I'm amused by the existence of "Smooth Tear" toilet paper. It's true that sometimes toilet paper doesn't tear exactly along the perforations, and the edge of the roll is jagged. And that's ok. But Charmin's mission is to sell us toilet paper. And if they can convince us that old-style perforations are flawed, they can sell more product.
I'm sure that not all marketing departments are intrinsically predatory, but they do find ways to capitalize on non-problems by creating products to fix them. "Uncrusted" peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Cute little clip-on things to replace shoelaces. Devices that paste your kids toothbrushes for them (for real!) These items make things easier for parents and children. They do us all a disservice in the process.
When they were small, my kids loved obstacle courses. We challenged them to crawl under a row of kitchen chairs, then climb upstairs backwards, or to get from one end of the family room to the other without touching the floor. The obstacles were the point. The more unusual the challenge the better. They found joy in coming up with creative solutions to the impediments we placed before them.
We can help our kids frame the inconveniences in their lives as obstacle courses rather than problems. Working with a crayon set that lacks red may annoy your four-year-old. And also, it may help her think creatively. Resist the urge to pull out a new, full set of crayons, and let her work it out. Maybe today strawberries are purple. Finding a work-around could also be an exercise in problem-solving. Cut strawberries from something red in the pile of junk mail (mixed media!). Or use a colored pencil, or dig around in the bottom of the markers box and see if you can come up with a good dark pink. Is there some old nail polish that could work in a pinch? The key lesson for your child is that she can find creative paths around obstacles.
Of course, it's not always possible or practicable to turn a problem in to something fun. Sometimes, when you're tired, and they're tired, and you need to get the Valentines made for tomorrow's school party so everyone can get to bed, go ahead and open up a new set of crayons. But we can all keep our eyes open for the times when we can embrace inconveniences and help our kids do the same.
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