SquareParents.com - Cool Stuff For Cool Parents

Tee Bone

Written by The Square Parent Monday, 13 October 2008 00:00

Bone of contention, that is.  What's the deal with little boy's shirts, the ones easily available at Target?  Why does there seem to be very little respectably hip stuff or boys (at any cost), but there's plenty of cute (albeit pricey) stuff for girls? Many of the little boy's shirts are emblazoned with trucks and diggers and superheroes or the brand from the latest action film. There's a shortage of is the groovy, well-designed, well-made stuff for kids, or thought of another way, normal clothes, only in miniature. Respectable but fun and designed is simply difficult to find at a reasonable price.

What about the sweater vest along with a nice button-down shirt for daily wear? How about dressing up a little to go to a restaurant worth dressing up for and showing a little public decorum?    

This doesn't necessarily mean bankrupting yourself building his wardrobe at mini-Boden or Hanna Andersson, where some pretty good boy's clothes can be had for a small fortune. It's all the more expensive when you think about how quickly the clothes will be outgrown.

Among other strategies, look for the mini-Boden or HA stuff at the local thrift store, flea market, or even e-Bay and then pounce on it like a Kodiak bear on a salmon. They're also great gifts to request, or mandate specifically in lieu of Chinese toys with lots of pieces that you'll just end up tripping over. 

Once again, clothing choice, like the choice of most things, is the parents' responsibility, the parents' decision, and is a function of the parents' imperatives. 

Second Hand

Written by The Square Parent Monday, 13 October 2008 00:00

Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and other thrift stores have made the news lately, headlines blaring about middle class folk flocking to save money and find bargains. The upshot of the headlines is that it used to be that the lower classes and the 20-something hipsters would go to Goodwill in order to find the cheap, and sometimes groovy (purposefully or otherwise) stuff to wear.  And what of parents who shop there for their kids?

The problem is that there seems to be an associated stigma of poverty, or worse, of charity. This isn't always true, and people are generally beginning to get wise, as are the managers and marketers of the thrifts.  After all, who hasn't shopped there for just the right kind of disco shirt?  But for some, the stigma still does exist.  

As it turns out, it's a great place to go for kid's clothes.  And it makes sense, too at only a couple of buck per item, at a fraction of the cost of what would be spent if new.  So far so good.

Then what's the continued aversion of certain people? It's second-hand, so what? 

Most of what Goodwill sells in the US is mostly brand-name stuff, because that's what sells. Some other kid wore it?  That's what a washing machine's for.  It's amazing how much of the stuff that people need is right there in front of them, and for a particularly low price, but they're not willing of have it for one reason or another, but usually reasons of vanity.

Buying second-hand clothes, especially for the kids, is just like recycling: you buy it, then return it when finished. It's green, man! 

The question is, how many of the devoted eco types would see it in that light enough to purchase "recycled" clothes for the kid rather than order some expensive organic cotton something-or-other from a company with a nice website?

Monkey See, Monkey Eat

Written by The Square Parent Thursday, 09 October 2008 00:00

Kids aren't particularly pickey eaters, which is covered here.  It's one thing to wish for them to try more food, but quite another to actually get them to try the food.  The good news is that there are several tricks, none of which are particularly trying, expensive, or difficult, but more a matter of simply trying things and sticking with them.  One of the most important, and most effective ways to get toddler to try something new to eat is to have him/her watch mom or dad prepare the food. 

Pull up a high stool next to the kitchen counter, and ask the tyke if he/she would like to see what you're doing. Then, during the step-by-step preparation, explain what you're doing and why, and what you're working on will become. 

Kids are curious about all sorts of stuff, and like the rest of us, when they have buy-in to something, they'll feel invested in it.  In the case of dinner, if they watch you make a particular dish, and are actively involved with watching and chiming in with questions, then they'll see that particular meal is something that they helped with.  And they'll love receiving the praise and feeling of pride that comes with helping with something.  

From there, it's a short hop to actually eating what was prepared.  They may not even like it at first taste, but they'll be far more likely to even try it in the first place, and maybe even like it.  The worst that can happen is that they won't eat it for whatever reason. But then again, there are those cases where they do eat it not because they like it, but because they've helped with it. Inclusion can be a strong motivator, and especially with kids.

