Park Slope Kids Run Amuck vol. 65

linusvanpelt · May 2006

guest above was me

anonymous · May 2006

Anonymous wrote:
A kid on a trike in a park is not the faux-pas equivalent of a toddler in a four-star restaurant. This kind of mishap is just the price of living in society among other humans.

Is it even a faux-pas?? The more I read these types of threads, articles etc... the more I realize that the overindulged arent the kids but these uptight, whiney snots who think having even the slightest interruption or intrusion in their lives by another person (child or otherwise) is a capital offense.

I mean listen to these complaints:

"people bring kids to dinner parties"
"there was a kid screaming and yelling at the Malaysian place the other night"
"this mom wanted food for her kid b/4 everyone else"
"Ever watch a toddler eat -its discusting"
"I almost got hit by a Big Wheels in the park"

What a bunch of crying over nothing! Can you imagine if some Iraqi was reading what counts as problems over here in the US of A.

findcate · May 2006

she was definitely joking about breaking the kid's face, but she did just have knee surgery for a torn meniscus, very painful.

i was at a hotel on uws recently, i was waiting in the lobby and there was this group of people, two couples and 5 young kids. two doormen were standing out in the pouring rain holding umbrellas over the kids while they argued about which car they wanted to ride in..."i wanna go with Maddy!" what a production, ugh! i would have been just trying to get in one of the cabs before my mom drove off without me. things were just different in the seventies. i actually really like kids btw, they're pretty darn cute.

alafairnadia · May 2006

anon wrote: Can you imagine if some Iraqi was reading what counts as problems over here in the US of A.

good point. when are you moving?

carnivore · May 2006

anon wrote: [quote=Anonymous]
A kid on a trike in a park is not the faux-pas equivalent of a toddler in a four-star restaurant. This kind of mishap is just the price of living in society among other humans.

Is it even a faux-pas?? The more I read these types of threads, articles etc... the more I realize that the overindulged arent the kids but these uptight, whiney snots who think having even the slightest interruption or intrusion in their lives by another person (child or otherwise) is a capital offense.

I mean listen to these complaints:

"people bring kids to dinner parties"
"there was a kid screaming and yelling at the Malaysian place the other night"
"this mom wanted food for her kid b/4 everyone else"
"Ever watch a toddler eat -its discusting"
"I almost got hit by a Big Wheels in the park"

What a bunch of crying over nothing! Can you imagine if some Iraqi was reading what counts as problems over here in the US of A.
If you feel so strongly about this, maybe you should post it under your real username, rather than engaging in sock-puppetry.

armchair_warrior · May 2006

anon wrote: [quote=Anonymous]
A kid on a trike in a park is not the faux-pas equivalent of a toddler in a four-star restaurant. This kind of mishap is just the price of living in society among other humans.

Is it even a faux-pas?? The more I read these types of threads, articles etc... the more I realize that the overindulged arent the kids but these uptight, whiney snots who think having even the slightest interruption or intrusion in their lives by another person (child or otherwise) is a capital offense.

I mean listen to these complaints:

"people bring kids to dinner parties"
"there was a kid screaming and yelling at the Malaysian place the other night"
"this mom wanted food for her kid b/4 everyone else"
"Ever watch a toddler eat -its discusting"
"I almost got hit by a Big Wheels in the park"

What a bunch of crying over nothing! Can you imagine if some Iraqi was reading what counts as problems over here in the US of A.

someone didnt get spank as a kid. i better call your parents!

anonymous · May 2006

Anonymous wrote:
Is it even a faux-pas?? The more I read these types of threads, articles etc... the more I realize that the overindulged arent the kids but these uptight, whiney snots who think having even the slightest interruption or intrusion in their lives by another person (child or otherwise) is a capital offense..

Findcate, I totally see your friend was kidding and I used to make those kind of jokes before kids (oops and still do), but since I feel I have to defend kids against the kidbashers, I always take the other side.

