Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Belated Tuesday Reader Mail Day
This week's reader mail comes from my wise-ass brother. Chris says:
As you outline the dilemma, I conclude that the solution for working women is to find a way to make the children a steady revenue source. From the moment they stop wailing, they must be made to work. Very small infants can be dressed in cute, furry animal costumes and pulled around in wheelbarrows past rich ladies with no children. Then you pass the hat and watch the cash pile up. As they get older, they can be taught to pick pockets, play the saxophone outside the subway station, and work a three-card monte table near the Port Authority bus terminal. All of these activites will supplement a family's income and ease the conflict between work and child rearing.
UPDATE: Steve just had to resond:
I heartily agree, and there is plenty of historical evidence to support
his suggestion. When devising his utopia, Fourier planned to put the
small children living in his planned community to work doing chores. He
reasoned that since children have small hands, and since they like to
pick up things, children are naturally able to pick up small things
around the grounds and place them in their appropriate places. I
believe Fourier used peas as an example.
This week's reader mail comes from my wise-ass brother. Chris says:
As you outline the dilemma, I conclude that the solution for working women is to find a way to make the children a steady revenue source. From the moment they stop wailing, they must be made to work. Very small infants can be dressed in cute, furry animal costumes and pulled around in wheelbarrows past rich ladies with no children. Then you pass the hat and watch the cash pile up. As they get older, they can be taught to pick pockets, play the saxophone outside the subway station, and work a three-card monte table near the Port Authority bus terminal. All of these activites will supplement a family's income and ease the conflict between work and child rearing.
UPDATE: Steve just had to resond:
I heartily agree, and there is plenty of historical evidence to support
his suggestion. When devising his utopia, Fourier planned to put the
small children living in his planned community to work doing chores. He
reasoned that since children have small hands, and since they like to
pick up things, children are naturally able to pick up small things
around the grounds and place them in their appropriate places. I
believe Fourier used peas as an example.
