Missed Opportunity

Missed Opportunity

I was in Beverly’s the other day buying scraps of fabric for the Money Jars I will be having kids make at an upcoming book signing.  I totally lucked out on the fabric scraps!  The day before, I had gone in to purchase the fabric and was told that I could save a lot of  money by waiting until the next day where I could fill a bag with as much fabric scrap as I wanted for only $2.  So, since I’m a savvy shopper, I left the store and returned the following morning.

The next day, when I got to the back of the store where all the scraps were, one other person was there sorting through all the left-over fabric bins.  Apparently she and another woman, who had already left, were there when the doors opened, half an hour earlier, and had first dibbs at all the cool fabric.  Who knew I had to get up early for fabric scraps?!

So I started chit-chatting with the woman about what she had planned on doing with her fabric.  She had one very cool piece that had kid-friendly farm animals on it…and I wanted it.  Apparently she makes scarves for veterans.  Okay, that’s cool.  But farm animals?  I was salivating over the farm animals.

So we chit-chatted some more and I started telling her about what I do.  Kids…money…saving…jars… Somehow we got on the topic of commercials and kids.

“My daughter-in-law doesn’t allow her kids to watch t.v.,” the scarf woman said.

“Why not?” I asked.

“She doesn’t want them exposed to all that commercialism.”

“Oh.  That’s a bummer,”  I said.  “Watching commercials is probably one of the best ways to teach our kids how to think critically.  Besides, it’s pretty much guaranteed that one day they’re going to be exposed to all that stuff.  Don’t you think the kids need the skills to be able to think through all those messages?”

She actually stopped going through the fabric.  My chance to dive to the bottom of the bin and find the next kid-friendly fabric.

“Well, that’s just her style,” she ended up saying.  I decided not to push it any further.  People really don’t like to think that their, or their daughter-in-law’s, parenting style is being questioned.

But my hope is that it gave her something to think about.  And perhaps she’ll even decide to share it so that her grandkids can be armed before they’re out on their own.  Although my guess is that the daughter-in-law would not take kindly to mom-in-law giving her tips on parenting. 

When I left, my bag was filled to the brim with moon and star fabric, fabric that shimmered, fake pink leather fabric…but, alas, no farm animals.

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