Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank: And Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom

Watch out for her tongue. You might cut yourself on it. But frankly the blood loss would be worth it. Rivenbark has an arid wit that empowers her to slice and dice people, places, and events. This book, which spends a great deal of time on family relationships, is something that most people can relate to from one viewpoint or another.

The Belle humorists seem to think that being Southern gives them carte blanche to judge and dissect anything at any time. I'm glad Rivenbark takes that view because it makes for a great read.

I love love love this woman’s books her humor is so good! She just tells it like it is in the chapter for the title of this book she writes about when her daughter grows up from 4-6x to size 7-16

"There must be some mistake," I said. "These are, well, slutty-looking. I'm talking clothes for a little girl in first grade."

"Thats all we got."

"But these look like things a hooker would wear!"

She smiled sadly. "You have no idea how many times I hear that every day."

I enjoy the way she sees life and agree with her on most of what she writes, I wish I could put it as well as she does! She tackles everything from celebrity moms to the anti-carb movement to bin laden. No subject is safe and Celia Rivenbark will tell it like it is no matter who show more get offended and I love that about her, like she say I write a humor column not a news story.

If you enjoy humor (i.e. Dave Barry) or the wit and wisdom of your southern outspoken aunt this book is for you al her books are hilarious I highly recommend them when you are looking for a laugh and some light-hearted reading
4 ½ Stars show less

With the charm of a Southern Belle, and a snarky, sarcastic wit, Miss Celia expresses all that it is to be a mother/wife/career woman/person with the sense God gave a goose in this day and age. She tells of her experience trying to buy size 7 clothes for her six-year-old, and only finding outfits that’d make a Vegas showgirl feel naked. Later, she points out that grown women in character-embossed clothes need to grow up, which points out the Topsy-turvy nature of the American culture today: Children dressing like sexually mature adults and grown-ups dressing like school kids at play.

Each chapter’s title both encompasses its contents, while being surprising and tongue-in-cheek. Amidst the humor and anecdotes, Rivenbark manages to show more slip in facts and evidence that support her position, but you’re too busy laughing and enjoying her company to realize “Hey, there’s serious journalism going on here!”

I enjoyed Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank by Celia Rivenbark immensely, and am going to buy a new copy from Amazon and have it shipped to my mom for Mother’s Day (don’t tell her, or you’ll ruin the surprise!). All the way through, I could just hear my mom’s voice in Rivenbark, and I know she’ll enjoy it as much as I did. While the book won’t stay with me as far as remembering specifics, the feeling of fun and laughter will live on, and I’m sure that when I re-read this review a year from now, I’ll remember specifics in the chapters mention, and laugh again.

Click for full review and vid clip of the author at a book signing: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/2009/04/30/stop-dressing-your-six-year-old-li... show less

Quite funny, but not for the faint-of-heart; Miss Celia can be a bit...coarse. Of course, *that* much is obvious just by glancing at the title! But still, if you're southern by birth, or just southern at heart, you're sure to find something to laugh at in this book.

Silly Southern books are my guilty pleasure. I also love comedy books, and this is a hybrid of those two things, so I checked it out from the library. It was a really easy read; I blew through it in one day. But it was poignant and laugh out loud funny, a great Southern satirical view on family and pop culture. Worth reading!

Just finished this one. It was okay but I didn't find it to be side-splitting. I think the publishers doomed it for me by putting a blurb that says, "Think Dave Barry with a female point of view," on the front cover. Dave Barry is my all-time favorite humorist and it's dangerous to get my expectations that high. I found Rivenbark's humor to be a pale comparison, and she even "steals" some riffs I think of as belonging to Barry, such as phrases that would be good rock band names, made-up mottos for organizations, and anagramming.

Rivenbark's style is very conversational and most of her observations are pretty acerbic. She is at her best when she is relating her own experiences with motherhood or other aspects of life, and not as funny show more when she's commenting on the larger society.

This was a quick read and fun enough, just not as good as I expected. show less

Yes, I bought this one purely for the title, but I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a series of humorous essays by a woman who reminds me very much of Dave Barry. I laughed out loud a couple of times, especially during the essay about obituaries. If you like Southern-fried humor and snarkiness wrapped in a few "bless her hearts", you'll get a kick out of this book.