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The robed Cloe wouldn't last a day in my house, but only because our pugs love to chew.

Call me a bad mother but I'm not that worried about the Bratz dolls or Bratz: The Movie.  I understand that some moms and dads might have an issue with the emphasis on shopping or the clothing that the dolls wear.  To me, Bratz dolls and the Bratz movie are in the same category as MOST of the dolls and toys created for girls these days.  To really go on a rant, the dolls are a reflection of the American lifestyle and our culture.  I think it's just too neat and tidy to blame the dolls or blame a movie for something that has been created over years by our American culture.

I know moms -- friends of mine -- that are very opinionated about their kids eating sweets, drinking pop or playing with certain toys or electronics.  I am in no position to judge anyone else's parenting but my experiences with the CHILDREN of these opinionated mothers and dads is this:  It's always the kids that have strict rules at home about sweets, pop or
TV that leave home and immediately want to eat a bag of Oreos with a Pepsi chaser and watch South Park.  I don't have scientific evidence of this, just my experiences, but the parents that are really hard-core about certain pop culture practices often drive their kids to the opposite extreme.  In fact, I can tell instantly which kids are banned from having sweets or pop by the number of times these kids ASK for it at my house.

And so it is with Bratz.  I don't ban the dolls and I will take my younger daughter to the Bratz movie.   I think making an issue of Bratz or "taking a stand" about a movie or a doll makes the children want to see the movie MORE or buy MORE Bratz dolls.  I think that moderation is a key philosophy  in child rearing.  I also think that children, by their nature, will often want to do the one thing you tell them NOT to do. The forbidden fruit is always more interesting, right?

My philosophy is to give kids enough room to experience life while also giving them proper boundaries.  Finally, one of my core beliefs about parenting is that being a good role model for your kids is far more beneficial than anything else you can do.