The Adventures of Mrs.Movie Snob

There has been a lot of buzz lately surrounding gender roles in our culture. Once clearly defined, many people now frown upon common stereotypes. Girls like pink. Boys like dirt. It was pretty simple. And if you were the boy caught playing with a Barbie, God help you... and his parents. For there was no doubt venturing outside these strict guidelines led to utter confusion or worse, homosexuality. Today, in reasonable society, we are a bit more forgiving when it comes to our children's interests. Should they stray into a gray area, we are told to nurture and encourage. All kids are different and their passions are as well. Boys can play with dolls, of course. Girls will get dirty. (I did!) Where I have a problem with this is when I see parents blatantly trying to push an agenda. To me, there is a big difference between "I want my kid to know that we're all different and that's great!" and "I'm going to dress my little boy in girl's clothes because F

In the history of human existence, there is a very wide spectrum of types of relationships. On this spectrum, I believe, there are none more complicated, ever-evolving and impassioned than that of a mother and daughter. I blame it on genes. For, no matter how much you try to escape it, we women become a lot like the women who mothered us. We are a forever mirror, for better or worse. For better, I am her compassion, her wittiness, her creativity and her sense of humor. I can hear her in my laugh. For worse, I am her stubborn streak, her clumsiness, her forgetfulness and her grudge holding. And all of this will be passed on to Isabel...hopefully, though, she'll be a bit more graceful. Still, she will be the next in the line of the Martinez women to take on the world. My relationship with my Mom (aka Madre, Lady, Sophia, Crotchety) has had it's share of complexities, to be sure. We've had the highest of highs and lows so low no light penetrated for years. If we were being t