• Have Gifted Children
  • Test Their Kids for ADD
  • Help with Homework
  • Hire Excellent Babysitters
  • Bubblewrap Their Kids
  • Throw Fabulous Parties
  • Sanitize Everything
  • Sleep with Their Kids
  • Interview Their Kids
  • Buy Nice Things
  • Ensure Productive Playtime
  • Feel Conflicted about Gaming
  • Get Their Kids to Princeton
  • Don’t Waste Time
  • Eat Food That’s Healthy
  • Homeschool Their Children
  • Live in Their Cars
  • Upgrade Old Games
  • Pay to Play
  • Choreograph Play Dates
  • Buy Trophies for Everyone
  • Obsess about Vaccines
  • Provide Excellent Snacks

    • Top This Parenting is a project about childhood in America. By collecting outrageous tales of over-stirred, joyless childrearing practices, we are opening a space for discussion about what is happening to our kids and why. We are a poet, a psychologist and a geographer who study, observe and celebrate the lives of children and parents from different perspectives. Together, we’ve been exploring how today’s American children have fewer opportunities to play in non-governed spaces and non-consumerist atmospheres. By describing ourselves and others caught up in these trends, we hope to raise questions, incite conversations, and inspire change.

    *We reserve the rights to republish comments left on this page.


    Upgrade Old Games

    Instead of pots and pans she has a ten-piece percussion set.
    Instead of playing Uncle Ben’s banjo the children get Guitar Hero.
    Instead of building a tree house Dad buys the $5,000 pre-fab model and calls the contractor.
    Instead of playing Parcheesi, the family buys a Wii.
    Instead of buying a cheap watercolor set, the Mom ships the kid to the art academy.

    Old Games, New Packages

    This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 9:00 am and is filed under Uncategorized.



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