Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Lost in the Supermarket

Do you ever wonder what research studies get funded and why? Well, I do. This article from the Toronto Star illustrates my point:
A team at the University of Alberta carefully observed how parents treated their children during trips to the supermarket. It found physical attractiveness made a big difference.

The researchers made more than 400 observations of child-parent interactions in 14 supermarkets. They noted whether the parents belted their youngsters into the grocery cart seat, how often the parents' attention lapsed and the number of times the children were allowed to engage in potentially dangerous activities like standing up in the cart. They also rated each child's physical attractiveness on a 10-point scale. The findings, not yet published, were presented at the Warren E. Kalbach Population Conference in Edmonton. The study found homely children were far less likely to be buckled up than attractive ones.

Now I think I have rather attractive children and I have never yet met a parent who thought their child was butt ugly or whose heart was not melted by their child’s face, but having said that, I never belted mine in supermarket cart either. Instead I belted out Barney songs at the top of my lungs to get through the ordeal of shopping with toddlers. I can still remember the words to I like to Eat Apples & Bananas or I Love You like it was just yesterday and will probably go to my grave with those words engraved on my mind.

But I have to wonder at the value of studies like this unless it is a way for the state to ultimately get into business of raising children. Snicker if you like, but I can see the wider implications of this; parents of children deemed unattractive or not as comely as others will have mandatory state run parenting courses imposed on them less they abuse or neglect their children. Imagine the shock for parents to learn those that they love most dearly are considered unattractive and are at greater risk to be abused. It all makes me long for the days when pretty was as pretty does.

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