Relentless Reality

This morning it was chilly outside and just beginning to rain. On the way out the front door, my younger daughter and I were wearing cozy warm jackets, my older daughter was wearing a t-shirt. So I told my jacketless daughter "You should wear a jacket today". Then I asked her after we got outside "Are you sure you don't want a jacket?". Once we got to school and she had her arms wrapped around herself I asked "Aren't you cold?". Each time, I got a "no"... So we arrived at the playground where the supervising teachers took a look at my daughter, and then at me with quizzical looks. Right away they asked my daughter "Why aren't you wearing a jacket?" while glancing at me. There she was acting cold, but saying she's fine and making excuses for not bringing a jacket... I explained it to them, and they agreed it's her lesson to learn.

Alas ... people, even kids need to take responsibility for their decisions and actions ... which brings me to:

Adventures at Target

I picked up some Easter goodies this year, and was impressed by the five short aisles at Target stacked with candies, baskets, and plushies lining both sides. Do we really consume that much? I was especially intrigues by ... and I'm not making this up ... the low-carb candy section. What intrigues me most is the conflicting compulsions working together in the marketing. The compulsion for sweets and the compulsion to think we're doing something good for ourselves. Sweets with half the guilt! These sweet aren't as bad for you as those, which somehow makes them good...

But ... we all know the Easter Bunny doesn't bring low-carb candy.

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I also looked at girls panties for my eldest daughter who has fussed about her underwear showing. She wears regular, high waisted panties and pants and apparently some of the kids at school make fun of panties showing in the back when bending over or such. So she is trying to make sure they won't show. I figured a different style might be available. Wonder of wonders, not only does Target have bikini cut panties for gradeschoolers, they have fashion panties. Somehow I find this a bit disturbing...

...meanwhile, I can't wait for the day my daughter announces she needs low cut pants to show off her undies or wants a tramp-stamp tattoo as is popular now. Hopefully fashion will change by then, but I'm afraid to ponder what it will change to...

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Near the toy section I came across a dumpy woman (I'm trying to be polite here) with an out-of- control young boy who was busy pulling toys out of boxes. The mom was apathetically pushing her cart along and reaching into her purse, open at the top, for cookies. I doubt they were low-carb ... or even paid for. Into her mouth they'd go. It was one of those scenes that just had me shaking my head. A blaring statement of irresponsibility in action. But what can you do other than alert the store staff to shake their heads with you.

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Our target has a shopping cart conveyor between floors. It is in between the escalators and runs up and down along side them. You push your cart through some flapper style doors and it latches onto the cart and keeps it level as it conveys it up or down. Another technological marvel that makes a lot of sense. There are plenty of safety barriers and warning signs, of course, telling you to do things like remove any children. Too bad ... I could see my kids spending hours on that ride.

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The carts also have radio controlled wheel locks. This Target has a single large entrance into a mall, and if you ignore the big signs and try to take a cart through that entrance into the mall the back wheels lock up. This can also happen if you get in range in the sections just to the side of the entrance, and can lead to a rather surprising jolt. They keep a security person near that entrance to unlock the wheel of people learning about not taking them into the mall. The funny thing is that you can take the carts out into the parking lot to unload. Just not into the mall.

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Oh well, I'm sure many more shopping adventures await us ... and life's observations.