I really think it would be … trying if one had a five year old who was infatuated with all things princess and said five year old required a new backpack for school. The selection of a backpack would not be traumatic in and of itself. Just the fact that the five year old is drawn to the Disney Princess backpacks like a moth to a flame and the parent might be UTTERLY AND EMPHATICALLY OPPOSED TO CHARACTER CLOTHING AND/OR ACCESSORIES. In fact, following this shopping trip, one might start using the phrase “drawn like a five year old to Cinderella” instead of the moth/flame analogy.
In negotiating the purchase of a backpack with a five year old princess-worshipper, one might try and convince her of the superiority of the cute and funky non-character backpacks. One might attempt to convince her that it’s good to try something new, or that the princess backpacks are of lesser quality than the others (which is totally true - Disney is a virtual merchandising whore and will stick their characters on the poorest quality products). One might try to explain that she gets to a BIG! GIRL! BACKPACK! this year because she is so grown up and big girls don’t like princesses on their stuff.
One might eventually realize that this reasoning is NEVER GOING TO WORK on a five year old princess-worshipper.
One *might* leave the third store in a week WITHOUT A BACKPACK which still seems to be a more positive outcome than selling out purchasing more Disney crap. Because even though I one has no problem with princess dolls and barbies and dressup clothes, one draws the effing line at making one’s child a walking Disney advertisement.*
Then one *might* realize that tomorrow the five year old will be attending kindergarten orientation where she is likely to announce, with just the right amount of tragedy in her voice, that her mommy won’t buy her a backpack.
One *might* swear a bit at that point and start down the slippery ideological slope to selling out giving in. Maybe. Not that it happened to me.
*No judgement to those of you who have kids wearing clothes with characters on them. It’s just always been my personal thing. I can’t bring myself to do it.
August 26th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
Good luck with that one!
Two ideas that may or may not help…
1)Get a *big girl backpack* in a nice *princessy* color, and then add a (or several) luggage tags (purchased or made) with said child’s favorite princess pictures in place of the label.
2)You’ll have to be tricky about this one so said child doesn’t realize the other options; Pick up one backpack that you like and one that is so hideous, you KNOW she’ll hate. Go to an area of the store that has NO backpacks. Let said child choose if she would like the nice backpack or the ugly one. Two choices. That’s it. Remind said child that she may opt to carry her snacks and supplies to school by hand, with no backpack to help.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
[...] managed to work through the great backpack debacle of 2008 and found a backpack that did not make me pour bleach in my eyes. What design won my [...]