from the "if you want it done right you hire someone to do it" files.
So,
T had wanted to get some outdoor seating for AK and the children of the community like the one we saw at ak's school from ikea thats pictured above. but ikea doesnt make these anymore. we really tried to get this taken care of by the time of ak's birthday party, but it just didnt happen because we couldnt decide if i was going to make them or if she was going to buy some from this guy that makes outdoor picnic tables for kids.
it was as if Brett Favre was running the household....we went back and forth, back and forth,
i really wanted to make some parsons style picnic tables, but the tables that this guy was making were so cheap, 40 a table, and i didnt really have the time anyway. so we went with the guy. besides, he makes these tables all the time and knew what he was doing, where as i was simply a backyard warrior with a saw, right? you guessed it....wrong!!
The guy shows up with the tables (im not there) and assembles the components on site. T notices that they are kinda big.
T - are these for toddlers?
guy - they are for kids of all sizes.
i get home and i take one look and im like, WTF! i thought we were getting toddler tables, not tables for 6 year olds.
T says shell call him to fix them. So he comes out, after a week of no response...is confused by the request...but says hell make them shorter anyway...but doesnt see the point. but none of this matters because his drill battery is out of juice, and says hell be right back. never comes back.
after another week of no response we finally get a hold of him and he comes to fix them
i come home and see the "new " tables....and once again go, WTF! "He just took length off the bottom!!!
T says that she knew it was wrong but he just couldnt understand her request. so i made this picture to email to him
heres the deal...so many people don't respect toddlers, in so many ways.
they ignore their requests, (put me down, i dont want a hug, i dont want to tickle, etc..) they dont tell them the truth, they teach them vocabulary just to get a laugh out of the way they say it, or maybe they dont give them the chance to pour their own milk or put on their own clothes. most of this is because the adult is putting themselves first. As in, "i dont care what you think, your just a toddler, you dont know what you want, let me decide what you want for you." or " i dont want to deal with a mess so im going to pour this milk, make you use a sippy cup, keep you in diapers till your three, put you in front of television that you shouldnt be watching but that i want to watch, etc.
They also don't respect their bodies and think that they are happy sitting at a picnik table that is supposed to fit a two year old to a 10 year old.
toddler furniture is such a niche market. why? the demand of course. people dont want to pay for a table and chair set for their kid when they are 1 to 3 and then 4 to 6 and so forth. they have to for clothes because they obviously dont fit, but parents are not always as observing when it comes to what the market deems necessary. Case in point being tables and chairs
how would you like it if your feet dangled when you sat down instead of resting on the floor.
wonder why you kid wont sit down? maybe he's tired of his circultion being pinched. try it next time your at a barstool, let your legs dangle instead of putting your feet on the footrest
how would you like having to sit far away from the table, or have the table top be the same height as your chest. not very pleasant. but thats the way most toddlers have to sit and eat.
so we decided to give up on this guy and i took them apart and cut them to the right size. i come to find out, they guy didn't even use outdoor screws, and the tables weren't squared up either. and he left the freaking barcode staple on the ends of each piece of wood. BIG pet peeve of mine.
here are the two side by side before i brought the second one down to size
oh well, as long as we are happy now. and were happy now.
