Day 46: Sorry I'm Late

Sorry I'm late with my 46th post. I attempted to post 365 entries in 365 days about things that used to be alright but are no longer acceptable. In this attempt I failed. I only made it to day 45, which is farther then my 9th grade guidance councilor would have guessed. I have no memory of stopping so I have no excuse to provide. Anyway lets try again. Day 46, "Sorry I'm Late". It used to be OK to let your unborn baby come to term without expectations beyond 10 fingers and 10 toes. Thanks to the ultrasound for allowing parents to start worrying about their children 9 months earlier.

Day 45: Wife

It used to be ok to be a wife. In today's world less and less women want to be wives. Men certainly don't want to be the wife and for good reason. Wives are disadvantaged when compared to unmarried women in almost every social category measurable. Wives have less money, are more likely to die a violent death, more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs, more likely to battle depression and more likely to commite suicide. In comparison men seem to benefit from marriage. Married men live longer, enjoy more profession success, make more money, lead happier, healthier lives. The imbalance in marriage is unfortunate and speaks to a greater underlying gender inequality in the world. I don't always agree with the issues of the feminist movement but I think there is little doubt that the fight is necessary.

Day 44: "Because I said so"

In response to a child's question "why?" it used to be ok for a parent to respond "because I said so!". Fortunately, like other marginalized members of society, women, disabled people, visible minorities, children too have been recently granted full human status and consequently patronizing responses like "because I said so" are no longer acceptable. What's next letting women vote.

Day 43: Homemade Presents

It used to be OK for Grandma's to give homemade knit sweaters at Christmas. Now even Granny is giving up the needles and bending to the pressures of the latest designer fashions.








Wouldn't it be a better world if Grandma's crazy Christmas sweater and the pinnacle of high fashion were one in the same?

Day 42: Famous

It used to be ok to want to grow up to be a fireman or a doctor even a teacher. Today kids want to grow up to be famous.

A recent study reveals a seismic shift in career aspirations within the space of a single generation.The study reveals that for many of today’s pre-teens, traditional careers have been superseded by the desire for fame, stardom and celebrity.

I don't think I would have any real problem with this if the kids wanted to be famous doctors or famous scientists. But it disturbs me that famous is the career rather then the result of a successful career.

Day 41: Potty Time

It used to be OK to coerce, coax, bribe, persuade, entice and even mildly scold your children to use the potty. Today's parent is told to wait until the child is ready. Without bribery I've got nothing.

Day 40: Neighbors

It used to be ok (maybe even expected) to get to know your neighbors. In todays world we are lost in the technology of being connected to each other and as a result are more alone then ever.

Day 38: TV

It used to be ok to park your kids in front of the TV. Especially on those lazy Saturday mornings when all the best, and when I say best I mean most violent, cartoons were on.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children under age 2 avoid all TV and kids 2 to 6 years old watch only one to two hours a day.

What are today's parents suppose to do.....

Hopefully the AAP never looks into the effects of southeast Asian immigrant raising our children.



Before we know it we're actually going to be parenting our own children and really who has time for that.

Day 37: Allergies

It used to be ok for a kid to bring a peanut butter sandwich to school. According to the American Allergy and Asthma Care of New York we are twice as allergic as we were 10 years ago. Like the dead coal mine canary I can’t help but wonder if the human immune system is trying to tell us something.

Day 36: Peanuts @ 10,000 ft

It used to be ok to serve peanuts at 10,000 feet. A flight used to include a meal, refreshments, even a pillow and blanket if requested. Flying was luxurious and as a passenger you were made to feel important and appreciated. On a flight today you are lucky to get the seat you paid for never mind any basic comforts. When traveling by air today a person is more likely to feel like a criminal then royalty. Gone are the days of the Concord and here are the days of the air-bus.

Day 35: Common Sense

It used to be ok to assume that people possessed general common sense. Apparently in today’s world this is no longer a reasonable assumption. It is however, reasonable to sue McDonald’s for serving coffee that is too hot just ask Stella Liebeck of Albuquerque, New Mexico who successfully sued McDonald's for 2.7 million.

Day 34: Sexual Harassment

It used to be ok to sexually harass women. In the office "nice work toots" followed by a firm pat on the bottom used to indicate a job well done. In today's work place this kind of appreciation would likely get you fired or at very least a some sensitivity training.

Day 33: Dandelions

It used to be ok to have a few dandelions on your lawn. It's not that people didn't care about the appearance of their homes it just didn't seem that important to have a perfect lawn. As we all expect more of ourselves and each other it seems lawn care has been added to the list of ways we can fail to keep up.

Day 32:Working 9 to 5

I used to be ok to work from 9 to 5. What happened to the 8 hour work day, the 40 hour work week. In todays world work starts at 8 am and still goes to 5.



When did that change and how did everyone not notice?

Day 31: Throw Garbage Out

It used to be ok to throw your garbage out without thinking about it. Now you are faced with multiple choices as to which bin your garbage should go into and everyone around you is watching to make sure you do it correctly.

Day 30: Old Car

It used to be ok to own and drive an old car. Next time you are out driving around take notice of the fact that there are very few old cars on the road. It seems everyone is driving something new. The only people driving old cars are old people or students. My mother didn't own a new car until she was in her 50's. As a 2 income middle class family we owned two older cars and when they broke we fixed them or had them fixed depending on the level of complexity of the issue.

Today everyone and anyone can own a new car because......

- replacement is often cheaper then fixing and really who fixes anything anymore.

- financing has been made possible for most people.
(If you have a job you car probably "afford" to lease a new car)

- We are all getting less and less adverse to carrying debt.

Day 29: Fast Food

It used to be ok to eat fast food but now we know better and are choosing healthier, more nutritionally sound foods.....right?

When I selected this topic and started researching the annal profits of some of the big fast food restaurants I expected to see declining profits with peaks long ago in the less informed carefree 80's. Instead I found that despite all we now know about heart disease, cancer and obesity, profits of fast food restaurants continue to raise.

Really?????????

Day 28: Care

It used to be OK to care about what you looked like. People used to take pride in how they looked, that was until the mid 80's when grunge first emerged. Teens in the 80's decided that it was no longer cool to care about how you looked. Most of us spent a lot of time trying very hard to look like we just rolled out of bed. It took a lot of effort for the average suburban middle class kids to look homeless.

Day 27: Watch Your Stories

It used to be OK for moms to watch their favorite soap opera's during the day. It was common for women to get together for morning coffee, do some housework and run errands and then settle in to watch their story of choice. In the 70's there were 19 different soap opera's, by the end of 2010 there will only be 6 left on the three major networks. What are moms these days spending their time doing....excuse me, I just need to go check my wall on Facebook.....and text my kid about lunch...

Day 26: Kids Sharing Rooms

It used to be OK to have your kids share bedrooms. Since the 1950's the average house size has more than doubled, from an average of 983 square feet to 2, 349. Combine that with the fact that family size has decreased in that time period, each person in the family now has approximately 900 square feet of personal space. No wonder commercials and parenting experts promote eating supper together, since you can be in the same house all day and never be in the same room!