Don't throw your pearls before swine. I remember my late Irish grandmother saying that to me when I was an awkward tomboy, brimming with energy and a palpable yearning to be accepted and liked by other children. And I used to giggle at her and feel just a little embarrassed, even though I didn't know exactly what the expression meant. But I know what it means now.

It is a lovely song, far more affecting and restrained than you would expect to find on a children's Christmas compilation from Walt Disney records. The CD liner is long gone, so I know only that the song is called Angel Time and it's a rather stirring ballad sung by a woman with a strong, lilting voice. And for whatever reason this song has found its way into my son's tender heart and moved him more than he can understand or fully express. The first time Graham heard it, I noticed him perk up and listen intently.

I had it all planned. It was going to be a snark-down of epic proportions: the Don Mills Diva vs. A Real Housewife of New York City.

It's no secret that maintaining some semblance of cool as I wade further into the mire of parenthood is somewhat of a priority for me: it's right there in my blog sidebar after all. But there is one area in which I know I am destined to remain on the non-cool side of the fence, hopelessly old-fashioned and stubbornly dogmatic. And that area involves violent and crime-ridden television shows, movies and video games.

Is it just me? Or did the whole Motrin controversy that blew up over the Internetz this weekend give you a headache too?