No one has passed out… yet.

Guess what Declan got for his birthday?!? Yes! AQUA DOTS!

Now that the friend who gave him the toy and I have exchanged some humorous emails over it, I feel I can publicly tease her about it without feeling passive aggressive. Sure, she feels horrible, but – seriously – how could she have known that her present would be filled with the date rape drug GHB? If it wasn’t so serious, that would crack me up totally. Because it’s just craziness!

And of course Declan totally loves this thing. We told him we could keep the toy itself, but that we just found out on the news that the little pellets are filled with “poison.” And that we need to throw all the pellets away for now.

And goddammit, if that kid isn’t finding those fucking Aquadots in every nook and cranny of my house now! Every time he finds one, he brings it up to me for my inspection and lets me know he is disposing of the “poison” for me.

Thank goodness I have a conscientious kid who is into cleanliness. But what if he had a younger sibling who liked to stick things in his mouth?

We have watched lead-based paint recall after recall, but this? This, dudes… this is something on a whole ‘nother level. GHB inside our toys? Although, when Bryan finished off our remaining pellets, he said there was hardly any in there at all.

Just kidding on that last part.

I makes me more focused on a campaign that has been floating around Etsy for the past few months, Buy Handmade. I also loved something my friend Jodi wrote recently, where she decided her son could do with less crap over all, and have just a few quality, handmade toys that she wouldn’t have to eventually take away from him anyway.

Good point.

=======================

P.S. 30 Days of Thanks
I am thankful that my friend Dana introduced me to Bryan and also that Dana’s little girl Avery is doing great. Read about why I started blogging and one of my favorite posts over at Mile High Mamas today.

This article has 24 comments

  1. J at www.jellyjules.com

    And why do they use GHB? Follow the money, and you’ll find it’s cheaper, MUCH cheaper, than what they are supposed to use.

    Thinking maybe this globalization thing is a load of horseshit lately.

  2. Anonymous

    that Buy Handmade site is cool, thanks!!!

  3. ~Sheryl

    This is so scary, especially with Christmas right around the corner. We just don’t know what to tell the family when they ask about presents for the holidays. Really, bonds and clothes (hopefully clothes are still ok) are going to fill Hunter’s Christmas.

  4. Fairlie

    It is definitely getting to the point where I look very suspiciously at all toys on the store shelves. Who knows what they may contain?

    And then I look at the clothes, and wonder what’s in the dyes?

    Perhaps I’ll get out a knife and start whittling something from a stick?

  5. Jodi

    Thanks for the shot out! I’m so into this no china stuff!

  6. Moral Victories

    Good god… everytime Nick (aka The Boy) sees an ad (yes,they are still running) he says to me indignant. “MOM,why are they still selling that. The pellets make you sick.”

    I have whole theory about too much.. and how our need for too much has led to create all sorts of cheap crap that is bad for us and our kids. Support local businesses, support locally made products… etc. etc…

    I’m not popular among the less is more crowd.

  7. Melissa

    WTF?!?! GHB??? That is so sad. What is this world coming to??? Between the lead scare and now this, are there any toys from China that people won’t be (rightfully) suspicious of?…

  8. Linda

    I feel so abused that I had to have crappy old metal skates, and creepy old made-in-china (the old China) hoola hoops for toys. The only way I could cause harm to myself was to munch on the trim paint.

  9. Kelly O

    I’m in complete agreement about the “Buy Handmade” movement. More than that, I think we need to buy less. The single best thing we can do for our world, both the environment and the people who live on it, is to consume less. But it’s hard to keep that in the forefront of your actions when Xmas is right around the corner.

  10. Smiler

    I have a good excuse for not knowing what Aqua Dots are, since I don’t have kids but OMG. GHB is serious shit man. I’d be curious to know how it got in there in the first place. But thanks for blogging about it, because I’m using everything these days to go into my NaNoWriMo novel. Ha!

    Btw… I’m not sure if I came over to tell you already… or maybe not? Or maybe you’re just not that kind of girl? But I tagged you for a meme. I know these things are frowned upon in some circles, but it’s a fun one actually. You can find it here: http://fromsmilerwithlove.blogspot.com/
    2007/11/six-guilty-pleasures.html
    Don’t forget to link back to me and let me know when you’re done!

  11. Don't Eat My Buchela!

    That is just really scary. If it were my son he would have been putting them in his mouth one by one!

  12. samantha jo campen

    “Remember that one time when Declan got the date-rape drug for his birthday? Ah yes. Good times.”

  13. painted maypole

    that whole date rate drug thing in toys TERRIFIES me and I have such a hard time believing it was purely accidental. How does that happen. I have yet to read how that could possibly be something one would use in making TOYS.

  14. Amy

    Buy Handmade is pretty darn cool.Can of worms, but pretty darn cool. I think there should also be something in there about buying handmade locally, to avoid the shipping of fabulous things all over the world, almost negating their goodness. And thanks for the headsup on Aquadots. We have a birthday this weekend. Now I know what not to get 🙂

  15. noble savage

    I am more of an advocate for the Just Stop Buying So Many Goddamn Things You Don’t Need campaign. Some people spend $300 (or more!) on each kid for Xmas. Talk about giving them an entitement complex…

  16. Aimee Greeblemonkey

    Maypole: I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, WTF????? I am sure it has to do with money (i.e. somehow GHB is cheaper) and making the little pellets be preserves longer than cockroaches.

    And Smiler – I did see that – it’s coming!!!! :)))

  17. Aimee Greeblemonkey

    Oh and Savage…that’s what I was trying to get at with the link to Jodi’s post.

    Why do kids need 50 toys at Xmas? Why do we need at this STUFF? (Except my iPhone, of course).

  18. Flower Child

    Hopefully you’ll get pots and pans and wooden spoons for Christmas. This way you can all share in the gift. 🙂

    Check out these people for good (safe!) gifts:
    http://www.learningmaterialswork.com/

  19. Nadine

    GHB in toys, can it get any crazier?

    “he said there was hardly any in there at all.” ROTFLOL!

  20. joansy

    I hate this crap. I hope my kids are not disappointed if they get sock puppets for the holidays.

  21. Anonymous

    GHB inside the pellets. YOU ARE KIDDING.

  22. Alpha DogMa

    The recall that really burns me is the Thomas Tank Engine one. Because those freakin’ toys are expensive and the profit margin is great enough for the company to splurge on lead-free paint.

    The toys my boys use every day are the lightsabers and jedi cloaks that my mom made them. Homemade, yes. Wholesome, not so much.

  23. nutmeg

    The only thing Finn is allowed to play with these days is socks and his penis. he’s pretty darn happy.

Comments are now closed.
Send this to a friend