Talking money and cents

Since the last post so much has happened.

Son went to his second Cubs camp and had a good time, winning the x-Factor title, whatever this entailed. He also climbed to the top of the climbing wall, which apparently is the tallest in this country. Quite a feat, I think, especially when Mum finds it difficult to even get up a ladder.

He's also really taken to the drama production and is speaking a reasonable American accent (being the Reporter in High Society, did you evah?)

Last Saturday we took him to a fireworks party. It was at the second manse. The house was more or less gutted to make major renovations possible. There was a pile of wood that needed burning. Hence the bonfire and fireworks idea.

Someone brought 'glow sticks'. They soon lost their glow. I said, "Ah! If you could find a way of reviving the glow, then you could be making a lot of money."

"No, I won't. Because people would then buy just one stick and not over and over again!"

How true.

This came a day or so after our discussion on a similar topic, I forget what, match-sticks, I think, about how businessmen always want people to buy their product over and over again. So a match-stick that could last forever is not any good to such people.

This morning he struggled with his school trousers. Some 'smart person' has decided that to make the waistline flexible boys trousers should have an elastic band with slits in it so that the waistline could be adjusted by putting a button through one of these slits on the bands (usually one on each side).

I have struggled so hard to find him some organic cotton school trousers. Every where else is selling teflon-coated trousers and he is not happy wearing those. But organic cotton trousers are expensive and to persuade parents to part with their money, sizes usually cover two years of age/growth, a range of six cm on each size.

Now if us grown-ups have a waistline that varies by a whole six cm (that is nearly two-and-a-half inches) we would be buying clothes one size or two bigger/smaller. So you can imagine how long these elastic bands run on both sides.

These bands and the buttons that protrude cause a lot of discomfort to my son who is already super-sensitive to clothes labels. We have cut away countless labels and he sometimes wears socks inside out because they are more comfortable, etc. etc. So he moans, and I moan, "Why can't the manufacturer put in a proper waist-band?"

I said, "This way they 'last' longer and parents are happier to buy the trousers ."

Son retorted immediately, "No, they make less money, because people need to buy less. If they are clever they should make trousers that fit properly. Then the parents would have to spend more money buying new trousers."

Quite.

When one pair of his trousers are £12.99 compared with two for £8.00 at the shops, it is not easy finding a price that would compromise size, price and comfort.

Still, I am surprised that he is so sensitive to such ideas.