Friday, February 27, 2004

The latest stupid youth trend

One of my favorite movies to watch with my kids is The Parent Trap -- the 1994 version, with Lindsay Lohan and Lindsay Lohan as the conniving twins -- but there's one part where I always have to close my eyes: the scene in which one Lindsay pierces the other Lindsay's ears using a needle, a match and a piece of apple. Yowch! That scene came to mind when I saw this story about the hottest new trend amongst idiotic young people: piercing and tattooing each other at so-called "poke and stick" parties. I guess it's not the worst thing a kid could do with a needle, but it certainly gives parents another thing to worry about.

I'd like to think that neither of my kiddos would be interested in having their buddies stick needles into their skin -- I still remember how they used to scream in abject horror when their pediatrician tried to give them a shot, and how extra nurses had to be called in to hold them down -- but the truth is I've been working steadily through the years to try to get them to sit calmly in the presence of a needle, and what if I've succeeded too well? Clearly, fear of needles isn't such a bad trait for a child to have. Hey, the pediatrician's getting paid. Why shouldn't she have to chase the kids around a little?

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