Parents Magazine

Available at Amazon.com for 24 months/24 issues--ASIN:B000XXDJ7K

My rating : 3 out of 5

As most new mothers are, I was obsessed with my first baby for the duration of 2000, which was her first year). I read, and subscribed to, every parenting magazine I could get my hands on because too much information was never enough. One magazine I found particularly helpful was Parents Magazine.

Parents Magazine has been around for a long time and is great for parents of young children (the magazine claims its age range as 0-12, but most readers have found that age 8 is the cutoff for pertinent information). There is tons of advice on maintaining the health and happiness of your children as well as tips on taking time out for mom!

As with anything, there will always be differing opinions. Some readers found the health information to border on "alarmist" or "inane" and felt like it drove a lot of new worries into the minds of already-apprehensive new parents. Some feel like the magazine caters to certain demographics, while leaving other parents out in the cold, uninformed. Many feel like it's a magazine for younger mothers with large families, rather than the 30-something moms with only children. And, still others felt like some of the parenting advice was "fantasy". They thought that the idea of reasoning with a 2 year old was ridiculous. I say you have to start somewhere!

One man said that the magazine should change its name to "Mothers", because very few articles were ever geared towards the paternal half of the parenting duo, which is a complaint that I can understand! A magazine that calls itself "Parents" should certainly have more for fathers to enjoy and learn from. Then again, it goes back to what's "traditional" and we all know that, traditionally speaking, it's the moms who raise the kids! But, that's a stereotype and certainly not the ONLY way things are done!

I guess it just boils down to what you're looking for in a magazine and what you're willing to accept. If you're willing to understand that not every family has multiple children and that some people have children with disabilities and need information, then this magazine might work for you. If you're not tolerant of articles that you don't feel fit your own situation, then perhaps you should overlook this one and write your own. That way, every article in it will apply to you!!