DCUM Weblog

One question that comes up every so often in the forums and on the mailing list is "which computer is best for a child?" Unlike most parenting questions, this is one I actually feel qualified to answer. As a card-carrying, Steve Jobs-worshipping, certified Apple fanatic, most of what I have to say should be fairly predictable. Yes, moms and dads, I recommend a Macintosh.

Any Mac fanboi worth his salt should be able to argue that the Macintosh is the better choice for anyone — not just children. However, where adults are concerned, two factors often out-weigh the advantages offered by Apple's computers: 1) people who have Windows computers at the office frequently don't want to have a different system at home; and 2) sometimes a much-needed (or much-desired, in the case of games) program is not available for the Mac. However, children have no office computers with which to conform and — given their limited software needs — shouldn't encounter software issues either.

A group of us moms and dads were sitting in a school bus as it heaved and groaned its way to the Smithsonian Institution for a field trip. I was feeling good, despite the migraine-inducing shrieks of the kids, who’d just spotted the highlight of their trip, one sure to be recounted at dinner tables across Bethesda that night—a homeless man relieving himself on a tree on Wisconsin Avenue.

As we parents frantically redirected the kids’ attention—“Look! A—a—parking meter!”—I suddenly noticed a little girl named Kendall staring at me.

Usually I draw stares for all the wrong reasons, like the time in Bethesda Bagels when I thought a guy was checking me out, until a woman whispered, “You have a Cheerio stuck to your behind.”

But today my jeans were Cheerio-free. I’d even taken a shower and applied mascara. (Preschool field trips are major social outings for me.) Kendall looked at me for a minute, then shouted, “You look just like someone I know. Only he’s a man!”

I know I'm not the only Gen X Mom who loves Halloween. What's not to love? It involves dressing up, hanging out past bedtime with friends and eating sweets-- three of the best things in the world. In addition, it does not involve any of the more problematic elements of some other holidays: visiting with annoying relatives, sitting in church or spending lots of money on people you don't know very well but with whom you're somehow obligated to exchange gifts.

Retailers, however, have caught on to Halloween's hip potential, and capitalizing on the suburban zeitgeist of "no occasion is truly great unless we've dropped a wad of cash at Target," turned this holiday into a 6 Billion dollar industry, second only to Christmas.  Now you can buy Halloween lights for your Halloween tree, animatronic Halloween displays for your yard and Halloween accessories for your Halloween themed and decorated events.  Several years ago, as this themed merchandise began to trickle into the aisles, it was exciting. I thought, "Yes! This is my holiday! Let's celebrate! Let's buy!" They had me right where they wanted me. Now, as all this spooky plastic landfill fodder has become more and more aggressive, appearing earlier each year, taking up more aisle space, all the while getting cheaper and more generic, I say enough. 

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