$800 strollers, Gymboree and the bamboozle that is Baby Einstein

[Imua 0]

The epitome of the spoiled rich NYC 'my kid has to have the most expensive everything' mentality:

urbanbaby.com

The message boards are fun to read even if you don't have kids - it's a total no-holds-barred snarkfest since all posters are anonymous.

[eekee 182]

It's amazing how much has changed since I was a kid. My sister is in second grade and she gets 2 hours of homework a night.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Most of this stuff is geared for the parents- not the kids.

Most babies are happier playing with the box they toy comes in, than the actual toy.

So true! I have really fond memories of playing in big cardboard boxes. Also: Home-made playdough, dens made from kitchen chairs and bed sheets, craft-making with egg crates, toilet rolls and scrap paper...the only toy in regular use was a big box of duplo and lego.

Nothing wrong with second hand furniture and clothes either - I had no idea that my two favourite dresses aged 4 had been bought by my mother for £1 each at a charity shop.

I saw a survey conducted by a magazine recently (forget which one) on baby strollers - the one that came out on top (judged on the criteria of practicality, comfort, ease of use, etc.) was a fairly basic £35 ($70) one.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

It's amazing how much has changed since I was a kid. My sister is in second grade and she gets 2 hours of homework a night.

My 9 year old niece had to do a powerpoint presentation which required something like 10 hours homework over the course of the week. Powerpoint!

And no, the kids didn't get any software training and neither my sister or mother know how to use it. I'f have helped if I wasn't 4000 miles away, but I found it pointless for a kid to learn a business software that's going to be obselete when they join the workforce.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

Woah...a powerpoint presentation aged 9? Eek!

[PlatyPius 5]

American parents are idiots.

Those the least qualified to breed, breed the most.

Just another part of the "Kids are EVERYthing" culture.

It's like you buy a baby, and then you get to buy cool accessories for it. Just like rat-dogs and cheesy sweaters...can't have just a dog. Gotta have a dog with a wardrobe. What a bunch of morons. Yet we complain about $3.50/gallon gas.....

f##k American parents.

[eric&gen 0]

American parents are idiots.

Those the least qualified to breed, breed the most.

Just another part of the "Kids are EVERYthing" culture.

It's like you buy a baby, and then you get to buy cool accessories for it. Just like rat-dogs and cheesy sweaters...can't have just a dog. Gotta have a dog with a wardrobe. What a bunch of morons. Yet we complain about $3.50/gallon gas.....

f##k American parents.

I say fucx you i pray to god you never nave kids scary.

[PlatyPius 5]

American parents are idiots.

Those the least qualified to breed, breed the most.

Just another part of the "Kids are EVERYthing" culture.

It's like you buy a baby, and then you get to buy cool accessories for it. Just like rat-dogs and cheesy sweaters...can't have just a dog. Gotta have a dog with a wardrobe. What a bunch of morons. Yet we complain about $3.50/gallon gas.....

f##k American parents.

I say fucx you i pray to god you never nave kids scary.

Why would I want a f##k trophy? Ain't no way Mags and I are having a kid - we can't stand them.

Thanks for the lovely thought, though. And here I was one of the maybe 3 people who enjoyed your little rants and somewhat sympathised with you....

[eric&gen 0]

American parents are idiots.

Those the least qualified to breed, breed the most.

Just another part of the "Kids are EVERYthing" culture.

It's like you buy a baby, and then you get to buy cool accessories for it. Just like rat-dogs and cheesy sweaters...can't have just a dog. Gotta have a dog with a wardrobe. What a bunch of morons. Yet we complain about $3.50/gallon gas.....

f##k American parents.

I say fucx you i pray to god you never nave kids scary.

Why would I want a f##k trophy? Ain't no way Mags and I are having a kid - we can't stand them.

Thanks for the lovely thought, though. And here I was one of the maybe 3 people who enjoyed your little rants and somewhat sympathised with you....

Kids are great well yea its hard to be a parent and expensive Why grow old alone together have least one before its really to late.

[sj5 4]

American parents are idiots.

Those the least qualified to breed, breed the most.

Just another part of the "Kids are EVERYthing" culture.

It's like you buy a baby, and then you get to buy cool accessories for it. Just like rat-dogs and cheesy sweaters...can't have just a dog. Gotta have a dog with a wardrobe. What a bunch of morons. Yet we complain about $3.50/gallon gas.....

f##k American parents.

live with your guilt.

[MissStacey 1]

I can't imagine how my parents raised us without such fancy, state-of-the-art gadgets.

like seatbelts?

Are you suggesting that if you had children today you would not insist they wore seat belts, or placed them in a baby seat?

Just curious.

I think my mom had me in her lap when she took me home from the hospital- she would have had me in one hand and a smoke in the other.

Also when we were kids- we used to have a great time loose in the back of the station wagon when the parents were driving. Good times!

[PlatyPius 5]

American parents are idiots.

Those the least qualified to breed, breed the most.

Just another part of the "Kids are EVERYthing" culture.

It's like you buy a baby, and then you get to buy cool accessories for it. Just like rat-dogs and cheesy sweaters...can't have just a dog. Gotta have a dog with a wardrobe. What a bunch of morons. Yet we complain about $3.50/gallon gas.....

f##k American parents.

live with your guilt.

What guilt? What are you even talking about?

[GabiandVi 34]

I think my mom had me in her lap when she took me home from the hospital- she would have had me in one hand and a smoke in the other.

Also when we were kids- we used to have a great time loose in the back of the station wagon when the parents were driving. Good times!

Seatbelts became mandatory in cars when I was a kid, but didn't become mandatory to wear until I was a teenager. We definitely did not wear them growing up. Two of my cousins at two different times fell out of their car at about the same place in the road while my aunt was driving. They weren't hurt at all.

My parents didn't smoke, at least, my father didn't smoke and my mother hid her smoking from my father, but we were exposed to something worse. My mom cringes when we tell this, and she swears we are making it up, but we used to race behind the mosquito truck when we were kids to see who could stay in the cloud of DDT the longest. Talk about fun!

[CarolynRitesh 0]

I don't remember who wrote it and am too lazy to go back and find it again - dang American parents and the outcome of their parenting! but what was that about 'no saying no!?!' I am fine with the abolishment of corporal punishment, but there is a philosophy out there now to NOT tell your child NO? Wow, sounds like we will have a generation coming up who have no concept of limits or right and wrong - what wacked out parenting 'expert' came up with that one?

When I took care of my niece for her first year, we used sign language with her and it was cool - we weren't thinking about her IQ levels, just had fun and a little easier time during feeding, etc. It was as exciting for us when she signed she wanted more applesauce as it was when she signed her first word. In fact, I don't remember her first spoken word!

Somewhere I read that exposing kids to different languages by the 6th month mark attunes their ears to different sounds that become harder to 'hear' when they get older. (4 years of studying the myackiznak in Russian and I STILL can't do it!) I had just come back from Kazakstan, so I spoke and sang to her in Russian and Kazak, a little bit of Turkish and French. It will be interesting to see if she picks up languages quickly when she gets older!

When I was a child, I loved legos, pick-up sticks, games like Candyland and had several Barbies (although they have been demonized by some now, it was great for the imagination!), and just playing out in the fields and woods of Louisiana. Aah, youth!

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Why would I want a f##k trophy?

charming