In last week’s poll, I asked if you thought moms had favorites. The highest vote-getter was “yes, but they’ll never admit it” with forty-two percent. Another thirty-six percent said that moms might get along better with a specific child, but they don’t really have favorites. At the moment, I can’t answer for myself as I only have one child, but I have seen many mothers who play favorites, and often quite blatantly.

This week, I want to direct you to an opinion piece by one Joel Stein. In it, Mr. Stein claims that “Your kid doesn’t have an allergy to nuts. Your kid has a parent who needs to feel special.” He feels that the sudden rise in nut and food allergies are a construct of Yuppie parenting.

Now, I’m all for being healthy. I’m all for exercising (as long as it’s not raining, or too cold, or the weekend, or I have anything better to do). I’m all for eating right. But today I saw something.

And that? That thing that I saw? That just ain’t right.

I shook my head. I had another cup of coffee. I watched old Lily Tomlin specials.

I trawled the internet, looking for parallels, and I found them, of varying degrees of utility and authority: The Olive Oil Diet. The Coconut Oil Diet. The Linseed Oil Diet. The Palm Oil Diet.

But…the Baby Fat Diet?

I don’t care what they say: that shit’s just not right!