Election year chats with kids can be confusing. Especially during this most contentious year of name-calling, woman-hating nastiness. But never fear, Barbie is here! That's right, Barbie is running for President of the United States -- again -- and this year it seems incredibly appropriate that you let your daughters play along with this particular pink campaign.

As Barbie's "I Can Be" project has shown us, Barbie can have any dang job she sets her mind to, and so can our daughters. So her continued run for the nation's highest office is a natural fit.

Here are 5 reasons your kids should pull the lever for Barbie on election day:

Kids' birthday parties sometimes feel like the price we pay for having kids. Let’s face it: Most adults don't look forward to them and especially not the parents throwing the party. They are a lot of work and inevitably lead to a meltdown once the sugar high and extreme excitement wear off.

We do them anyway because they make our kids happy and, truth be told, we owe it to the parents who came before us. They endured and so must we.

Still, there are ways to make the parties more fun. For some that means keeping them short. For others it means limiting the guest list. And for some, now, the idea has been to amend the way presents are done -- either opening them after the party ends when all the guests have gone or eliminating them altogether.

Two Stir writers with very different opinions on the same issue weigh in on this hot parenting debate below:

Kids' birthday parties sometimes feel like the price we pay for having kids. Let’s face it: Most adults don't look forward to them and especially not the parents throwing the party. They are a lot of work and inevitably lead to a meltdown once the sugar high and extreme excitement wear off.

We do them anyway because they make our kids happy and, truth be told, we owe it to the parents who came before us. They endured and so must we.

Still, there are ways to make the parties more fun. For some that means keeping them short. For others it means limiting the guest list. And for some, now, the idea has been to amend the way presents are done -- either opening them after the party ends when all the guests have gone or eliminating them altogether.

Two Stir writers with very different opinions on the same issue weigh in on this hot parenting debate below:

Since that poor kid in Oregon nearly died from ingesting 37 Buckyballs, all I've been able to think about is that old Saturday Night Live skit about unsafe toys -- remember? "Bag O' Glass" and "Teddy Chainsaw Bear" were my favorites. The premise was hilarious as a comedy sketch, but there have been way too many deadly toys on the market over the years. Buckyballs are the latest, sure, but they certainly weren't the first.

Indeed. Who can forget such lethally dangerous playthings as these ...

To those who berate Barbie for her unattainable figure, her glorification of looks over brains, and whatever ever else it is that people bash Barbie for, here's one that tackles the typical stereotypes -- Katniss Everdeen Barbie. That's right, the heroine of The Hunger Games is being boxed by Mattel and is available for presale now.

She certainly isn't just a pretty thing to look at, no sir. Katniss is fierce. She can take care of herself, take down whoever and whatever is in her way, and she's smart and tough enough to do what's necessary to survive. Those other frilly ones with their painted nails and bikinis have nothing on her. What a great role model for young girls.

My excursion to the Toy Fair had me seeing more than just the award winning toys for kids -- and sadly I missed Alexander Skarsgard from True Blood. He was there! But I did get to see some blood of another kind ... you know, of the stuffed animal variety. Gore can totally be cute (we get proof from Skarsgard), but it can also be plushy. Take Roadkill Toys for example.

Yes, they are dead stuffed animals, guts all hanging out, and they come with body bag and coffin. They are for kids over 14, though I can't help but feel they would make a great learning toy for little ones who live in the sticks. This is what happens when the bunny crosses the road without his mama. Never cross the road without me!

My husband wants one.

This isn't the only standout for me ... check out the weird and also wonderful toys I spotted.

The 2012 Toy Fair was quite the experience. There were rows and rows and rows of the latest playthings on several floors of fun. I went and my feet can tell you all about how exhausting it was. But it was also fantastic. And I found the winners of the Toy of the Year Awards quite intriguing.

How it works is toy makers enter their product and a committee of experts (journalists, buyers, specialists, and therapists) choose the best toys in several categories.

Take a look at this year's winners ....

If you're a modern mom, you've most likely had the Barbie discussion with other moms, or just in your head. If not, it goes something like this: "Should I allow Barbie in my home, or do you think she'll give my daughter an eating disorder?" As a feminist to a princess-loving daughter, I've been especially on guard with the messages my gal is receiving at this young age. Yet as a mom who works hard to instill confidence and self-worth, I also ask myself if one doll is really going to bring all of that crashing down.

It's tough being the modern mom. Which is why when I was offered the Barbie Dolls of the World to check out, I balked for a second. Then I thought, hey, if Barbie is trying to represent all kinds of cultures, bring it. So Ireland Barbie, China Barbie, and Argentina Barbie came into my home and my 5-year-old daughter and I explored Barbie, and what it all means.

And that's when she made me realize how not a big deal this whole Barbie issue really is, after all.