Thursday, February 25, 2010

tattoos & baby toys

in case you all were unaware, i have quite a bit of ink. it's all totally hidden by winter clothes, & most of it is totally hidden by any clothes (a reason why there are so few pics of my tattoos here, & a legacy of my time as a lawyer. like it or not, people judge you by appearance, so most of my tats are hidden. i was SOOO thrilled this summer when i finally got some ink that isn't super secret with clothes on. needless to say, i have zero intention of ever practising law again.) anyways-- the dudes are totally enamored of my tats. it's like they *know* they aren't a natural feature, & whenever we're playing on the floor & my shirt rides up enough to see the tattoos on my sides, they spend ages examining them. val especially is just fascinated-- he has to stare at them from all angles, then touch them, then try to taste them. it cracks me up every time. i've had them his entire life, so you think they'd be used to them. maybe he just likes the contrast? or maybe he'll follow in my footsteps & get inked up, much to his daddy's dismay. :) i have to say i don't really mind the thought of tattoos on my kids, but i think it's something you need to be over 18 to do. (i know, i'm all law-abiding & boring, but teenagers are notorious for bad decisions, & who wants a bad choice in ink forever?)

& about baby toys-- is anyone else sick to death of plastic? the boys' birthday is coming up next month (!!!!) & i asked my folks to steer far away from anything plastic. my mom, bless her heart, never questions my parenting decisions, but some other IRL folks have. plastic is so easy to clean, if it wasn't safe they wouldn't sell it (HA!), it's cheaper, etc, etc. but i'm sick of plastic. everything is plastic. & all safety issues aside, it's just boring. & i think the boys get bored with it. it's the same texture over & over, & i find that they're drawn to their wooden toys with more consistency & are entertained by them longer. yeah, they're more expensive & you have to be mindful of the potential for splintering & knawing by little teeth, but i've found them to be on the whole very durable & worth the money.
so i asked for a plastic-free birthday, at least from the grandparents ( i don't feel it's polite to require gifts from other guests, but if any one wants to get a gift & asks for guidance, i have a ready list of non-plastic ideas available. i just don't like to assume that people want to get my kids presents, you know?) it's not like i'm going to freak out or abandon all plastic, but some variety in materials would be nice. & why does it have to be some darn hard to find non-plastic baby toys? i'm sick of seeing the same plastic crap on every shelf, in every store.

4 comments:

  1. That is so interesting about your boys and your tatoos! I would have thought the same thing - that they've been there their entire lives so they would be used to them.

    I never thought about it until now but you're right - everything is plastic. Good luck on getting people to buy non-plastic stuff! I think I'd want to do the same thing.

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  2. I love the story about the tattoos as well, I guess they are interesting to them. Probably is all of the colors. Very neat though.

    Everything is plastic, you're right. I love wooden toys, I hope the boys get some of them for their birthday!

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  3. You are so right! My kids LOVE their wooden toys!

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  4. Melissa and Doug, you can buy them on Amazon (and a few at BRU). Yes they are more expensive, but, they are bright WOOD toys.

    I LOVE ink-but I have very little myself. See with me, I would totally sign the consent for for my kids to get a tat before they are 18, BUT, what they pick can't be some lame pokemon thing. They need to understand before I sign that consent that this is something you will live with your entire life.

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