Kids these days are too insulated from the harsh realities that await them in the real world. This month’s hero, though, has written a children’s book that helps prepare them to face our brutally superficial society.

Dr. Michael Salzhauer, a Florida plastic surgeon, has written a first-of-its-kid book aimed at 4-to-7-year-olds. My Beautiful Mommy is a picture book designed to reassure small children about mom’s pending elective procedure.

More importantly, though, it teaches them that, just like millions of other women in our shallow culture, Mommy will feel better about herself after going under the knife. It’s also an ideal gift for Mother’s Day.

Salzhauer, a father of four, said he was inspired to write the book after repeatedly seeing patients wanting “mommy makeovers” (breast implants and a tummy tuck) a few years after childbirth, but they were concerned about what to tell their children. He said the kids often get confused and upset when they see their bruised, swollen, and incapacitated mother covered in bandages after surgery.

“It sounds like a joke but there really is a need to address this issue,” Salzhauer told Reuters. "It is for the mom who has already booked her plastic surgery and now has to tell her kids, why she is going to be in bed, why daddy is picking the kids up from school and all those other issues."

My Beautiful Mommy tells the story of a little girl whose mother gets both the aforementioned mommy makeover as well as rhinoplasty. Before the surgery, she explains to her daughter, “You see, as I got older, my body stretched and I couldn’t fit into my clothes anymore. Dr. Michael is going to help fix that and make me feel better.”

As for the rhinoplasty, the woman explains to the girl, “My nose may look a little different after the operation.” When the girl asks why she’ll look different, Mommy responds, “Not just different, my dear – prettier!”

While feedback from Salzhauer’s patients has reportedly been very positive, the book has drawn criticism on several fronts, including the cartoon-style depiction of the mom. Most of these critics have not read the entire book, yet they’re judging it by its cover, which is exactly what they claim gratuitous plastic surgery encourages. Shame on them for being so ironically hypocritical.

Others claim the book sends the wrong message. We at Red Shtick Magazine, though, see nothing wrong with letting kids know that Mommy wants to look like Barbie™. Besides, isn’t it their fault that she’s got saggy boobs and a slack belly?