Ever meet a mom whos so smug about the stupidest things?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

LOL! Seriously, good luck with that!!!

Not the PP but if you don't own a TV, I think the chances that your kid won't recognize a TV character at a birthday party are pretty high. We don't have one because if we did, DH & I would never talk; once it's on, we just zone out of everything else, which clearly not everyone experiences but for those of us who do, it's not some mommy crusade, it's just a lifestyle choice. PP could very well raise her child without TV. It's not that crazy of an idea IMO.

I call bullshit. For a kid in school, even preschool, you're going to get bday party invitations, go to b-day parties, see lunchboxes, backpacks, be exposed to some character books, see the murals in the doctor's offices, see ads in stores and on billboards . . . unless you live in a cave, your kid WILL be exposed to some characters. I'd even go so far as to say a LOT of the characters. My DD comes home talking about all sorts of characters that we never watch/read/play. It will happen. It will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. We were once at the Playseum on the Hill playing in the pizza kitchen and this mom came in with her kid and loudly explained "oh we've never eaten this, have we?" We ignored her and kept playing. Her dd asked mine for the pepperoni and I smirked. The mom hurriedly said "oh, she must have learned that from your kid because we don't eat pizza." Thing is...we follow a faith that doesn't allow pork. Also, this whole family was really overweight. I remember thinking that maybe they weren't eating pizza, but they aren't exactly all munching exclusively on organic celery and tofu either.

I bet I know who this is!! If you just ran into her at the Playseum, you may not know but she has certain banned items, mostly sugar & pre-packaged stuff for little Larla, but almost everything in their kitchen is a giant carbfest! Social gatherings at their place involve muffins, cakes, fruit, and sweetened yogurt. No veggies, no protein, and no full fat dairy but plenty of complaints about how hard it is to lose weight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bet I know who this is!! If you just ran into her at the Playseum, you may not know but she has certain banned items, mostly sugar & pre-packaged stuff for little Larla, but almost everything in their kitchen is a giant carbfest! Social gatherings at their place involve muffins, cakes, fruit, and sweetened yogurt. No veggies, no protein, and no full fat dairy but plenty of complaints about how hard it is to lose weight.

Not everybody is on the paleo diet. (Or is it the Weston Price diet?) And there actually is protein in yogurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am a single dad of a toddler, and there is a mother in my building that I try to avoid at all costs. Every single thing she says comes back around to my daughter not having a mother.

"Oh, look at your pretty yellow dress! Your daddy must not know all girls love pink." Then to me, "I know she doesn't have a mother so you have no way of knowing this, but pink is the way to go. Any time there's a pink option, pick that. And if a store doesn't have pink, ask."

She actually believes she's helping me. Never mind that my daughter picked out her own yellow dress when we were in the store.

The woman does this EVERY TIME we run into each other in the elevator. I have taken to giving my daughter piggy back rides and taking the stairs to avoid her.

This would drive me bat shit crazy. Why don't you say something to her? Maybe you are just more patient than me (or in better shape!).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

Don't let others discourage you, PP. I feel strongly that the stories that feed my child's mind should be of the highest possible caliber, so I am one of those crazy moms who limits media consumption and "characters."

I agree it is impossible for most families, because if you stick your kid in daycare then preschool, then public, you lose control over what they are exposed to from friends and from classroom materials. I kept mine with a like-minded nanny, then sent them to a character-free preschool, and they are about to start a character-free elementary program. I know others who have stayed home partly for this reason. I may seem like a silly priority for some, but if you want to, you can make it work.

When my then-3-year-old saw Dora at the white House Egg Roll 2 years ago, she yelled, "Look! It's the girl from my pull-ups!" Only assocition for her. She is now 5 and in the princess phase, but the only Disney princess she knows is Merida (an intentional choice on my part). Other than that, we look for stories about princesses and queens who display bravery, sacrifice, leadership, and--most importantly--ownership of their choices. Her peer group is friends from her school and we have had only one princess birthday party so far. Her brother is right there too.

You can think this is a stupid or wasteful priority, but if you think it's impossible, you're wrong.

Ok, then I'll say this. If this is one of your "priorities", that is to avoid the horrors of cartoon characters, then you have too much time on your hands.
To say this is a first-world problem is over-stating it. Seriously.

