I’m curious what you those of you in BLOG-land think about taking little kids to NICE (as in expensive; sedate) restaurants for dinner? I ask because when my husband and I go out (which is rarely) to what we think is an adults-only kind of place (like Lusardi’s in Larchmont), we seem to ALWAYS get seated next to young children—mainly toddlers. Though most times the kids are well-behaved, it does kind of “ruin” our “date night” moment….quite honestly when we go out, we want to ESCAPE from our kids.

I understand if we were eating at The Larchmont Tavern or Chat 19, for example: those are kid-friendly casual joints. But eating at Frankie and Johnnie’s in Rye or Le Provencal in Mamaroneck should mean a meal sans kids.

Before you start throwing tomatoes at me I’m talking about kids who dine with their parents past the 7:30 p.m. hour. In the 5-7 hour I think kids are ok. But after that? Let us adults have our peace!

When I tell people I have 12 and 14 year old daughters, they cringe, knowing I’m going through “hormone hell” right along with my girls. There’s lots of “stuff” to deal with when you have daughters: and a lot revolves around their changing bodies; their views of the world; the influences of society and the stranger dangers that exist. It’s not an easy job…and everyday I struggle with telling them that no, one bag of chips won’t make them fat; that dress is too short; that eye makeup’s gotta go; and yes, that friend will IM back. And so on. Which is why I was so excited to learn about the website We Believe in Girls, by the Mattel folks. It’s a  new site geared towards helping girls transition from childhood to young adulthood.

And they want to hear from YOU: your thoughts, ideas, opinions, viewpoints—in short the unfiltered truth about the state of girls today—and what we as parents can do to help raise healthy women. I know I’ll be right there. I worry about my girls (their self-image; society’s thin obsession; being smart as well as beautiful INSIDE and out; etc.). The poll results they’re taking will help them shape the content of a global, 10-country research study this summer. So what are you waiting for? Go to the link! (and report back to me on what you think!)