But anonymous, I think the overindulged adults will soon be spawning and so the cycle continues. They don't want to be inconvenienced now and don't want anyone else to inconvenience or intrude upon the wonderful creativity of their offspring.

armchair_warrior · May 2006

people should get breeding licenses

. I love kids, want to have them some day, if i ever find that right girl. but alot of people arent really fit to be parents.

anonymous · May 2006

Carnivore wrote: If you feel so strongly about this, maybe you should post it under your real username, rather than engaging in sock-puppetry.

Would love too but I cant, keeps llogging me out when I try to post

-friendlypitbull

findcate · May 2006

i didn't notice any whiney snots in this thread...and i hate being misquoted btw. i didn't say "Ever watch a toddler eat -its discusting".

it was this particular toddler eating and throwing food within a 2 feet radius around him, while the parents just did nothing about it...combined with the restaurant, which was very elegant. why couldn't the parents feed him at home? why did they take him in the first place?

my nephew is the same age and my sister has taught him not behave that way. he uses a fork and concentrates on getting the food into his mouth, he knows it's not ok to throw food. he understands the word 'no'. she and his dad take the time & energy to teach him this essential fact, which i'm sure will serve him well in life. of course as i said, my nephew is unusually brilliant.

anonymous · May 2006

Did anyone read or listen to NPR about the study comparing Americans to British? For some reason they are healthier than we are after age 50. Their diet is worse than ours. They factored in obesity and race into the study so neither of those were the cause of the outcome. One theory is that they don't work like we do. They don't feel driven to succeed and because of that they value their down time and have more hobbies and a MUCH stronger tie to their community. Now the researchers are wondering if this down time and sense of community is builds up immune systems. Just food for thought. This might be one way to fight for sane working hours since nobody really cares about "family values."

findcate · May 2006

Interesting...Well, they normally get 6 weeks vacaation a year, not 2 weeks. I worked for a british company in the US. It was awesome!

the article said:
It's not the different health systems. With its higher health-care expenditures and greater availability of technology, the United States should score better, not worse.

But from what i've read, having regular physicals and ongoing care is a huge factor in preventing heart disease and complications from diabetes.

IMHO...they definitely think we're religious freaks, they tend to be athiests, I've always heard/read that people who are religious tend to be a bit healthier. They are post-empire and they seem to think american patriotism is a bit like brainwashing. We have more stress in general--people tend to get very wound up here about a huge number of things unnecessarily, like abortion. Or kids barreling towards them on big wheels

I'm sure job stress does kill people too. Didn't the heart attack rate for women go way up in the US after the 70s, when they started really having careers?

carnivore · May 2006

findcate wrote: Didn't the heart attack rate for women go way up in the US after the 70s, when they started really having careers?

I think that may be the effect of women smoking more than anything. There was a big increase in women smoking, starting about the 1950s. The rise in cardiovascular mortality in the 1970s may be the result of that, more than workplace stress.

silverfortress · May 2006

This is a good discussion. I'm American, and I've been in the neighborhood since 1996, but do not really like the idea of having or raising kids in Brooklyn. I find the culture of child-raising in the USA far too puerile, servile and weirdly narcissistic. But that's a long story.

I spend half the year in Prospect Heights, and half in France. Young children there are generally well-behaved, even the least fortunate ones. Old-school adulthood still exists in France, even if it can be stifling. It shows in everything, from language to fashion to politics.

Everything about healthcare there is different, and it starts at the level of food production and cuisine: the care of animals and fields, dairy production, and so on. The average farmer out where I live eats like a king, fresh cheeses, vegetables, local wines, boar, and venison.

I find the food in the slope harder and harder to swallow, even from the almighty Slope Co-op.

It comes down to stress and coping with it: the national French consumption of wine is down, but still is a major factor in overall cardio health. But the biggest factor is the work culture: 6 weeks to 2 months of vacation annually; retirementwith full benefits at 55; 35-hr work week; 2 hr lunch daily.