FWIW, we've been through various stages of the characters and are none the worse for it. You can teach your child independent thinking, the difference between reality and fairy tales, you can still say "no" to all the stuff/toys. You can do all that while still watching Disney. Your view is unbelievably narrow-minded

PS- your character-free post is the most smug one on this board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

Don't let others discourage you, PP. I feel strongly that the stories that feed my child's mind should be of the highest possible caliber, so I am one of those crazy moms who limits media consumption and "characters."

I agree it is impossible for most families, because if you stick your kid in daycare then preschool, then public, you lose control over what they are exposed to from friends and from classroom materials. I kept mine with a like-minded nanny, then sent them to a character-free preschool, and they are about to start a character-free elementary program. I know others who have stayed home partly for this reason. I may seem like a silly priority for some, but if you want to, you can make it work.

When my then-3-year-old saw Dora at the white House Egg Roll 2 years ago, she yelled, "Look! It's the girl from my pull-ups!" Only assocition for her. She is now 5 and in the princess phase, but the only Disney princess she knows is Merida (an intentional choice on my part). Other than that, we look for stories about princesses and queens who display bravery, sacrifice, leadership, and--most importantly--ownership of their choices. Her peer group is friends from her school and we have had only one princess birthday party so far. Her brother is right there too.

You can think this is a stupid or wasteful priority, but if you think it's impossible, you're wrong.

This is brilliant satire. Congratulations, pp.

Hahahahahaha!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

Don't let others discourage you, PP. I feel strongly that the stories that feed my child's mind should be of the highest possible caliber, so I am one of those crazy moms who limits media consumption and "characters."

I agree it is impossible for most families, because if you stick your kid in daycare then preschool, then public, you lose control over what they are exposed to from friends and from classroom materials. I kept mine with a like-minded nanny, then sent them to a character-free preschool, and they are about to start a character-free elementary program. I know others who have stayed home partly for this reason. I may seem like a silly priority for some, but if you want to, you can make it work.

When my then-3-year-old saw Dora at the white House Egg Roll 2 years ago, she yelled, "Look! It's the girl from my pull-ups!" Only assocition for her. She is now 5 and in the princess phase, but the only Disney princess she knows is Merida (an intentional choice on my part). Other than that, we look for stories about princesses and queens who display bravery, sacrifice, leadership, and--most importantly--ownership of their choices. Her peer group is friends from her school and we have had only one princess birthday party so far. Her brother is right there too.

You can think this is a stupid or wasteful priority, but if you think it's impossible, you're wrong.

Why is your 3 year old in pull-ups? I guess that nanny and high priced pre-school "programme" isn't really doing it for your child.

She sounds behind.

[Anonymous]

This thread is hilarious!!! Thanks for the laugh.

[Anonymous]

Once, when I complained to another mom that the daycare sent our toddler home with a face and nose encrusted with crumbs and mucus, the mom bragged "Well my kid wipes her own nose." Slow clap.
This same mom took delight in telling others my toddler asked for a hamburger when offered a dinner of sliced eggs, beets, and spinach. "Of course, Larla ate it,"the mom bragged. "She's used to that kind of food."
Eye roll.
When her kid asked for fruit at our house she told her no "Because that fruit isn't in season."
Oye.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I bet I know who this is!! If you just ran into her at the Playseum, you may not know but she has certain banned items, mostly sugar & pre-packaged stuff for little Larla, but almost everything in their kitchen is a giant carbfest! Social gatherings at their place involve muffins, cakes, fruit, and sweetened yogurt. No veggies, no protein, and no full fat dairy but plenty of complaints about how hard it is to lose weight.

Not everybody is on the paleo diet. (Or is it the Weston Price diet?) And there actually is protein in yogurt.

I didn't realize paleo (what's Westin?) families had a monopoly on serving up veggies, protein, and full fat dairy to their kids.

[Anonymous]

Just have to say I love all the moms on this thread claiming others are snooty and then throwing in that their kid does such-and-such.

"It was SO RUDE to assume we don't speak French! What a snob! Of COURSE we speak French! Tee hee!"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once, when I complained to another mom that the daycare sent our toddler home with a face and nose encrusted with crumbs and mucus, the mom bragged "Well my kid wipes her own nose." Slow clap.
This same mom took delight in telling others my toddler asked for a hamburger when offered a dinner of sliced eggs, beets, and spinach. "Of course, Larla ate it,"the mom bragged. "She's used to that kind of food."
Eye roll.
When her kid asked for fruit at our house she told her no "Because that fruit isn't in season."
Oye.

