The Mom Filter

I come up with new product ideas all the time.  I can’t help it, thanks to my business school training.  Anytime I see an unmet need a business plan starts to form in my head.  My latest idea is for the Mom Filter.  Like the name implies, this product would edit what comes out of a mother’s mouth.  Perfect for days when she wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, she would put it on and instead of yelling, “Why on Earth are you wearing a winter coat when it’s the end of April?” to her son who never seems to listen, she would sweetly say, “Now that it’s spring, why don’t we retire this coat to the attic?”

“Get your shoes off the table!” would instantly become, “I would really appreciate it if you’d leave your shoes by the basement door.”

“Haven’t I told you 100 times to put your clothes in the hamper!”  would be rephrased to, “Would you please spend a few minutes tidying up your room?”

It also would work on her husband.  Arriving home from a long day at the office he’d hear, “Welcome home!  How was your day?” rather than, “Finally, you’re home!  The kids have been sick and are driving me nuts.”

The Mom Filter would be packaged in an attractive lipstick container.  One application of its special formula to the lips would do the trick for most days, resulting in a smile on her face and a song in her voice.  Multiple applications would increase the strength when needed.  Line extensions like the Silent Filter and Smart Filter would be launched within months of the Mom Filter and sold separately.  

The Silent Filter would act as a lip sealer for times when less is more.  It could be applied right before sporting events.  My daughter told me last fall that I embarrass her by cheering, “You can do it," “Take it down,” and “Block that ball!”  With the Silent Filter, my lips would be zipped and my daughter could breathe a sigh of relief on the soccer field.

The Smart Filter would be used to help with homework questions.  One would simply dab it on right as the kids get home from school.  Instead of saying, “I don’t know why they would ask you about pie in your math homework,” out would come, “Pi is 3.14159.   It is one of the most important mathematical constants because it is used in math, science and engineering.”

Another product line for the company would include the Dad Filter and related products, like the Special Occasion Filter (to use on his wife's birthday and date night).  These would take a little more time to develop because, while I have no doubt that moms would embrace a filter, I’m not so sure that dads would.  The Dad Filter would come in the unsuspecting form of a beer bottle.  One touch to the mouth and it’s magic would start working, unbeknownst to the  dad drinking it.

Coming soon to a drug store near you