Here's a hypothetical question for my wide wide audience out there.
Supposing you found out by some bizarre twist of fate that you are not really Jewish, what would be the first thing you would do contrary to halachah and/or minhag/standards you were raised with?
This questions was once asked to a Brisker, and his response was:
"I would put on my right shoe, tie it and then put on my left shoe and tie that."

megapixel
Sometimes too much of a good thing (or in this case, a good idea) can be just TOO MUCH!!
Case in point: this obsession with dressing all your kids in matching clothes. I know, its so cute, blah blah, blah. I agree- to a point. It's just driving me crazy because some of the people I have been observing have just taken it to a ridiculous extreme.
I mean, does this mean that you can never dress your younger kids in hand me downs from their older sibling, because the older ones have outgrown that particular outfit and your kids wont be (gasp!) matching that day?
Chol Homoed wherever I went I saw tons of siblings all matched up from their little pony holders to their tights and even shoes in some cases. I want to know, if you have kids close in age and size, and they have the same shoes, how do they know whose is whose? Dont they ever get mixed up? And dont you get BORED seeing the same outfit all day on everyone.
Why does this never work for me? Nobody else sees to have this problem. On the occasion that I have bought matching outfits for the kids, you can bet that
a- one of them will spill something nasty down their front early in the morning. This leaves me with a dilemma- should I change her, and everyone else? or for the sake of Matching, leave her in the dirty t shirt?
b- everyone's outfits are all lined up EXCEPT for one sock which cannot be found.
so does that blow the entire thing? how can we appear in public with non matching socks?
c- one kid will refuse to do it (the older one) "I am not wearing the same thing as him"
d- the 9 year old is squeezed into the size 4 and the 4 year old is swimming in the size 8.
But the real DANGER in all of this, is that it seems to be becoming almost a requirement.
Back in the day, all babies and kids wore white socks, no matter what color their outfits were. Then matching socks to their outfits became a requirement. Well, nobody is going to arrest you if you dont do it, but you know. you'll look like a total nerd. It's just not acceptable anymore. Is this where we are going with the matching siblings thing?

megapixel
is this thing working?

megapixel

One of MY PET PEEVES:
Excessive Vacation Days.
So finally at the end of the long long long summer the school year starts. (assuming all the kids in Lakewood have been placed in a school)
The next thing you know, Yomim Tovim. Okay, I am not suggesting that the kids have school on Yomtov, or even Erev Yomtov, although a half day for the boys cant hurt. But EREV EREV yomtov, NO school? What is that all about? and now I was just informed that the boys are coming home WEDNESDAY at 12:00!!!
HELLO???? Why? Do they think that the kids will help prepare for yomtov? Please, take a stressful and busy time and throw in a few bored boys. That is a recipe for disaster! Now instead of cooking, cleaning and stuff, I will be breaking up fights and entertaining them (could we go to chuck e. cheese?) Not to mention working parents, who dont get off two and a half days before Sukkos. Who is watching the kids? Even the babysitters dont want to work! Assuming the kids are young enough for a babysitter Try complaing to the school they'll tell you:
1-"School is not a babysitting service". HEllo? I have to work all these days to pay YOUR BIG TUITION BILLS so the least you can do is consider me when you plan your schedule. If I am constantly taking days off to watch the kids, I am either going to lose my job or just going to come home with less money and will not be able to pay up.
. and 2-"the rebbeim and morahs need time off to prepare for yom tov"
Well GUESS WHAT, I DONT CARE!!! They just had 12 weeks off in the summer!!Other people have been working all the way thru the summer, and juggling daycamps and off days and inbetween days and post camp days. many a working mother has had to put in extra time later on to make up for hours and days taken off because school was cancelled on a whim.
and Morahs only work till 12:00, and rebbeim only till 2:00. People who work in offices work till 5:00. They dont even get home 12:00 on a fast day. they manage to figure out when they are going to put up their succahs, and shop. Surely the rebbe who gets home from work at 2:00 can figure it out as well. Other working people work up till and including erev yomtov as well as chol hamoed and ISRU CHAG. A parent who has to work on Isru Chag is really stuck when the kids are home that extra day. Why dont the schools realize this?
AND DONT TELL ME THAT THING - you know the one-"you should be glad to spend time with your little darlings." I Love them dearly, but they are happiest when they have their routine. Lots of days with no structure makes them crazy. and I am not the entertainment committee. I have stuff to do, which does not take a day off because the school decided to give a day off.
A playgroup Morah was once reminding me about an upcoming Chanukah vacation. For 3 year olds? they need a vacation from playing? "Well you know the morahs need a vacation" Hah! you just had 3 weeks off for succos about 1 month ago and a few weeks before that you were off for 12 weeks! and you only work till 2:00 I thought to myself but of course did not say it out loud because i did not want to imply that they have an easy job. they dont like that.
I dont know about other places, but in Lakewood of all places, there should be more consideration for working mothers. Lakewood was built on working mothers after all.

megapixel