Strollerderby : yuppie parents

More Stuff Hip, Urban Parents Like

KeriF — Sat, 02 May 2009 20:15:00 GMT

Back in January, The Mommy Files blogger Amy Graff posted a list (inspired by Stuff White People Like) poking fun at her fellow San Francisco hipster parents, called "Stuff SF Parents Like." Here are a few things SF parents like:

Buying their boys Barbies "I'm really trying to shelter him from gender stereotypes so he can become his own person."

Giving their kids fish oil supplements "Improves IQ, you know."

Playing indie rock for their babies "Sam lights up when we put on Death Cab for Cutie."

Now Graff is back with even more things SF parents like, and though she speaks from her own local perspective, I think we can all agree that most of these things apply to hip, urban parents across the nation. (Yes, I'm talking about you. And me.)

Some more things SF parents like:

Telling their kids about the evils of McDonald's. "When you get older I can read you a book called Fast Food Nation and then you'll know what I mean when I say that McDonald's is preying on you."

Bragging about their child's friend who has two mommies or daddies. "We spent the weekend up in Tahoe with one of Lily's best friends from preschool. You know her friend has two moms, and we all bonded over the weekend."

Teaching their kids big words such as quagmire. "She has an amazing vocabulary. I think it's because I always read The New Yorker out loud to her when she was in utero."

You can read her whole list here.

Got anything to add to the list? Anything that makes you roll your eyes when you overhear it at the playground?

Peanut Allergies Peanut Schmallergies?

Shannon LC Cate — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

LA Times Columnist Joel Stein had a piece in yesterday's paper claiming (based on his opinion and about an NPR-listener level of information) that peanut allergies are an invention of rich white people because said people just want to feel "special."

Now let me tell you, I am as happy to gang up on rich white people and their narcissistic parenting styles as anyone, but my daughter's good friend--an African American friend, a member of a population Stein claims doesn't have serious issues with peanut allergies--has been to the ER 3 times in four years after accidentally eating something with peanuts. She might well have died on at least one of those occasions if not for her father's quick epi-pen action.

I know that one example does not break a rule of thumb and perhaps it is true that there are fewer peanut allergies found among racial minorities and the poor. But perhaps that is because racial minorities and the poor--as another rule of thumb--have crappy access to healthcare. And I am more than willing to buy the idea that most allergic reactions don't lead to death, and poor people suffer allergic attacks and deal with them at home, because they can't afford to see an allergist for a round of testing.

I myself have food allergies that cause anaphylactic shock. But every single incidence of exposure to the allergen won't kill me. It's more a case of Russian roulette: maybe 12 times out of 13 I'll survive an attack with mere discomfort and anxiety (which I don't doubt makes the attack worse) but there is no real way to know if this time will be the 13th time, and I'll be dead in minutes.

Because I know how serious these allergies can be, I have a peanut-free household. We don't go to the extreme of banning things "made in a factory that also manufactures foods containing peanuts" but I have switched out my peanut oil for soy oil; my peanut butter for cashew butter, because when my daughter's friend visits I don't want her getting another epi-pen, ER visit, or god forbid, 13th allergic reaction on my watch.

"Peanuts: Serious Allergen or Good-Old-Fashioned Americana?" is not a proper topic for an "opinion" piece. We don't get to vote on whether or not such allergies exist. Peanut allergies are real and even if they only cause death as often as a lightening strike, they cause enough pain and suffering short of death to be taken seriously by those lucky enough not to have them.

image: planters.com

Return of the son of stuff YUPPIE parents like

Brett Singer — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Because too much is never enough. And besides, didn't you want to see this photo at least one more time?

1. Organic everything: from a commenter. I've succumbed to some of this, partly because, living in Manhattan, the cost difference isn't as great as it used to be, and sometimes the quality is better. I also admit that I feel less guilt giving my kids "organic" pre-packaged crap than I do giving them "chemical-laden" pre-packaged crap. It's still crap, but it's ORGANIC crap.

2. Classes and activities: yes, from the same commenter. She said, "mommy and me classes" but in my experience it's much more than that. Around here, it seems like everyone has their kids doing something all flippin' day. A parent once told me that she didn't understand why Kindergarten went until 3pm; she wished it ended at noon so her kid could take advantage of everything Manhattan had to offer. I replied that I thought Kindergarten should go until 8pm. We don't talk much anymore.

3. Kids' music that parents can enjoy: All parents have benefited from the boom in kiddie rock. While I am of course very glad that children's music has evolved beyond Raffi (who really isn't that bad) and Kidz Bop (which is), sometimes this preciousness can go a little too far. Sure, anything by Dan Zanes or The Dirty Sock Funtime Band is better than Barney's Greatest Hits, but a little James Taylor, Peter Paul and Mary, The Beatles – lots of great "adult" music out there that kids might like.

4. Taking their children to live rock 'n' roll shows: "Alternadad" Neal Pollack brought his little one to see The Hives, a rather loud quasi-punk act. I spotted two sets of parents who had dragged their children to see Yaz at the Beacon theater (I myself was dragged by my wife, but that's another story). When commenters on Gawker are giving good parenting advice ("Neil [sic], seriously--ear plugs"), you know something is out of whack in the universe.

5. Anything that isn't made of granite. At least after we found out about the radiation.

For more, click here.

image: nostalgiacentral.com

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Kid Food Is Mostly Crap, and It's a Little Shocking

More stuff YUPPIE parents like

Brett Singer — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 14:00:00 GMT

If you want to know why YUPPIE is written in CAPS, check out the comments on Redsy's post.

Also, a word of explanation for our younger readers: "yuppie" is a term that was coined in the 1980's. It means "Young Urban Professional." Obnoxious spin off terms include "buppie" (black urban professional) and "guppie" (gay urban professional, which is at least vaguely amusing). In general, I think that the term "yuppie" is (like myself) color-blind, so we'll just stick with that. (My color-blindness mostly means I need help choosing ties, but it also refers to non-clothing related issues.)

And now – the stuff!

1.   Fertility treatments: maybe this is a Manhattan thing, but I've seen several signs in drug store windows advertising help getting your health insurance to help pay to get you pregnant. My theory (unfounded and unresearched) is that there are a large number of parents having children later in life, and also a huge number of older dads starting second families with their second wives.
2.   Wooden toys: this is from a commenter, and it's totally true. I fully expect some "mompreneur" to start selling unadorned two-by-fours in colorful packaging. (Hang on, I need to copyright that idea.)
3.   SUV's: hopefully the price of gas will put the kibosh on these. There are other ways to schlep a family around town.
4.   Hybrid cars: for the parents who don't want SUV's. It's all about extremes, people.
5.   Feeling entitled to brunch: In some cases, even men want to emulate the Sex and the City gals.

For more, click here.

image: nostalgiacentral.com

Strollerderby : yuppie parents

More Stuff Hip, Urban Parents Like

Peanut Allergies Peanut Schmallergies?

Return of the son of stuff YUPPIE parents like

Baby Penis Album only five bucks

Stuff White Parents Like

When playgrounds attack, the sequel

The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

Here's to the laddies who lunch

Kid Food Is Mostly Crap, and It's a Little Shocking

More stuff YUPPIE parents like

Stuff White Parents Like

Baby Penis Album only five bucks

Are Brangelina Too Posh to Procreate (the Old-Fashioned Way)?

Return of the son of stuff YUPPIE parents like

Mister Frickin' Rogers

Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

More Kids Stuff I like that my kids don't care about

When playgrounds attack, the sequel

The Dark Knight -- parents strongly cautioned (to go see it)

Here's to the laddies who lunch