Parents more relaxed = adults healthier and happier = children more relaxed = children happier

findcate · May 2006

I lived in italy for a year. The emphasis was not on work, it was more on life, from the evening stroll to the 2hr lunches, it was just more relaxed. And the food, of course, was amazing. We used to bike up to our local hill town most evenings, when people were out walking--the whole family, grandparents, parents, kids together. No wonder it is estimated that they have 2/3 of the world's art treasures. I would love to raise kids there.

linusvanpelt · May 2006

findcate wrote: I lived in italy for a year. The emphasis was not on work, it was more on life, from the evening stroll to the 2hr lunches, it was just more relaxed. And the food, of course, was amazing. We used to bike up to our local hill town most evenings, when people were out walking--the whole family, grandparents, parents, kids together. No wonder it is estimated that they have 2/3 of the world's art treasures. I would love to raise kids there.

Of course, a good portion of those art treasures were created when the city-states of Italy had some of the most avaricious mercantile cultures the world has ever known, and much was subsidized by such easygoing family-values folks as the Medicis. Agree with you about the quality of life there today, though.

anonymous · May 2006

silverfortress wrote: Parents more relaxed = adults healthier and happier = children more relaxed = children happier

I think that sums it up. American parents are projecting so much anxiety and stress on to their children. Raising kids has become so not fun--there is so much of the LATEST research to be caught up on. I don't want my kids to be failures god knows, but also don't want them buying into this name brand garbage of name brand schools--FOR TWO YEAR OLDS!!! But it is hard to ignore the competitive whiff in the air and wondering if you are doing all you can for your kids. It seems to be the worst part of capitalism. I guess you just need to stay clear how you define success and stick to it.

findcate · May 2006

that's true. i was thinking more of the respect for the past that has preserved those artworks. although i have to say, lorenzo medici was a hottie! (judging from michelangelo's medici chapel in florence)

alafairnadia · May 2006

amusing, on the health front and lifestyle front:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4758941.stm

Is the lunchtime pint facing extinction? Only a minority of companies now allow staff to drink during the working day.

But adding to the pressure on the long, lugubrious lunchtime drink is the threat to lunchtime itself.

The traditional 60-minute break has shrunk to an average of 19 minutes, according to a survey in January, so that lunchtime is more likely to be the grim prospect of sandwich crumbs on a keyboard than a relaxed glass of wine.

The TUC says that employees in the UK have the longest working hours in Europe - and have warned of the high levels of ill-health and stress from this long-hours culture. Binge working as well as binge drinking can be bad for your health.

But what about the other losses from the disappearing lunchtime drink? All that creative thinking, team bonding and backstabbing? There must be more to work than working.

There are below-the-radar indications that not all office workers are impressed by the alcohol equivalent of the hosepipe ban.

There's an internet page doing the rounds which lists the benefits of workplace drinking, including "more honest communication", "making colleagues look more attractive" and "giving you a reason to show up at work".

Long hours, corporate claptrap, stuck at a computer screen all day, it's enough to drive you to ...

findcate · May 2006

"giving you a reason to show up at work"--i love it! they definitely drink more at lunch and together after work. which may explain why one of my co-workers accidentally sent an email to a client calling her a crazy old bat...whoops! is that what they mean by more honest communnication? luckily the british accent goes along way.

finding schools in NYC sounds like the biggest nightmare ever.

anonymous · May 2006

Actually, I think the finding school thing is hard only if you are looking at the two ends of the spectrum - specialized public schools or the exclusive private schools. At both ends there is a lot of competition and the people involved in the process create a frenetic air.

But there are a bunch of really good smaller private schools, parochial schools and neighborhood public schools. Many parents rely on word of mouth. I also think that its a matter of knowing your child and what kind of atmosphere works best for them.

Its only really bad for people who obsess about these things.

Park Slope Kids Run Amuck vol. 65

Comments

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories