MIMI MONDAY

P is for Play Pens

You may not feel outstandingly robust, but if you are

an average-sized adult you will contain within your modest

frame no less than 7X10 to the 18th

joules of potential energy-enough to explode with

the force of thirty very large hydrogen bombs, 

assuming you know how to liberate it and really wished

to make a point.  Everything has this kind of of energy

trapped within it.  We're just not very good at getting it

out.  Even a uranium bomb - the most energetic thing

we have produced yet- releases 

 less than 1% of the

energy it could release if only we were more cunning.

from: A Short History of Nearly Everything

by: Bill Bryson

Aunt Cathy

If you look on line you can find quite the debate about the pros and cons of playpens.
The reason  I bring this up...is because of a comment my daughter made the  other day...when we were all in the garden working...Anna had  Ben and was frustrated that she couldnt lend a hand.  I said something about getting a play pen out there with us, under the trees, and then we'd all be happy and comfortable.  She said something like, "oh, he hates that..."   WHAT!!???  Dear Ben has never even seen a playpen let alone been in one!! What is that about??  Anna wasnt/isnt even going to entertain the idea.   Interesting.

Now that I've been thinking about this topic I have noticed some things.  One being that tv characters are forever putting their tv babies into playpens, which are situated in the front rooms so that the babies appear to be in there gurgling and purring away...when we all know they really arent there at all.  Smoke and mirrors...tv is smoke and mirrors.
Also, my three oldest kids spent some time in a playpen and they turned out ok  great!!! I was happy to have a respite from them eating dirt or worrying about them pulling something heavy down on top of them while I ran to the bathroom.
But we have a new generation of kids now...parents that worry that using a playpen might curb their development, stifle their creativity etc, etc. All of which would be turnrue if you planed on leaving a baby in a pen for extended periods of time.  I happen to know that none of the parents of my grands would ever do such a thing...they are excellent parents/caregivers/nurturers.  Im just looking for ways to make their loadsa bit easier at times.
These days it seems to be all about baby enabling...and guilt about parent simplifying.
Wasnt it Bill Cosby that picked up a playpen and turned it upside down to capture his twin grandkids underneath it...just for safe keeping and for sanity sake?  I wasnt horrified!! Were you??? Im sure he threw them some crackers.

Mimi wonders what you think about this?