Please, no more pajama days.

I don’t like it when the school has “special days". I am referring to the theme days that are meant, presumably, to keep the kids’ spirits up amidst an otherwise dreary school week. Among the offenders are such treats as silly sock day, funny hat day, or the one I abhor the most, pajama day. I realize this statement may out me as a totally un-fun parent, the antithesis of a good room mom. So be it.

I don’t really get it. What’s fun about wearing your pajamas to school? Who says, “This day is shaping up to be a real drag…Hey! Let’s wear our fleece penguin pants to the office!”? I would suggest that this is not a precedent we want to set for the future leaders of America. These are the folks that will be our doctors and lawyers in our old age. I’d prefer they render their services in more professional garb. I can only imagine what the appearance of my physician in a pair of long johns would do to a geriatric version of myself. Heaven help me if I have a touch of dementia.

These special days always involve a last minute, emergency wardrobe adjustment. A search and rescue for the funny hat dad wore three Halloweens ago, or a prayer that a “favorite sports team” shirt is clean.

The real issue is that I can’t keep these days straight. With five kids running around the house, I am happy if they are all out the door with clean socks, much less silly socks. We don’t even own silly socks. I think I have established that we are not terribly silly people over here.

Today was the ultimate special day disaster. Our eight year old, convinced it was pajama day, set out to school in his favorite pair of jammies. Since we were running late I had to drive him and sign in at the front desk. Good thing. Looking around, my pajama-clad son and I quickly realized we had the date wrong. My son began to cry, and I swept him out of the building and headed home for a change of clothing.

When we returned to school, my son dressed in street clothes, I was reminded that pajama day was, in fact, the following day. I am so glad they told me this. I would hate for my kid to miss out on all the fun.

Legos Threaten Childrens' Futures, Self Esteem.

Look out parents; it seems we have yet another threat to our children’s well-being.  As if food additives and online predators were not enough, we now have to worry about Legos. 

The unveiling of the new Lego Friends line, clearly marketed to girls, has stirred controversy.  Its’ offerings include such sets as the “Butterfly Café” and “Heartlake Vet” (with an optional  “Pet Patrol Car”!).  

Clearly this is a problem.  According to an article on latimes.com:

“The new line, whose characters sport slim figures and stylish clothes, will contribute to gender stereotyping that promotes body dissatisfaction in girls.   …The toys send girls a message ‘that being pretty is more important than who you are or what you can do’ ”.  (2012, Jan 23 “ A new lego line is offensive, critics say.”  LA Times. Retrieved from  www.latimes.com/health).

As a mother to both daughters and sons my concern is multiplied.  No one is addressing the obvious implications for little boys. 

The Star Wars series, with its light saber wielding hooligans, must certainly elicit feelings of inadequacy in boys.   I am pretty sure the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement that less than 1% of American boys have mastered the Force.  And what of Lego’s Darth Vader figure?  With his predominantly robotic body, his physical capabilities exceed the average.   Talk about promoting body dissatisfaction. 

The Pirates of the Caribbean series poses yet another threat.   It sends boys the message that being a Pirate is more important than who they are or what they can do.   I am bracing myself for the day my sons tell me they never lived up to their full potential because they could not be a real Pirate.

Meanwhile, if the critics are to be believed, my girls will spend their adult years languishing under the weight of disappointment of never once driving their own Pet Patrol Car.

It is a tough time to be a parent.