I’m no Roger Ebert, but I have a really fun movie recommendation for you. As usual, I’m late to see a new movie because, well, you know why. But, eventually, thanks to the miracle of Netflix, we get around to movies sooner or later. Just saw Sarah Jessica Parker’s “I Don’t Know How She Does It.” Once you get over the fact that both Greg Kinnear and Pierce Brosnan are in love with Carrie Bradshaw (Greg playing the Aidan-like character, Pierce as the Mr. Big equivalent), the movie is delightful.

For busy parents, IDKHSDI strikes many meaningful chords – and leaves us with a ringing endorsement for No Regrets Parenting. Well, in all fairness, the book hadn’t come out yet by the time of the movie’s release, but had it, I’m sure SJP would have included it in the closing scene. Among the poignant movie scenes – SJP’s character misses seeing her son’s first haircut. Firsts are biggies for parents (see my NYT column: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/20/my-son-the-groom/), and missing them is traumatic. Dad is not forgotten in this movie about a mommy juggler (keeping all the personal and professional plates spinning in the air at the same time). Dad is also juggling and balancing and coping and contributing. Sure, some of the portrayals are stereotypes – but they’re good stereotypes, depicting parents who really first and foremost want to do right by their kids, but need to do right by themselves and their careers as well. One of SJP’s lines in the movie was something like – “I’m living two lives but not enjoying either of them.”

Sounds like a call for help. A call for No Regrets Parenting that teaches parents to juggle. Not by throwing more plates in the air, but by making more out of the plate with our kids’ pictures on it.

See the movie for the problem. Then read the No Regrets Parenting book for the solution.  Then, you too, will “know how she does it.”

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