Mason adores the water. She says she wants to be a marine biologist when she grows up and she can swim like a fish. So, naturally she wants a “real” mermaid tail! Typical to my usual parenting style I told her, “If you can find one on the Internet, we’ll talk about it.” And, much to my disbelief, she did:
Kids “Super Tails” start at a shocking $115.00, so I baulked. But, Mason quickly formulated a plan.
This morning I awoke to find my kitchen transformed into a lemonade making factory—sugar, lemon juice, cups, straws, pitchers, and sticky spots on the counter tops and floor. I stifled a scream and calmly asked what she intended to do.
“I’m going to sell lemonde. Isn’t is obvious?”
“Where?”
“Door to door.” She grinned.
I’ve never heard of lemonade “cold calls” in the middle of winter, but why not? I figured a little failure would build her character and teach her the value of a dollar. The problem was I was still in my pajamas and had no intention of leaving the warm house to wander our neighborhood, so I made a tough decision—she would go alone.
We live in the safest neighborhood you can imagine, but still there are no children outside playing. It seems to be the national trend because of horrific stories like Amber Hagerman, a little local girl, who was abducted and killed at nine years old. Same age as Mason. Amber Hagerman inspired the national Amber Alert system for missing children. The Amber Alert is an excellent service to help recover missing children and keep kids safe. Still, back in the seventies us kids used to wander up and down the neighborhoods having all kinds of adventures and physical fun. I remember selling Girl Scout cookies door to door and my territory was limited only by how far I wanted to walk. A few years ago I read Free-Range Kids by Lenore Skenazy. Skenazy made national news when she let her nine year-old take the New York City subway home by himself. People were outraged even though he had asked to be allowed to try it alone and they had practiced together, and most importantly, he had made it home safely. Skenazy argues that children are statistically safer now then they ever have been, but our fears (fueled by the 24 hour news cycle) have convinced us that the danger of abduction is very high. Our overprotectiveness is producing dependent and fearful children who are missing many of the joys and freedoms we cherish the most from our own childhood.
I sold cookies door to door alone. Mason can sell lemonade door to door alone.
Mason's lemonade costs an exorbitant $1.00 a glass
I gave Mason my cellphone, a luxury we didn’t have in the seventies, and a kiss for good luck. Then I sat at home and worried.
A half hour later she returned.
“How did it go? Did you make any money?”
“Yes, twenty-four dollars.”
“You sold twenty-four glasses of lemonade!”
“No, I sold four glasses of lemonade and got a twenty dollar tip for ‘excellent service.’”
That’s my girl!
My older daughter wanted to be a marine biologist too! but she couldn’t keep her goldfish alive…She did OK with her 4H goats & horse though–and now she’s a nurse!
Lovely, Liz! I’m sure she’ll be excellent. We need good nurses!
& Brock’s very into werewolves…wolf-girls…and her grandmother made her a tail to wear with her furry ears for Halloween. So I totally understand the need for a tail of any kind..personally I’d like a prehensile one so I could hang from trees.
You know what they (who?) say, customer service is 50% of any product!
In my area, I see a lot of kids “free ranging”, and I don’t exactly live in a gated community. My fears are mostly due to ~3200lb chunks of metal travelling at 36ft per second, though, abduction is any parent’s nightmare. We can’t completely shelter our children, otherwise they’ll live in fear most of their lives. I’m not terribly concerned about my boys, since my oldest (7) is not exactly snatch-and-grab material at 120lbs, but my girls will likely cause me ulcers as they begin venturing out on their own. I have my boys in a “karate” course that emphasizes stranger danger (because, just because they know a martial art, doesn’t mean they know how to fight, h/t to Sam Harris for that little piece of wisdom.) I’m probably going to make sure my girls are enrolled in a similar program, and possibly even get them involved in something like Jiu Jitsu. I want my children to be confident and knowledgeable when alone, because a large percentage of avoiding becoming a victim is confidence, the other percentage is being aware of your environment and knowing how to escape. I’m all for letting kids free-range, it’s good for their intropersonal development, but for their safety, and our own peace of mind, they should be armed with the tools they need to avoid becoming a victim.
