I was going to be "kute" and title this "Kids' Klothing Konundrum," but then I realized that the post initials would be KKK. And that reminded me of something that happened when I was editing my grannie's diaries. She wrote that she was working on a "KKK quilt," and, rather bemused, I decided to try to find out what kind of pattern that was. I went online and found a "historical quilters' forum" and posted a question -- "My great-grandmother's diary mentions a KKK quilt, I'm quite certain she didn't mean the Klan; does anyone have any information on what kind of quilt this might be?" One person responded: "In fact it probably was a Klan quilt! They were quite common a few decades ago, especially in the South. Everyone was a little bit racist back then, so you shouldn't think badly of your grandmother!"
Thanks, lady!
I ended up just leaving that particular sentence out of the book, but to this day I maintain that my grannie was not making a Klan quilt. (Whatever a Klan quilt might look like.) Grannie was not shy about speaking her mind on any subject, but no where in 15 years worth of writing did she ever say anything even remotely racist. So, if anyone reading knows what a KKK quilt really is, please let me know!
And my original point was...
I am annoyed by the state of girls' clothing today. Mallory is big for her age; she's 5, but in a size 7 already. This means we have to shop in the "tween" department, and let me tell you, there's nothing tweeny that I would allow my daughter to wear out of the house. And that's going to remain true even when she really is a tween. The tight pants, the cropped tops, the slinky dresses, the short-shorts -- no. The t-shirts with "Hot Chix" or "Love to Shop" or "I Heart Boys" written on them -- no. The clunky sandals with the high heels -- no. That's not even a tween thing. One of my pet peeves is seeing little girls -- girls even Phoebe's age -- in sandals that they can't keep on their feet and walk around properly in. Little girls need to run and climb and go down the slide and they can't do that in high-heeled shoes. Actually they can't do those things in too-tight pants, either. In fact, I think that the constrictedness (is that a workd?) of these clothes bothers me almost as much as their inappropriate "sexiness." Why is that boys get to walk around in huge tshirts and baggy shorts -- which are maybe not very attractive, but at least they're comfortable -- while girls have to wear shirts they have to keep tugging on to make sure their bellies are covered, and shorts they have to keep pulling on to make sure their underwear isn't showing? This is all a conspiracy of some sort, I'm sure.
Anyway, what I've had to do is order most of Mallory's spring clothes from Land's End and L.L. Bean. Loose knit dresses, knit shorts, roomy t-shirts without offensive slogans -- that's what my 5-year-old will be wearing. And the idea of sending her to Catholic school, where she'd have to wear a uniform every day -- the same uniform as the boys, by the way, khaki pants and a polo shirt, is frankly looking better and better.
Just Finished Reading
Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend
How I love Adrian Mole. I read his first diary when I was in England (thus understanding all the references to Bounty bars (delicious!) and tellies and Boots) and have kept up with him ever since. Very few books make me laugh out loud; these do.
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
This is a Victorian mystery novel, so I was almost guaranteed to like it, and it was pretty much un-put-downable. (It's about 500 pages and I read it in three days.) The author did a great job of incorporating details about Victorian society -- in particular, the incredible constraints on women of all classes -- into the book without making it read like history text. And it's going to be the first in a series, so I have more books to look forward to. Hooray! I love discovering new authors.
Thanks, lady!
I ended up just leaving that particular sentence out of the book, but to this day I maintain that my grannie was not making a Klan quilt. (Whatever a Klan quilt might look like.) Grannie was not shy about speaking her mind on any subject, but no where in 15 years worth of writing did she ever say anything even remotely racist. So, if anyone reading knows what a KKK quilt really is, please let me know!
And my original point was...
I am annoyed by the state of girls' clothing today. Mallory is big for her age; she's 5, but in a size 7 already. This means we have to shop in the "tween" department, and let me tell you, there's nothing tweeny that I would allow my daughter to wear out of the house. And that's going to remain true even when she really is a tween. The tight pants, the cropped tops, the slinky dresses, the short-shorts -- no. The t-shirts with "Hot Chix" or "Love to Shop" or "I Heart Boys" written on them -- no. The clunky sandals with the high heels -- no. That's not even a tween thing. One of my pet peeves is seeing little girls -- girls even Phoebe's age -- in sandals that they can't keep on their feet and walk around properly in. Little girls need to run and climb and go down the slide and they can't do that in high-heeled shoes. Actually they can't do those things in too-tight pants, either. In fact, I think that the constrictedness (is that a workd?) of these clothes bothers me almost as much as their inappropriate "sexiness." Why is that boys get to walk around in huge tshirts and baggy shorts -- which are maybe not very attractive, but at least they're comfortable -- while girls have to wear shirts they have to keep tugging on to make sure their bellies are covered, and shorts they have to keep pulling on to make sure their underwear isn't showing? This is all a conspiracy of some sort, I'm sure.
Anyway, what I've had to do is order most of Mallory's spring clothes from Land's End and L.L. Bean. Loose knit dresses, knit shorts, roomy t-shirts without offensive slogans -- that's what my 5-year-old will be wearing. And the idea of sending her to Catholic school, where she'd have to wear a uniform every day -- the same uniform as the boys, by the way, khaki pants and a polo shirt, is frankly looking better and better.
Just Finished Reading
Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction by Sue Townsend
How I love Adrian Mole. I read his first diary when I was in England (thus understanding all the references to Bounty bars (delicious!) and tellies and Boots) and have kept up with him ever since. Very few books make me laugh out loud; these do.
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
This is a Victorian mystery novel, so I was almost guaranteed to like it, and it was pretty much un-put-downable. (It's about 500 pages and I read it in three days.) The author did a great job of incorporating details about Victorian society -- in particular, the incredible constraints on women of all classes -- into the book without making it read like history text. And it's going to be the first in a series, so I have more books to look forward to. Hooray! I love discovering new authors.
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