Today's rant is brought to you by the made in China label affixed to virtually every product we buy nowadays. I subscribe to an email feed from the CSPC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) which alerts consumers to recalled children's products. If you are a parent, you need to be on this list. https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx I receive at least one notice weekly of a recalled children's product and I'd say 90% of the products mentioned are manufactured in China. We've all heard the news, but it's worse than most of us realize. The latest points to the use of Cadmium which has been used in place of the dreaded lead, but is just as toxic. Kudos to Wal-mart for it's voluntary mass recall of these products.
I'm no expert, but double-u-t-f?! What gives? After hearing this news I promptly weeded out half of my son's toy bin into a newly fashioned "recall bin." This bin is full of toys and other gear manufactured in China and is now at the top of the danger (big skull and cross-bones) list ahead of the clorox bottle and the cat litter tray. Okay, maybe that's a bit extreme and as a marketer, I'm willing to concede a margin of media spin in these stories (I've never wanted to buy Made in the USA more no matter how untrendy it is). But on the other hand, I've come to an incredibly important conclusion as a new parent: No one but NO ONE can protect your child the way that you as his parent can because frankly no one else gives a damn about him. Certainly not China and realistically certainly not insert just about any toy/baby gear manufacturer here. Being a parent is about more than just having all the right gear and the right advice. It's a whole new level of instinct and yeah I'm saying it, distrust. It's about thinking twice and reading the fine print, and then asking a gazillion questions and having some jackass at the toy depot look at you like you're mad. And that's okay. While he's on his ciggy break out back laughing about the crazy bitch asking if the stuffed giraffe is BPA free, I'll be skulking over to the diaper aisle to gingerly pry open the box and read the label affixed to the unmentionable area of my child's would-be new cuddly friend to find it's DAMNIT - Made in China.