Bravo. I’ll add that we have to give them the verbal knowledge to match their physical skill. What I mean is the phrase “stranger danger” doesn’t really express the danger accurately. Our kids see us interacting all the time with strangers, so it is confusing. One of the hardest talks I’ve had with Mason is actually explaining what some very few bad people can do to kids. I didn’t try to scare her, but I didn’t sugarcoat it either. Mason understands rape and murder. We’ve talked about it more than once. She also gets “hard kick to the groin.” We’ve also playacted a few scenarios. The dangers don’t go away at childhood either. It is a good idea to prepare young women for the hazards of college.
So, does Brock like Claudine Wolf from Monster High?
Well done Mason. There’s a bit of a craze for those things worldwide. She doesn’t need $115. Those mermaid tails are made with a normal sports “monofin” & some fabric ~ total cost diy around $35. I’ve found instructions on how to make [both written & video] & it looks easy if you can use a sewing machine.
IMO a monofin without the fabric is best as it’s going to be put to more use for longer & they’re available in a ‘girlie’ mermaid style too. I’ll email you all the links if you’re interested in a home project for Mason.
I had a newspaper route as a lad from 9yo until 16yo both morning & afternoon [some days I'd do two or three routes]. Is there an age thing in the US for that?
I do sew. It comes with being a drama major. I’ve taught Mason a little bit. This would make an excellent project.
Did you mean “major drama”?
Mermagica…who knew?
Kudos to Mason finding ways to raise her piggy bank amount
I agree with Michael about turning this to a family project though.
As for the fears of playing outside ALONE (or just go a couple of blocks from one point to the next) is sometimes a really big (and scary) issue. It was not the case where I grew up and people say that the Netherlands is ‘safe’ at least where we raise our kids. However, I am terrified of the horror stories of losing a child and early on I taught my children of the realities as much as they could observe. My daughter still remembers the supermarkets’ doors in the States which I pointed out to her watching (and counting) the many missing children displayed.
I didn’t (couldn’t ?) ‘loosen up’ (and still learning it ever since) until I read a wonderful book that I think it’s an absolute must-read book for parents: Last Child in the Woods, Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder by Richard Louw. The book begins with a Walt Whitman poem and a line from a fourth-grader: ” I like to play indoors better ’cause that’s where all the electrical outlets are.”
How sad…. but the book argues that among the most disturbing childhood trends are the absence of nature that further triggers obesity, depression and attention disorders.
I don’t remember reading the expression: “free-range” but reading your post I associated with what I had read in this well-researched and profoundly simple but well-written book. An example about self-confidence in relation to the outside world:
“To increase your child’s safety, encourage more time outdoors, in nature. Natural play strengthens children’s self-confidence and arouses their senses – their awareness of the world and all that moves in it, seen and unseen.”
RESOURCES THAT ARE WORTH A LOOK:
The MerNetwork has a busy forum
This Squidoo page is a good overview of the elements
This video How to make a mermaid tail is the best one I’ve found for simplicity. BE SURE to read the expandable section under the video.
This video The Making of a Mermaid Tail is more complex & detailed.
MY THOUGHTS:
The Kiefer Swim Shop (972) 596-2188 Plano may stock monofins. It is probably unwise to buy online because I assume a good fit is important ~ especially with free-range kids!
The more intricate the design the heavier & thus less swimmable
I suppose that one would have to be at poolside before donning the monofin ~ lots of potential for getting hurt here & in the water ~ so take care
~ Fin ~
The Keifer Shop has gone & it’s now Xtreme Swim at the same location. Their website shows only the expensive top-of-the-line adult monofins. I reckon Mason could save for a monofin & learn to be proficient with it in the water first [it's an unnatural technique using forgotten muscles] & add the mermaid costume later if she takes to the fins.