Oye is right. What a bitch!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another Playseum story. We were at the one in Bethesda and this adorable little girl spoke to my daughter in French. The mother said quickly and smugly in English "oh, don't bother honey, they don't speak French." Later, I overheard her bragging to some other mom about how it was sooo hard to find appropriate playmates for her dd because she's in a French immersion program. Sure lady, THAT's exactly the problem.

That just happened to us! Was with my child and my neighbors child (they are 5) at a park. We were all playing soccer in the grass and were pretty dirty when some snotty family walked by speaking French. The kid asked (in French) if he could play and the mother said (in French) not to bother with the dirty people because we couldn't understand.

My child responded (in French) that her child was welcome to play.

It's Washington DC - everyone speaks a second language snotty lady.

PP. Wow! Where was this? Do you think this is the same snotty French lady?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

Don't let others discourage you, PP. I feel strongly that the stories that feed my child's mind should be of the highest possible caliber, so I am one of those crazy moms who limits media consumption and "characters."

I agree it is impossible for most families, because if you stick your kid in daycare then preschool, then public, you lose control over what they are exposed to from friends and from classroom materials. I kept mine with a like-minded nanny, then sent them to a character-free preschool, and they are about to start a character-free elementary program. I know others who have stayed home partly for this reason. I may seem like a silly priority for some, but if you want to, you can make it work.

When my then-3-year-old saw Dora at the white House Egg Roll 2 years ago, she yelled, "Look! It's the girl from my pull-ups!" Only assocition for her. She is now 5 and in the princess phase, but the only Disney princess she knows is Merida (an intentional choice on my part). Other than that, we look for stories about princesses and queens who display bravery, sacrifice, leadership, and--most importantly--ownership of their choices. Her peer group is friends from her school and we have had only one princess birthday party so far. Her brother is right there too.

You can think this is a stupid or wasteful priority, but if you think it's impossible, you're wrong.

What on earth is a character free preschool and public school? If you actually think these exist outside of locking your kid at home you are a NUTCASE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok call me smug or whatever but I am hoping to be able to keep my now 7 mos old boy away from commercialized characters as much as possible. (Although I think the male characters aren't as bad as the girls -- the female characters have impossible body shapes and beauty.) I suppose Dora is different...not sure bc my last encounter with baby world was pre-Dora

but disney characters, female superheroes, all pinched waists and ridiculous beauty. eff that.

not sure yet what to replace it with, however!

Umm, your child is only 7 MONTHS old!! Come back and talk to us when he's seven YEARS old!!!!

Don't let others discourage you, PP. I feel strongly that the stories that feed my child's mind should be of the highest possible caliber, so I am one of those crazy moms who limits media consumption and "characters."

I agree it is impossible for most families, because if you stick your kid in daycare then preschool, then public, you lose control over what they are exposed to from friends and from classroom materials. I kept mine with a like-minded nanny, then sent them to a character-free preschool, and they are about to start a character-free elementary program. I know others who have stayed home partly for this reason. I may seem like a silly priority for some, but if you want to, you can make it work.

When my then-3-year-old saw Dora at the white House Egg Roll 2 years ago, she yelled, "Look! It's the girl from my pull-ups!" Only assocition for her. She is now 5 and in the princess phase, but the only Disney princess she knows is Merida (an intentional choice on my part). Other than that, we look for stories about princesses and queens who display bravery, sacrifice, leadership, and--most importantly--ownership of their choices. Her peer group is friends from her school and we have had only one princess birthday party so far. Her brother is right there too.

You can think this is a stupid or wasteful priority, but if you think it's impossible, you're wrong.

Merida? Really? We are not a "Disney Free" household or anything but I actually ditched our copy of Brave because of how dark/scary it was, and how messed up Merida's relationship is with her controlling mother...and nothing like having your own dad chase your mother-as-a-bear around with a sword.

Lilo and Stitch, and Stitch gets a Glitch are two other ones that got "lost" because of how it wound up one of my kids, who starts acting like Stitch in a not-so-adorable way after watching those movies.

Lately I've been reading a children's Bible and collections of classic tales like Arabian Nights, Aesop's Fables, Norse and Greek legends etc. with my kids. We are not religious but I want them to know the touchstones of literature. You can't interpret the stained glass windows in a cathedral, or anything about the majority of western art and literature through the Renaissance if you don't know about the Bible. I feel like modern characters can be just one filament in a tapestry. And that way they aren't that weird kid who doesn't know who Spiderman is.