Browsing the transfer designs at Frankie's Graffiti Bar
Zuzu and I had a big day out in Chicago last Sunday. First, in the morning, we attended a fun event hosted by fellow blogger Self Made Mom at a cute little Lincoln Park boutique called Frankie’s on the Park. Frankie’s has a lot to recommend it. First, Frankie’s was inspired by one of the owners’ teenage daughters, the eponymous Frankie, who apparently has quite a flair for fashion. I’ve always loved clothes and fashion, and I am utterly charmed by the idea of a mom opening a boutique where girls and teens can have a fun, age-appropriate shopping experience and discover clothes that don’t come from a big national retailer. In fact, Frankie’s offers fun, hip clothes and accessories for moms and girls. Zuzu is set on summer clothes, though, so we were window-shopping only. We did pick up some fun, stretchy charm bracelets for Zuzu and her BFFs, which were very reasonably priced. Frankie’s also has a charming young sales staff — it seems to be quite the family affair — and Zuzu adored chatting with the “big” girls. Lastly, and perhaps most fun, Frankie’s has a “Graffiti Bar” upstairs: a place to customize t-shirts, hoodies and tote bags with transfer designs and letters and numbers. Zuzu designed a t-shirt with an elephant transfer and her name, which she proudly wore for the first day of summer camp. Anything from the Graffiti Bar would make a great birthday or holiday gift for a kid in your life — personalized gifts are perfect for kids who seem to have every toy in the world and rooms overtaken by clutter.
After our shopping and t-shirt making, Zuzu and I headed downtown for lunch and a matinee of “Billy Elliot.” This was her end-of-the-school-year treat. Zuzu loves the theater, especially musicals. At the tender age of 6 and 3/4, she has seen “Cats” — and honestly, is there a stupider show than “Cats” out there? I hope not — “Wicked,” “Mary Poppins,” and now “Billy Elliot.” (“Wicked” is not generally considered a kids show, but Zuzu had been listening to the soundtrack for years and so before the show left Chicago, we decided to take her as a special treat, and she was utterly captivated by it. I’m pretty sure all the sexual content went over her head.) A friend had suggested that Zuzu might really enjoy “Billy Elliot” because there are so many kids in the show, including, of course, Billy himself. I’m not sure it was the best choice. Don’t get me wrong: “Billy Elliot” is a moving show with a lot of heart and some great dancing — although I did not find Elton John’s score particularly memorable. And Zuzu certainly enjoyed the show, especially the young actor who played Billy. (As a side note, in the Chicago production, there are four young actors sharing the role of Billy and they are all from remarkably diverse backgrounds. We saw young Cesar Corrales as our Billy, and he really was extraordinary. That kid was carrying the whole show.) But it is a serious show with serious themes. Not that I don’t think young kids can handle serious shows that have sad moments; I think they can. But at the same time, it is really hard to explain British class resentment and labor strife to a first grader, even a bright, sophisticated first grader, particularly when I didn’t have the strongest grasp on this moment in British history myself. The British mining industry was nationalized, but Margaret Thatcher wanted to privatize it, but that would mean many of the pits would be shut down, so they miners went on strike — I’m already lost. So, needless to say, I didn’t have a great answer when Zuzu asked why the miners went on strike in order to save the mines from being closed.
Moreover, I did not realize that there were quite so many curse words in the show’s book. I’m not talking “Les Miz,” where they said “sh*t” once, much to my friend Meghan’s dad’s consternation. It was more like the British equivalent of “The Wire.” I completely understand why those words are used — this is a musical about miners in Northern England after all — and it would not have bothered me if I had not been sitting next to my 6 year old, who we try to shield from repeated use of the F-bomb. But, I suppose it goes back to what I was saying the other day about Zuzu getting older and how we can’t always protect her from difficult topics. She is going to be hearing those words on the playground and in movies soon enough. Better that she hear them when I am around to talk to her about it. And, in fact, on the drive home, we talked about how the characters in the play used certain words that adults use when they are angry or upset and that are not appropriate for children to use. (Although the kids in the show were sure using them!) Zuzu’s response: Why did the show use those words if they are so inappropriate and what makes those words inappropriate anyway? That discussion kept us busy as we sat in traffic on the Eisenhower. (I also told Zuzu that if she was ever unsure about whether a word she heard someone else use was appropriate for her to use or not, she could ask me about it and I would not get angry. I remember when I was a college student studying abroad hearing French words and phrases from my friends and wondering if they were the kind of thing I could say in front of my professors or not; there was no way to know other than using them and seeing what happened, which definitely backfired on me a couple of times. So I am sympathetic to Zuzu’s plight.)
Another great teaching moment, another tough conversation with my big girl. But all in all, it was a fun, full day experiencing what is great about living next to a vibrant city like Chicago. From west of the Loop to the Loop and back again.
Full disclosure time: As part of the invitation to the event at Frankie’s on the Park, we received a discount on our purchases and use of the Graffiti Bar for free. I was not asked to write about the event nor did I receive any other consideration and all opinions expressed are my own.
Oh what a fun day. We were hoping to go to Frankie’s, but the timing wasn’t going to work – until unfortunately the rain came and opened up a big hole in our day.
And keeping the kids innocent? I’m with ya. It’s a challenge… and socially, you have to let go sometimes. That’s where I have my biggest challenge.
It was so fun seeing you and meeting lovely Zuzu. I may have to borrow her one day to go back to Frankie’s! Good tips on the play
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