Branding Babies

They sure start 'em early. I've been noticing how many of Ethan's clothes have labels on the outside, sticking out from the side of the garment. (They're *all* on the left side too, regardless of brand. How did that happen?) I didn't really think much of it at first, which only goes to show how insidious the culture of brand identity has become. Not until I realized that nearly every outfit he owns has an external tag, did I start to think about how weird that is.

It's a small thing, but what bothers me about these little tags is what they stand for: the fact that children are targeted by marketers from birth with the intention of establishing brand loyalties. What bothers me even more is that I can't easily opt myself or my kids out of this trend. I've tried to opt out to some extent, and it's hard work -- time consuming and often more expensive. Sigh.

The ubiquitousness of these external tags may be recent, but it's not really new. Some of the innovators of the idea were absolutely "up-front" about it. Funny how I never thought of this label as offensive:
I guess if it's around long enough, it becomes normal. Not sure how I feel about that.

Class Privileges

I saw this meme on Friendly Mama's blog, and thought it interesting. As Americans, we tend to compare ourselves to those in the social class above us, which can blind us to our own class privileges, especially if we grew up of modest means. This exercise provides a way to think about our privileges in a more objective way.

Friendly Mama found it on the Social Class and Quakers blog. Anyone who wishes to participate is encouraged to do so. Just leave a comment on the Social Class and Quakers blog and include an acknowledgment that the meme is based on an exercise developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University

I've bolded the statements that are true for me.

Father went to college
Father finished college
Mother went to college -- for 2 years after high school, then quit to marry my father
Mother finished college -- she went back to finish when I went to college and graduated a year ahead of me. :o)
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers -- same: small town middle class
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home -- not when I was a small child, but by the time I was a teen, we may have had that many.
Were read children's books by a parent
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 -- always "parks and rec" group classes -- ballet, gymnastics, swimming, etc.
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs
Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
Went to a private high school
Went to summer camp -- Our regional Bible camp as a kid, and cheerleading camp with my school squad in high school. Each was a one-week stay.
Had a private tutor before you turned 18
Family vacations involved staying at hotels -- We were campers, partly for reasons of cost, partly because my parents liked camping. I went through a stage where I craved hotel vacations, but now I'm a camper too. Like my parents, it's partly because we can't afford long-distance and/or hotel travel, but we also really like our camping vacations.
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them
There was original art in your house when you were a child -- when I was a small child, there was an oil painting of a Chinese junk at sunset that my father got from either Guam or Thailand when he was stationed there during the Vietnam war. My father was also a pretty good amateur photographer, so we had some of his artsy black and white photos in frames.
Had a phone in your room before you turned 18
You and your family lived in a single family house
Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
You had your own room as a child -- not until I was 11, but after that, yes.
Participated in an SAT/ACT prep course
Had your own TV in your room in High School
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in High School or College
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 -- only once, when I was a baby. We were living near whatever military base my dad was stationed at, and my mother flew (with me) back home to her family for a visit. My grandparents probably paid for the trip.
Went on a cruise with your family
Went on more than one cruise with your family
Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family -- I was unaware of the dollar amount, but I *was* aware that my parents couldn't always pay the bills when I was young. I knew that certain bills could be late without dire penalty because my parents had to choose which ones to pay late sometimes. As far as I know, we never suffered a shut off of utilities or phone or anything, so they were able to scrape by.

For someone who grew up without a lot of money by US standards, I'm struck by how many of these privileges I had. Some of them are by-products of growing up near a college town with parents who were relatively well educated. Museums at the University were free, for example. My parents valued educational experiences and stretched their budget to provide what they could for us. My own kids are in a similar situation. Since we have chosen to be a one-income family (even though Firmin's income isn't extraordinary), we often find ourselves in social demographic groups that usually correlate with higher incomes. We are blessed to live the life we live and have the opportunities that we have.

I appreciate that this meme came from a Quaker blog, though it's clearly appropriate for anyone. Since becoming a Friend, I've found it easier to be content with my blessings as they are. I'm not sure if that is due to growing spiritual maturity, or simply because I'm in frequent contact with people who don't value material things very much. (Indeed, doing with less is looked upon with respect.) Whatever the reason, I'm also aware that it's not too hard to be content when one's basic needs are met. May I remain aware of all the ways in which my path was smoothed by fortunate life circumstances, and may I be sensitive (yet not patronizing) to those who make do with far less.

Super Dad

In 1994, I got a kitten. Before I brought it home, Firmin made it clear to me that the kitten would be *my* cat, and he would have nothing to do with it. Yeah, well... Within 30 minutes of the kitten’s arrival, he was in love. He was tender and playful with her and concerned for her well-being. I knew then, six years prior to the birth of our first child, that he was going to be a great dad.

Thirteen years and three children later, here's the latest evidence that I was right:

When I arrived home from running errands this afternoon, I found Firmin and the two older kids "tailgating" in our back yard. Alexander is on his lap; Brianna's reading a book by the fire. That's the college football game on the TV. How awesome is that?

Oh, and the half-circle fence around the fire pit area is one that he built this summer from discarded pallets.

While I'm bragging on him, did I mention that he also ran his first marathon a couple of weeks ago? Yup, he did.



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A bit of blog business: I want to say thank you to everyone for your comments. I love reading them, and I apologize for not responding to them directly very often lately. It's all Ethan's fault. ;o) Please know that I'm reading them and I hope to be able to be more responsive soon.