Badass Backpacks... RAWR!!!!

Clipper may not know it, but it's just made 2 huge Super Mario Brothers' fans extremely happy this school year.

Presenting Clipper Giftshop's Dino Spike Packs --which to my gradeschoolers look exactly like the evil monster Bowser's back!  How eerily cool is that??? 
Yes.  Bowser.  The bad guy who keeps getting the moustached plumber's princess.  Yep, that guy.

Without much of a doubletake, Kenji brushed through the line of monster bags and opted for the original leathery Bowser finish.  He says it looks 'alive' and 'creepy' and he loves it that way.

Miro, on the other hand, went for the Bowser Dark Lord transformation look.  (Apparently, Bowser changes his shell's appearance per Super Mario game level.  Who woulda thunk it!)  He chose this black bag for the sheer stealth mode-ness of it.  You won't know it's a secret weapon until it pokes you in the eye! 

And there's more where these came from.  Clipper Giftshop's fine leather bags are top shelf when it comes to unique designs and individuality.  They're sturdy enough to survive the wear and tear of Primary School life.  They're smartly priced.  And they immediately give one striking message to the other kids in the playground...

"Mess with me, and my backpack will go all sorts of fashionable badass on you!"



Disclaimer:  The spikes on the bags are made of soft leather.  They will not in any way physically harm a single soul.

The One-Foot Rule

This school rule reminds me of that Harry Potter scene where the very prude, very pink Dolores Umbridge shook her wand to separate a couple of high school kids doing some breaktime lovey-dovey in the hall.

It IS applicable in middle school and high school, I suppose.  But applying this rule to primary schoolers --and even Prep kids-- is just weird.

Imagine disallowing hugs between 7-year olds.  Or banning 8-year olds from skipping while holding hands.  That's supposed to be cute, right?  And innocent!  When the school tells these children that such show of playful friendship is actually taboo, that's introducing the concept of malice at a very early age.

It also alarms me that some schools put a censorship on kids calling each other 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend'.  What!  He's a 'boy' and he's a 'friend'!  Geez.  Oh, and kids giving each other cute little drawings of flowers or hearts.  Whoa!  Where's the fire???  That's friendship, prude patrol.  It's not a wedding ring or a condom.  Double geez.

I understand that these days, paranoia is a handy thing to have.  But too much of it can just spell trouble where it never existed before.  Now children will wonder why the simplest of actions have become 'bad'.  And, more often than not, when kids know something is 'bad' --they'll do it behind authority's back.

Now look what you've done.

Lovin' the extras

You know what I really like about my sons' school --it's the extras. 

Take for example...for Valentine's Day, the school invited the parents to a little get-together.  Naturally, the parents thought this would be the usual preschool party with the singing and the dancing, games and what-not.
Well --surprise, surprise!-- when we got there, there was a restaurant set-up.  REALLY!

For dramatic effect, our kids were taken from us and hidden in a room that was covered with a thick curtain.  When they emerged, they were all wearing these cute little aprons and handcrafted chef toques!  THEY WERE ALL SO FRIKKIN ADORABLE!

They sang a couple of songs, welcomed us to OUR Valentine treat, and then...proceeded to serve us!  Not kidding.  These tiny preschooler hands started setting up the tables, scooping food, and going table-to-table to hand us delicious dishes that they pre-made themselves!  Jing and I just went nuts when Kenji came to us with salad and juice, and said, "Enjoy your date, mimi and dada!"

Mind you, this isn't just a gimmick to turn the parents into a collective pile of vulnerable mush.  The kids learned responsibility, balance, care, and uh-huh...cheeziness alert...love.  In a fun, "I feel so mature today" way.

I've said it once and I'll say it again:  Moving my boys to this school is by far the best parenting decision I have ever, ever made.  Learning isn't just all about books.  It's about experiences.  It's about the extras.