Your Child is UGLY!!

April 5, 2006

Ok, now that I’ve got your attention, I want to talk about a study I read about in the New York Times that upset me. According to a Canadian research team, parents take better care of pretty children than they do ugly ones. The first thing I thought was, “what kind of parent would participate in this study?” Well, to answer your question…none.

Researchers at the University of Alberta carefully observed how parents treated their children during trips to the supermarket. They found that physical attractiveness made a big difference.

Wait a second, do you mean to tell me that these researchers determined which child was “ugly” and which was “attractive”? Isn’t beauty subjective? Isn’t, in fact, EVERY child beautiful? Especially to their mother? Not according to this report.

The researchers noted if the parents belted their youngsters into the grocery cart seat, how often the parents’ attention lapsed and the number of times the children were allowed to engage in potentially dangerous activities like standing up in the shopping cart. They also rated each child’s physical attractiveness on a 10-point scale.

Rating your child’s attractiveness? HOW DARE THEY?? Now, like every mother, I personally think that my children are the most beautiful in existance and I don’t believe that I ever belted them whilst in the shopping cart. Does that mean that I subconsciously think my children are ugly?

Is it just me, or is this study COMPLETELY OFFENSIVE??