Zeno's Bar & Grill

Perhaps taking a tip from the book of the same name by Christie Mellor, the three martini playdate is fast becoming a new trend in modern era mommying, according to an article in today's New York Times.

However, the book--which is hilarious, by the way--puts forth the concept of the cocktail hour slash playdate largely as a metaphor for lightening up on the uberparenting, not as a bona fide invitation to party hearty.

So, are moms drinking more? According to Suniya S. Luthar, a psychology professor at Columbia, alcohol and drug use are up among affluent mothers. As to the reasons, well anyone who reads the mommy blogs has surely run across descriptions of either a.) the incredible pressures to be a Perfect Mom or b.) the dissatisfaction and/or depression that seem to affect so many stay-at-home moms.

In fact, reading the mommy blogs sometimes makes it seem like depression is an epidemic, and the Zoloft ads that appeared recently in many women's magazines reinforce the message. In case you haven't seen those, they feature a comic strip style ad. "When my daughter said Mommy, you're no fun anymore, it hit me. It was time to get help," starts one.

When "getting help" for the blues turns to self-medicating with alcohol, however, it can get ugly. Having a few drinks during playtime can lead to more than a nasty hangover. One anonymous mother interviewed for the article told of passing out after a happy hour play date, while her four year old slept and the babysitter pounded on the front door with a second child.

We're all for Mellor's core message--don't give yourself up entirely to your children. And, of course, as the proprietresses of Zeno's Bar and Grill, we can't suggest giving up the ol' libations. In the end, I guess we agree with the quote from Mellor, who says,

"It's not just about drinking and cutting loose, it's about giving your children the tools to be self-sufficient. Because if you haven't changed your general attitude, then you just end up being a really busy drunk."

--Melanie & Kelly