Los Gatos Patch Moms Council to Champion Women's Issues

Have a question about whether to take away your toddler's pacifier or whether it's OK to occasionally spank a disobedient and defiant child? 

The new , formed in early February, has come to the rescue to answer questions posted by parents, lead discussions of key parenting topics and reach out to community online and offline moms groups.

Headed by , 47, who has two sons, ages 12 and 14, at Fisher Middle School, the group's goal is to help improve our coverage of families by suggesting stories to write and also help us recognize outstanding youth in our town. 

Ratcliff, who serves as council captain, is assisted in the effort by , who also has two sons, ages 11 and 14, at Fisher Middle School. 

The women also hope to champion local women's rights, women's issues and all things town mothers would want covered.

Ratcliff has been a writer for more than 20 years, contributing to magazines and newspapers and freelancing for the San Jose Mercury News. 

She's lived in Los Gatos since 1974, attended local schools and earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from San Diego State University in 1987.

Married for 20 years to Los Gatos podiatrist Jim Ratcliff, Kim says she "loves" serving on the council, which is a voluntary position. "I'm excited about Patch. I think there are so many moms in this town who are just amazing and talented.

"Being a mom is the hardest job there is, and so if we can help moms out with advice and get a dialogue going on some difficult issues, that would be great," Ratcliff said.

"Being a mom can be very isolating," she added. "This council will be a way for moms to interact on- and off-line."

Ratcliff believes one of the most important issues local moms are dealing with is how to raise resilient children when they're always looking out for them and perhaps overprotecting or over indulging them with material things. The other issues are teen suicide, depression and drug usage, she said. 

Binell she she believes women in town are wondering what to do about "over-extended" kids. "How much is too much?" Binell asked.

She also noted that some women in town are exhausted and torn as they try to help supplement incomes by working either part time or full time, keeping houses clean, driving children to multiple appointments, cooking meals every evening for their families and serving either in their church communities or service clubs.

"We're trying to be super moms, and we're not," Binell observed. 

Binell, 52, was born in Guam but was raised in Los Gatos since she was 10 months old. She graduated from San Jose State University with a degree in graphic design and illustration in 1986. She writes two blogs, gardenersanonymous.com and doggieheavenhotel.com. 

About serving on the council, Binell said, "It's really exciting to be a part of the local news. There's so much that we can report on and so many interesting things happening in this town."

The women are still recruiting other mothers to help them in their efforts. If you would like to talk to Ratcliff or Binell about serving on the council, please e-mail them at either Kimratcliff@comcast.net or chigiy@earthlink.net.