Vanilla Belle Du Jour

thedaddycomplex:

mammalingo:

An Open Letter to Kourtney Kardashian:

Congratulations. You’re expecting your second child. That’s wonderful news. And I’m sure I’ll read all about it the next time I am in the grocery store. That’s where I learn everything about you. And your sisters. And Angelina, Brad, and Demi. That’s pretty much the whole wide world if you can judge the whole wide world from the covers of the magazines at the checkout line. 

And, if you weren’t already busy (and, I’m just going to say it, a wee bit overexposed minus the wee bit part), I heard you just launched a ten-episode web series about being a mom on the E! website.

As a mother, I checked it out. I wanted to know what you had to say about parenting.  What issues matter most to you? What’s on your mind? 

It turns out that you kicked things off with a tour of your son’s hotel closet. Not surprisingly, your son has a lot of clothes. And hats. And sunglasses. And, he has a shoe collection that could rival Carrie Bradshaw’s. The main point you wanted to make? I’ll sum it up: “With boys, it’s all about shoes. I’ve seen so many little boys and their outfits are so cute and then their moms put, like, kind of dorky shoes on them.”

Well, gee. I’m a mom. I have three boys. What can I do to help them? I think they’re cute. But what if I think they’re cute but don’t realize they’re wearing the wrong shoes! I mean, not only are my three year old’s shoes not from this season. They’re not even from the season before that. Or that. He wears his older brother’s hand me downs.You see, Kourtney, not everyone who loves moccasins like you do can “get a new batch” in “every color” when her son grows out of his size of the month.

I want to (honestly) say that you seem like a nice person. But, please, do me a favor: get a clue. 

It’s estimated that 15 million American kids live below the poverty level. According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, 21 percent of children live in families that are “officially poor.” (You can learn more about what’s considered “officially poor” here. And, while you’re on the NCCP website, take a look around.)

You have thousands and thousands of women and men who hang onto your every word. They want to know your thoughts about everything. My goodness, you and your family members are even among Barbara Walters picks for “The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2011.” People are interested in you. People love you. Take advantage of it. It’s not going to last forever. (See: Hilton, Paris) Take advantage of your way-more-than-15-minutes-of-fame. 

I did a little research. (It took me all of 10 seconds thanks to Google.) There are countless organizations throughout the country that provide underprivileged children with shoes. I particularly like “Shoes That Fit.” They get high marks from Charity Navigator and have provided hundreds of thousands of new shoes to children across the country since 1992. Given your influence and your obvious passion for kids’ shoes, I’m sure they’d love to talk to you. And, I don’t think they’d mind a donation either. 

Thanks.

-Melissa Sher 

Seconded… Well, judging from the notes it has already, I guess I wouldn’t be seconding this so much as one hundred and twenty-seconding this.

Kelly Oxford once pointed out the Kardashian family only became famous because Kim blew a guy on camera. When that’s your legacy, you should heed Melissa’s advice above. And she links to an awesome charity, so that’s rad.

Yeah a great ideA