My recent column and a new rug!
Cashless venues are bad for kids and my dog gets a fresh start
As many of you know, I write a monthly column in my local paper that I often share here too since so many of you live far away and won’t be picking up our free weekly paper at the grocery store or coffee shop. This piece below ran here today in The Valley Breeze.
Kids have cash. They should be allowed to use it
Stadiums and sports venues are increasingly going “cashless,” limiting payment options to debit cards, credit cards and smartphone apps. This presents a challenge for parents who want their young tweens and teens to have the independence of spending a day out with friends, pooling their money so they can get nachos and fries and giant slushies. We often hear child development experts say that the dramatic decrease in childhood independence is wreaking havoc on their mental health—which I happen to believe is true. When kids can’t explore, have adventures, make mistakes and solve problems, their confidence takes a hit. They end up over-relying on adults and their natural development towards healthy independence and autonomy is stunted.
A couple years ago I sent my then 13 year old off to a Boston College Football game with some cash so he could get lunch at the concession stand. Unbeknownst to me, cash was no longer an accepted currency at the stadium. A kid enjoying a college football game with his friends can’t purchase a hot dog or a soda unless he or she has access to a debit card, credit card, or smartphone app. I find that to be insane. Luckily, there were a couple parents there who were able to buy all the kids their food and then get reimbursed by us via Venmo but none of that should be necessary. The kids had money. They should have been able to spend it.
This isn’t unique to Boston College athletics. Want to go to the Rose Bowl? Cashless. The College World Series? Cashless. Any game at Notre Dame or the Air Force Academy? Cashless. Major League Baseball Stadiums largely went cashless in 2021 as did some NFL, basketball and hockey stadiums. They point to efficiency as well as consumer preference, data collection and loyalty as reasons for the shift—they know that if they can track every purchase those in attendance make and figure out their preferences, they can later send targeted offers to fans via a mobile app or social media marketing. From a business standpoint I understand the move but is it really too much to ask that kids be able to use cash to buy some chicken tenders and maybe something from the team store? We want our kids to have the formative experience of waiting in line, ordering what they want and paying for it without any help or supervision. That can’t happen if they aren’t able to pay.
At the Amica Mutual Pavilion where the Providence Friars play, “cash options are limited” for concessions. This is better than no cash but also seems needlessly burdensome. The Ryan Center is still cash friendly, according to its website.
I confess that I may be longing for a time that is rapidly disappearing before our eyes but it also seems ridiculous and wrong that kids increasingly can’t buy themselves anything when they’re at a game because the money they have happens to be in the form of cash.
They’re kids. Cash is their currency. And if we want them to have experiences out in the world that help them to grow up and gain confidence and independence, we should probably stop making it harder for them to do that.
Ok, enough complaining. Now for some laughs.
As you know, our older dog died a few months back. That’s not the funny part. What you don’t know is that our remaining dog, Gracie, has been peeing in the house since we lost her big brother. Also not funny. She has never done this before but her separation anxiety is much worse since he died and it seems to be manifesting itself by peeing on the rug. At my wit’s end the other day, I decided that one possible solution was to get rid of the rug that she keeps peeing on, keenly aware that my efforts to eradicate the odor were likely futile and starting fresh with a new rug made sense. I had faith in her capacity to stop this new bad habit.
My husband did not share my optimism. When I told him that I was going to buy a new rug he said, “ok, but make sure it’s the color of urine.” Umm, wut? First of all, I don’t want a rug that color and second of all, why are you already giving up on her? I of course scoffed at this terrible suggestion and bought a rug that is not the color of urine.
So, here she is modeling our new (machine washable!) rug. It’s only been two days but so far so good…I think.
Lastly, I saw this cartoon yesterday and immediately thought of myself. I suspect many of you not-so-green-thumb types can relate. Spring is coming so plant killing season is almost upon us.
Talk soon,
Erika
I also think there's a problem with "cashless" for kids. I think it's tougher to "feel the pain" of an expense with a card. As a young man (and a kid with a paper route), I felt more pain using a $5 or $10 bill, as opposed to change and a $1 bill. I "learned the cost of things" that way, and was more cautious as prices were higher. Much of that feeling seems lost with a single swipe. I think cash, and change, did a better job of teaching a kid the value of money. Not to mention math skills. You look at your change and do that math to be sure you aren't cheated. Math skills for other times are sharpened.
I want to know where you got that rug.