And what does the parent get out of this besides the kid trying something new, and maybe even liking it? It's better for the kid than TV, for one thing. The parent gets quality time In a different context, has the kid accustomed to the general operation of the kitchen, and thus it will be easier to put the kid to work as time goes by. It also makes a daily task more productive than it normally is, a little more interesting, and a little less like work. 

In short, this is a simple yet valuable activity that has great multi-tasking potential.

Note: this doesn't work as well when preparing frozen microwave dinners.

Making Food for Bebe - Mash It

Written by The Square Parent Wednesday, 08 October 2008 00:00

If you peruse the baby food section of your grocery store, you'll see jars and jars with pictures and descriptions of what's inside, labeled by age range, and costing about $.69 each for a couple of ounces. If you buy 10 of these, for instance, and the cost will be $6.90, unless they're on sale.  Even on sale, they're expensive.  And since they're jarred vegetables, they taste like crap.

Who eats jarred vegetables (with the exception of some of those good artichoke hearts from Italy which are also expensive)?  That's like eating canned vegetables; English people eat canned vegetables. Besides, where's the fun in opening a jar? It's easy enough to make your own, not that difficult, and far less expensive.

For mashed bananas, maybe the easiest of baby foods, buy some bananas, let them ripen (or buy already ripe), then peel, placing the fruit into a mid-large size mixing bowl, and proceed to mash.

Sweet potatoes mash well, and take well to additions, such as butter, milk, and spice, and they really don't need any added sugar.  Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork, and place on a baking sheet lined with tin foil.  Place in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, or maybe a bit longer.  Remove from the oven, carefully slice in 2, then all to cool.  When cool enough to handle, scoop out into a mid-large size mixing bowl, add any spice (curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc) and mash then store.

Avocado is a wonder food. Simply get some ripe avocados, split in 2, remove the seed, scoop out, add a little salt, then mash and store as below.

Master Technique

Apply this technique to a recipeGrab a masher, and mash, taking care to use good wrist action. Spoon the contents into an ice cube tray, and freeze.  When frozen, pop out into a ziplock freezer bag.  When ready to server, grab a couple of cubes, place in a small bowl, and microwave for 15 or 20 seconds, until just thawed.  Et voila, food for bebe.  

Boys and Guns

Written by The Square Parent Wednesday, 08 October 2008 00:00

Sooner or later, little boys will simulate play with guns, usually in the form of law enforcement, miscreants, armed service members, or members of another country's security forces.  But there will be guns, toy or imaginary. There may even be some gun-inspired characters involved, such as GI Joe, Dirty Harry, John Rambo, your garden variety cowboy from a classic western, et al...

Let them play their guns.  It is just play, and there's scant evidence that simulated military maneuvers outdoors contribute to much of anything except for a decline in obesity.  Video games may or may not be something else entirely, but this example will focus on the physical objects in the out of doors.

To paraphrase George Orwell, playing with toy soldiers always beats playing with toy pacifists.

A quick review of some of the archtypal contemporary gunslingers and the pros and cons of each:

GI Joe

• Pros: All American, member of the military, and ripped.
• Cons: Military recruitment isn't going so well at the moment, made of plastic, made in China.

Dirty Harry

• Pros: Iconoclastic, carries a great big gun, likes hot dogs and pithy sayings, bad 70's suits.
• Cons: Doesn't care much for the 4th, 5th, 6th, or 8th ammendments, bad 70s suits.

John Rambo

• Pros: Love of country, clear sense of what's right and what's wrong, 80s hair metal hair.
• Cons: Needs a shower, aversion to handguns.

It's understandable that parents would want to limit exposure to playing at violent acts as a way of attempting to excercise some form of tangible control over the world; the US domestic homicide rate is often cited as a reason.  But boys all over the world have been playing with toy guns for quite some time, and it would be difficult to come up with any credible statistical, proof-based analysis that explicitly forbidding the boys from playing guns leads to an "increase in violence," an overly general term when not used in reference to a war zone.

In short, let the boys play combat outdoors.  Forbidding it may only make it more attactive, and any activity that involves running around outdoors while using an active imagination can only skew towards the positive.  If they run around long enough and hard enough, the only thing they'll be violent towards is a plate of homemade meatballs.