Bottle-Flipping: Five Reasons to Go With the Flow

The New York Times recently deemed it necessary to post an article about how the Bottle Flipping craze is driving parents crazy.

Might I propose a few other articles to go with it?

• Parents Hate When Kids Don’t Make Their Beds
• Put Away Your Laundry: A Parent’s Heartfelt Plea
• Kids Who Don’t Tie Their Shoelaces, and the Parents Who Suffer For It

Seriously. This is not news. Parenting is full of situations where parents want their kids to do (or not do) something, and kids disagree. Maybe it’s swearing, maybe it’s eating cookies before broccoli, or talking on the phone too much (okay, texting. I know nobody actually talks on the phone).

But can we talk big picture here, please? Kids have hobbies. Kids go through phases. Often times, we hate them. Stepping on LEGO bricks hurts, yet we see the intrinsic value in allowing our kids to build with the colorful bricks, so we buy bins, walk carefully, and let them play away.

And before you tell me there’s no intrinsic value to bottle flipping, consider the following five reasons to go with the flow…or stick with the flip:

1. Much as kids learned about gravity in the high chair, so too can they grapple with angular momentum and centers of gravity. And when they learn the words to go with it, these are concepts that they’ll grasp. Google “Bottle Flip science” and you’ll find some YouTube videos that explain what’s going on.

2. They’re pursuing a goal (that’s relatively safe, and minimally stupid, as far as kid activities go) and they’re practicing it.

3. They’re spending time outside (because surely you set the ground rule that you don’t want bottles bursting inside the house and thus they can practice all they want on the driveway, right?).

4. These aren’t Silly Bands or Magic cards or Webkins or whatever the latest craze is that requires kids to go collect all of something.

5. We are a nation obsessed with water bottles. And no matter how many news stories we hear about how much crude oil is used to create water bottles, how much waste is generated, how freaking bad they are for the planet, people keep buying bottles in bulk. If you’re in Flint, Michigan, buy away. But otherwise, it’s really rather excessive. But maybe, just maybe, if these water bottles being flipped is driving parents crazy enough, they might stop buying so many water bottles. Save the planet, save your sanity.

And if the sound of the bottle falling repeatedly on the ground is bugging you, recall their favorite song, favorite show, favorite toy, favorite game. You know exactly which one I’m talking about. The soundtrack of parenthood is filled with annoyance. It’s a sound you’ll find yourself missing when the band goes on the road.