Silly Bandz and Being Cool

Silly Bandz… now why didn’t I invent those? Who would have thought that rubber bands could become so popular? What’s next … paper clips?

If your child isn’t collecting them, chances are you know a child who is. And certainly, you can see them all over the stores. Placed strategically at a child’s eye level at the checkout aisle – shiny packages of what look like a child’s dream come true worth of colorful Silly Bandz.

For those of you who don’t know what they are. They are essentially rubber bands shaped as various objects, such as animals, instruments, and so on. You wear them on your wrists and you can trade them, collect them, and just leave them all over the house (which is what my kids do with them). It’s the latest craze and amazingly appeals to preschoolers to teenagers. I’ve seen many adults walking around with them on their arms. The “cool” factor is high, the price is low, and they are something wearable. This is the ultimate combination of factors that makes a fad a success.

But then, add in the media… suddenly Silly Bandz were banned from several schools. It was on the news, on TV, and in papers. They were the topic of mommy-discussions everywhere. Children were getting injured from bands that were too tight and too small for their wrists. Suddenly, there was a danger factor or “badness” factor. That made it even cooler for the adolescent group as parents of preschoolers toned it down a notch.

I tried resisting the Silly Bandz craze. I knew that my kids would just toss them aside when they were bored with them. Just more clutter in my house. But, boy, was it difficult! The looks on their faces when they told me that so-and-so had MORE than twenty bands, and that their best friends had ones shaped as dinosaurs and cool sea creatures. The pleading “why nots?” from my five-year-old almost put me over the edge as I tried desperately to get him interested in buying a book at the bookstore as we stood next to the giant kiosk of Silly Bandz at the checkout line. And finally, it happened. Silly Bands were given out as goodies and they entered my home.

Now my kids were cool. They didn’t need many. Just one or two satisfied my oldest son. He was content that now he had some. And, of course, the little ones just pulled them until they broke. (My youngest even resorted to scissors.) Oh well. Four dollars down the drain. But they were happy.

If only all fads were so inexpensive. Those of you with teenagers know how pricey big kid fads can be. The best shoes, the coolest clothes, the right makeup or hairstyle, the best video game system, and of course… the car.

I guess I should be happy that few rubber bands are all that I need to buy for now!

Being popular is a high priority in children’s lives – especially as they reach their middle school and high school years, it’s important to teach them how to cope with the pressure of needing to be liked and popular.
As a parent, it is important not to minimize their need to be cool or to tell that those things are unimportant.

They are very important… to them and their sense of place in their world. The following link has some good advice on how to teach your child to cope and how you can help to give them skills that will last a lifetime.  It provides a nice outline how to help your child if they struggling with trying to fit in or if they are feeling left out.

http://www.justmommies.com/articles/popularity-game.shtml
 
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