Forget the Fancy Fads

When Jake, our oldest son, was younger he loved watching PB&J Otter. There was one particular episode I remember where the poodles, who were these rich kids who got everything they wanted, got these cool new shoes that looked like airplanes. Peanut, the oldes otter kid had to have them, so he saved all his money and bought a pair only to find out that he couldn't walk in them because of the goofy design. The rest of the episode was spent talking about why trendy fads aren't always the best thing.

They say art imitates life, and it is true. Jake got Heelys for an early Christmas present. They are those shoes you see kids wearing with the wheels in the sole of them. He was so excited to wear them and rushed to put them on and run outside and slide around on the driveway. Only he looked like Peanut Otter because he could hardly walk in them.

Fads are so interesting to me because for the manufacturer of the fad they make a quick flash of money until the fad dies and then they are left to discover another fad to sustain their company. For the buyer, they are often times incredibly impractical and not very functional. But despite this, the manufacturer keeps making them and people keep buying them.

Personally, I like trends, which sustain their life a little longer and are a little more practical, but I don't give much attention to fads. I just hope that Jake learns to walk / roll in them before he out grows them, or they go out of style.