Luxury
A few weeks ago we all made a field trip to a furniture store to investigate options. It was the kind of store we rarely go to, a vast building surrounded by parking, and it was full of enormous furniture. At first I felt slightly superior in an envious way ("Sacre bleu! All the chairs have cupholders built in! Lazy Americans!") and then I just got into it. I am naturally inclined toward reclining with cupholders, and if we had any furniture capable of that, I would do nothing but recline. And drink things.
The kids skipped the feeling-superior phase, because they don't know how to do that yet. Also, the moment we walked in, a friendly greeter pointed out the kids' area, which had televisions and these little rocking chair things that doubled as remote controls, so you plugged your headset INTO THE CHAIR and controlled the volume WITH YOUR CHAIR. And they had Xboxes! Skipper sat down to watch "Finding Nemo" while Duchess sat down beside her to play a VIDEO GAME! With an XBOX! Duchess has never seen a game controller, and it was apparently a revelatory experience.
When Cook and I finished goggling at the enormous reclining couches and armchairs with cupholders (and when I finally struggled out of the last one I tried, which I could happily have lived in for the rest of my life), we went to collect the kids. On the way out we walked through the kids' furniture area, which was full of child-sized armchairs with cupholders. As we walked out the door, Duchess said "Mom, can we come back here tomorrow?" All the way home, the kids dreamily discussed how fabulous it would be if we were magically granted all the furniture in that store. Each kid would have their own room! And each room would have a trundle bed! And a giant TV! And an Xbox! And an armchair with cupholders!
On a related note, the girls were reading the wellness handout we got at Skipper's doctor's office on Friday, and they found the advice to limit children's screen time to 1-2 hours per day. And not to let your child have a TV in her room. I silently congratulated myself for being a great parent** while the kids contemplated the possibility that these might be options. I think they may be considering trading me in for a different parent model, possibly one with cupholders.
* Yesterday I let Skipper watch Daniel Tiger for nearly two hours, which I suspect some of my friends would consider borderline abusive parenting. I considered it a great way to make dinner without Skipper's help - she's relentlessly enthusiastic about participating in cooking, which is cool, but also inconvenient for me, as it slows things down considerably. I frequently find myself sneaking into the kitchen to cook, hoping she won't notice.
The kids skipped the feeling-superior phase, because they don't know how to do that yet. Also, the moment we walked in, a friendly greeter pointed out the kids' area, which had televisions and these little rocking chair things that doubled as remote controls, so you plugged your headset INTO THE CHAIR and controlled the volume WITH YOUR CHAIR. And they had Xboxes! Skipper sat down to watch "Finding Nemo" while Duchess sat down beside her to play a VIDEO GAME! With an XBOX! Duchess has never seen a game controller, and it was apparently a revelatory experience.
When Cook and I finished goggling at the enormous reclining couches and armchairs with cupholders (and when I finally struggled out of the last one I tried, which I could happily have lived in for the rest of my life), we went to collect the kids. On the way out we walked through the kids' furniture area, which was full of child-sized armchairs with cupholders. As we walked out the door, Duchess said "Mom, can we come back here tomorrow?" All the way home, the kids dreamily discussed how fabulous it would be if we were magically granted all the furniture in that store. Each kid would have their own room! And each room would have a trundle bed! And a giant TV! And an Xbox! And an armchair with cupholders!
On a related note, the girls were reading the wellness handout we got at Skipper's doctor's office on Friday, and they found the advice to limit children's screen time to 1-2 hours per day. And not to let your child have a TV in her room. I silently congratulated myself for being a great parent** while the kids contemplated the possibility that these might be options. I think they may be considering trading me in for a different parent model, possibly one with cupholders.
* Yesterday I let Skipper watch Daniel Tiger for nearly two hours, which I suspect some of my friends would consider borderline abusive parenting. I considered it a great way to make dinner without Skipper's help - she's relentlessly enthusiastic about participating in cooking, which is cool, but also inconvenient for me, as it slows things down considerably. I frequently find myself sneaking into the kitchen to cook, hoping she won't notice.
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