First Issue Review – Promise

Promise is a magazine aiming to help parents deal with the multitude of traumas and trials which the development of their children will throw at them. It is targeted at ABC1 women aged 25-45 who have children. As the first editor’s letter makes clear, “We can’t – and won’t preach; after all we’ve made as many mistakes along the way as anyone.” The magazine, then, devotes itself to the sharing of experiences and the exchange of advice for all family-related matters, and a few other things besides.

Front Cover – Promise Whilst the issues covered in the magazine are inevitably quite mundane (getting children to bed, general health questions, family finance, dying pets) they will nevertheless have a great deal of relevance for a lot of families facing similar issues. Promise acts as a kind of ‘help file’ for anyone with children. The magazine also has a number of Special Features including an interview with Fiona Castle, wife of Roy, a report on the efforts to prevent polio in Uganda, an article on teenagers and drugs, and a discussion on the origins of Halloween. Despite this I wonder whether it will come up with enough general family-related problems month after month to keep the editorial fresh and practical: there seems to be a broad cover in the first issue. This, however, comes from someone without children and will probably sound laughable to most mums.

The articles are kept short; possibly too short as nearly all are contained within two pages, lending them a slightly uncomprehensive feel. There is a kids’ pull-out section with puzzles and games and a selection of ‘domestic helpers’ in the Home Front section including the ubiquitous recipes, ideas for cushions and information on craft and style fairs. Promise is a glossy monthly title with a rather nasty clashing colour-coding system for its sections which makes it patchy and unpleasant to look at. It retails at £1.80. The ad:ed ratio is 20:80, featuring advertisements from Laboratoires Garnier, Organics and Heinz.