It's kind of freaking me out how clucky and nest-y I am getting these days. Like seriously, I'm 21! Oh and the fact that I'm totally freaked out by babies. And I don't even have a boyfriend. And I have no idea what I'm doing with my life for the next 5 years. All that doesn't really bother me, because I'm excited about living this crazy and unbounded life for the next few years.
But, I am finding myself totally in love with all things kid-related, but mostly baby/toddler related. I think it might have a lot to do with the fact that kid/baby stuff has become a hell of a lot cooler and more designer-y lately, with overseas parents mags like Cookie and Milk, how can anyone resist! My friends think I'm weird (weirder than they already think I am) because I spend hours on the Ikea children's furniture page, yet when I baby comes near me I cower and say "no seriously, I don't do babies". When they can crawl and babble and are less likely to scream for no particular reason, that's when I can be around then, but until then, no thankyou.
So it seriously suprises me when I find myself trying not to buy wooden alphabet blocks and vintage night-lights to hoard away for the day I have those little well-behaved bundles of joy. It hurts me to think that my kids will probably grow up in a world of plastic-toys, computer games and bratz dolls. I know there are people out there who manage to sew clothes for their kids and teach them to knit and home school them, but I just don't know how possible it is to do that without totally socially isolating them? That's just my ponderings anyway, we had a presentation yesterday on the sexualisation of children in the media (advertisements for kids clothes etc) so it's something that is on my mind at the moment. Feel free to contribute your thoughts on the topic!
2 comments:
I love kids things too - always have - despite not having kiddies of my own!
As for buying homemade things for your kids (in the future) and avoiding all things plastic, I think it's a hard ask. Balance is the key I guess. Wooden and vintage is great and will always be precious.
As for teaching them to knit and sew... Do it! It will encourage them to be creative... they will appreciate it later, though they may well hide it from their friends at the time!
i agree, it breaks my heart when i think about my future kids playing with horrible skanky bratz dolls and watching the progressively crappier kids' tv that comes out. i think it definitely is about balance...but how as a parent do you find the right balance between making your kid the playground loser and letting it be just another little bratty monster with a mobile phone at age five? children bring an insane amount of responsibility. how do parents do it? is it just trial and error?
for now, babies definitely scare me. every now and then someone will force one into my hands and i just don't know what to do with it! it's all gurgling from the mouth and i'm trying to avoid the slobber, holding it out half a metre from my body and wondering if i need to fold the flailing limbs back in or something. then inevitably it starts to cry. great.
i'm guessing my maternal instincts will *eventually* kick in...but as for now...ick.
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