User Reviews

The hosts, Catherine Marion and Laurie Gelman (wife of Regis and Kelly producer Michael Gelman) are chipper, upbeat women who are great viewing for the Toronto-area audience. However, they're style fails to translate outside the city, let alone the province.

Originally, the show was available and hosted by Catherine Marion in the Ottawa-area via Rogers Television – also the starting venue to Tom Green.

The show's basis is to provide parenting information, tools and advice. But also tries to focus on marital relations and family dynamics as well. The problem is that the content is too thin, and is based on archaic stereotypes: the meddling mother in law, the unhelpful husband.

They veil this by having a "diverse" panel of mom's. However, Gelman and Marion barely let the mothers get a word in, and the panel is diverse in skin tone only, not in opinion.

The show also tries to seem contemporary with risqué features like: "how to pole dance". Thusly, it's not safe to watch with your children around.

Considering I'm the target audience – Ontario resident, new & expecting mother – I'm surprised at how overall useless this show is. Surviving Motherhood is a far better tool, as the panel of moms expresses their own opinions, and then they go to tape of an expert's opinion. But it is America-centric.

The Mom Show also shuttles the kids off into another room, with a Nanny who's largely ignored, and at times, seems to be treated with disrespect. The doctor and psychologist can best be described as ineffective, since they to use generalizations that don't apply to most families.

If you find women's magazines useful, you'll like this show. If, you're like me, and find the majority of women's magazines are idiotic, you'll hate this program. I recommend reading "Today's Parent", or participating in their forums instead. So far, it remains the best information source for Canadians.

I absolutely love this show so much! It makes me laugh and think of my mother. The dynamic between the mom and daughter is real. It's lighthearted but also talks about some serious subjects. It's more realistic a mom having two kids and struggling to make ends meet having love relationship problems and dealing with alcohol addiction as well.

The hosts are chipper. Catherine comes across as gameshow host fake, but Laurie is warm, real and funny. The show opens with the two of them chatting over coffee in a kitchen, and that's really all this show is - a couple of moms having a chat.

They love to tell their own "mom" stories, but this show is seriously lacking in any real, credible advice. It offers light suggestions, given mostly by non experts it seems (just what qualifications does "nanny" Rebina have? Why have a G.P., and not a Paediatrician?). Most of what they get into is just common sense stuff, that's heavy on relatable stories, and light on solutions or advice. So, if you just want to hear stories that help you feel you're not alone, you might like this, or, as was said, if you want the type of stuff you'd get in a parenting magazine (How to make crafts! Good snack ideas! New mom makeovers!).

One of the main problems is that they try to cram too much content into each show, so there just isn't time to get into any one topic in any real depth. I also get the sense that they want to be careful about doling out advice - the old "we don't want to get sued" thing.

If you're in Ontario, I'd highly recommend The Parenting Show, on Rogers cable (channel 22 in Ottawa). It's a call in show that offers real solutions to everyday parenting problems. Alyson Schafer is the expert. She's an Adlerian, who advocates "Democratic Parenting" - a wonderful new model that respects children, and rejects the old model of punishment and reward. She wrote two great books: "Breaking The Good Mom Myth" and "Honey, I Wrecked the Kids".

I'm a first time mom and watched the show a few times...Today, I've witnessed the most judgmental, extremist and insensitive view by one of the co-hosts, Laurie, on breastfeeding. I was appalled to see that even on a so-called "Mom show" where women should feel understood, accepted and celebrated, this co-host, managed to destroy any professionalism in this show. What a shame it is for this show to do this...You have a right to your opinion but on a subject this sensitive, it would be wise to show a little openness and nuance. Brestfeeding is hard, and I believe it is a woman's choice to do it or not. We all know about the benefits; we hear about them incessantly during our pregnancy and after. But what if it is to the detriment of the mother: physically, psychologically, socially...or if it is simply not for you!!!??? I feel very strongly that women, mothers should not feel any guilt of choosing what is best for them, if it is in respect of themselves, their children and family.