There is only a few of you who read my blog who I didn't email about this "new law". WHAT A CROCK!! The feds need to butt out of things.
As of February 10 a national law goes into effect banning the resale of children's clothing unless it is tested for lead. WHAT!?!?! Really? I want to know what the percentage of children in the U.S. that is affected by lead in their clothing resulting in permanent damage!!
Here is the article:
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-thrift2-2009jan02,0,2083247.story
We've all heard of helicopter moms - the ones who hover over every single movement their child makes and we roll our eyes and giggle, but a helicopter government?! PUUUULLLLEEZE!
As you can tell, I'm a little ticked off by this AND I don't even frequent resale shops all that often! However, as former licensed foster parents, I've heard stories of children coming into a home with only the clothes on their backs. AND I know for a fact that the government isn't that generous with their clothing allowance. What are those families to do? Goodness, you can take in an toddler foster child in the middle of the night and have nothing for them. I'm supposed to fork over hundreds of dollars for new clothes? Most foster parents don't make THAT much money. Geeeesh.
I get it - the government is trying to protect children, but they're going too far. WAY too far. Again I want the stats on the yearly total of children harmed by lead tainted clothing.
I am a helicopter parent. I am one proudly and absolutely. My cildren are my top priority - above ALL else and what/who they come in contact with is important to me. Tell me why there should be ANY lead in children's clothes or toys? Especially the clothes. Lead? Really? Why?
ReplyDeleteLead can be lethal. A child picks up a little lead from here...and then some more there...and maybe some more over there. Lead exposure adds to itself as it can take years, decades even, to leave a body. So any exposure is too much. Just ask the parent who has a child suffering from lead poisoning.
Lead is a known problem with large consequences (even if only for a handful of children a year. Think how big it would be in your life if David was affected). It has no business in the paint on our children's toys or the fibers of their clothing.
Does it not scare the crap out of you that knowing the information and not doing anything about it endangers the child you worked so hard to bring into the world? It scares me.
I'm glad they are stepping up. It's about damn time. For years China has been poisoning our children with the paint on toys. It's high freaking time this stuff is looked at and regulated. Our children's, and their children's, lives depend on it.
I'm stepping off my soapbox now with this final word: you just can't be too careful when it comes to the health of our populations.