My hamper floweth over
The Keith Family News
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Tell me what y ou really think.
I mean it. I really want some feedback here. I need to know if I am just a crazy overprotective mom, or just a mildly crazy mom.
i don't let my preteens wear skimpy bikinis. I feel like they are more for laying out than for actually swimming. They can wear tankinis, or bikinis with a more sports bra like top, but there has to be more material up top than two tiny triangles of fabric.
I don't let my sixth grader pluck her eyebrows. she did it without permission, and I am making her let them grow back as punishment. I know, I know, I'll have to sit through a therapy session about it when she's older. It won't be as painful for me as the ones where she recounts how I made her drink dish soap when she had the stomach flu (mistaking it for Gatorade) or the one time she walked in on mommy and daddy wrestling. I will rethink the whole eyebrow thing next year.
Friday, I went to pick up my sixth grader from school, and she came to the van carrying 4 cans of Red Bull. She could tell by the look on my face I was not pleased, and she tried to reassure me that she was only drinking one of them, the rest were empty cans she had picked up to put in our recycling bin. I told her I was proud she thought to recycle them, but asked her where they came from. She told me a car with a big Red Bull can had driven up and handed them out to the students. For free! Wasn't that nice? I went on a rant about while I wasn't mad at her, I was pretty upset that the school hadn't stopped them, and how the person who did it found it okay to hand out a product not meant for children to children. I told her that caffeine, especially in that high amount, is a drug, and told her I feel about the same about them passing them out as I would if a big camel came to hand out cigarettes. Okay, I know that is a bit of an exaggeration, trust me, Jordan reminded me that I would be "way more mad" about that, but honestly? I'm still pretty mad. I am shocked that there isn't an age limit on any of the "energy" products, and also that they seem to be marketing them more and more towards children.
So, the meanest mom ever? Or just in the top ten. You be the judge.
i don't let my preteens wear skimpy bikinis. I feel like they are more for laying out than for actually swimming. They can wear tankinis, or bikinis with a more sports bra like top, but there has to be more material up top than two tiny triangles of fabric.
I don't let my sixth grader pluck her eyebrows. she did it without permission, and I am making her let them grow back as punishment. I know, I know, I'll have to sit through a therapy session about it when she's older. It won't be as painful for me as the ones where she recounts how I made her drink dish soap when she had the stomach flu (mistaking it for Gatorade) or the one time she walked in on mommy and daddy wrestling. I will rethink the whole eyebrow thing next year.
Friday, I went to pick up my sixth grader from school, and she came to the van carrying 4 cans of Red Bull. She could tell by the look on my face I was not pleased, and she tried to reassure me that she was only drinking one of them, the rest were empty cans she had picked up to put in our recycling bin. I told her I was proud she thought to recycle them, but asked her where they came from. She told me a car with a big Red Bull can had driven up and handed them out to the students. For free! Wasn't that nice? I went on a rant about while I wasn't mad at her, I was pretty upset that the school hadn't stopped them, and how the person who did it found it okay to hand out a product not meant for children to children. I told her that caffeine, especially in that high amount, is a drug, and told her I feel about the same about them passing them out as I would if a big camel came to hand out cigarettes. Okay, I know that is a bit of an exaggeration, trust me, Jordan reminded me that I would be "way more mad" about that, but honestly? I'm still pretty mad. I am shocked that there isn't an age limit on any of the "energy" products, and also that they seem to be marketing them more and more towards children.
So, the meanest mom ever? Or just in the top ten. You be the judge.
Keithclan, 9:18 PM
3 Comments:
Do you really want to know??
#1 bikinis on children: (ANYONE under the age of 16) is asking for trouble. I can tell you from experience that getting attention related to showing off your body at that age is NOT appropriate or safe! I completely agree - tankinis are as far as I will allow.
#2 plucking the eyebrows: should go along with shaving your legs. If there is enough hair there to remove then it's probably time to learn the correct way to go about removing it. Again from experience - I waited until I was 25 to start plucking and I wish everyday that I had started earlier. Particularily every time I see a picture of myself pre-shaped brows.
#3 RedBull: I would soooo be writing a letter to the school and the company who was allowed to pass these out to children. These drinks have a dangerously high level of caffeine and shouldn't be sold (much less given out) to anyone under 18!
So there's my 2 cents! You are not crazy, but a Mom who cares about the well being of her children.
#1 bikinis on children: (ANYONE under the age of 16) is asking for trouble. I can tell you from experience that getting attention related to showing off your body at that age is NOT appropriate or safe! I completely agree - tankinis are as far as I will allow.
#2 plucking the eyebrows: should go along with shaving your legs. If there is enough hair there to remove then it's probably time to learn the correct way to go about removing it. Again from experience - I waited until I was 25 to start plucking and I wish everyday that I had started earlier. Particularily every time I see a picture of myself pre-shaped brows.
#3 RedBull: I would soooo be writing a letter to the school and the company who was allowed to pass these out to children. These drinks have a dangerously high level of caffeine and shouldn't be sold (much less given out) to anyone under 18!
So there's my 2 cents! You are not crazy, but a Mom who cares about the well being of her children.
My 10 year old daughter got an extremely cute 2 piece suit for her birthday - I took it back to the store the next day and let her pick out an equally as cute 1 piece suit.
I hadn't even thought of the eyebrow thing but I don't see a need for makeup or leg shaving or anything like that for a few more years. She is only 10!
Red Bull and any sort of energy drink, including coffee, is just simply not allowed. I don't make my kids think those drinks are some sort of addicting drug but I do tell them of the health risks that go along with those types of drinks and they seem just fine with that. We make vanilla steamers at home and they can have soda or iced tea sometimes, stuff like that. They have actually taken all of the soda machines out of the schools here, so they have no access to that stuff while they are out of my sight during the day.
Keep up the good work - they'll thank you for it later (much later;-)
I hadn't even thought of the eyebrow thing but I don't see a need for makeup or leg shaving or anything like that for a few more years. She is only 10!
Red Bull and any sort of energy drink, including coffee, is just simply not allowed. I don't make my kids think those drinks are some sort of addicting drug but I do tell them of the health risks that go along with those types of drinks and they seem just fine with that. We make vanilla steamers at home and they can have soda or iced tea sometimes, stuff like that. They have actually taken all of the soda machines out of the schools here, so they have no access to that stuff while they are out of my sight during the day.
Keep up the good work - they'll thank you for it later (much later;-)
Way to go! More parents should put there foot down about these types of things. I know Annamarie is going to hate me in about 10 years (or less) for similar reactions to things. I already think I'm a little overprotective... I won't let her wear a onsie that says "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" because I don't want to project on her that she needs to be concerned about body type! And I won't let Simon wear shirts that say things like "What happens at Grandma's stays at Grandma's" because it sounds like I'm giving him permission to misbehave. Does that make me crazier than you?? See you soon!Elena
