as her and her children are happy and healthy and unified.
Posted at 5:57PM on Jul 14th 2008 by Christy