2112 Pip Squat

I went to Costco recently and saw an interesting thing. A kid-sized recliner. That's right, it was a regular old leather recliner, pipsqueak version.  Naturally I was appalled.

A lot of people, not curmudgeonly like myself, would most likely have oohed and aahed about how cute it was. Oh, look at the precious little recliner, now Billy can be just like Dad...

The same people, no doubt, who thought Jon Benet Ramsey looked precious as a tarted up 6-year-old beauty queen. Really people, role models are a good thing for kids, but remember, it's a role model for when they grow up.

Is couch potato-hood a noble goal? Do we want little Billy to slack back in his recliner and doze off with a bowl of popcorn on his bulging belly? Why not hand him a can of beer while you're at it? Help him nap while you whip up some chips and dip.

I'm just saying, think ahead. Maybe a toy that encourages active play might be a little better. Making TV watching even more comfortable is not a habit to instill too early. 

By the way, I don't know why couch potato is synonymous with someone who uses a recliner. Wouldn't they be a recliner potato? Or perhaps some other root vegetable or tuber? A recliner rutabaga perhaps?

And where did the term "pipsqueak" come from? Pips are the small dots on dice aren't they? Do they squeak when you roll 'em? Or is it pip as in pipped, the word for a chicken chick breaking through it's shell?  That would be a pip-tick though, not a pipsqueak.

This could take some time to research. I better get my laptop. Then I can Google it from the comfort of my recliner.

America, ya gotta love it.