My kids got some Moon Sand, that sand that is coated with "something" that makes it stick together like wet sand. What is it? What's it made from? Am I letting my kids play with a toxic toy?

I looked at the official Moon Sand website. Nothing.

I called the number on the website. I asked my question to the woman who answered. She said, "It's sand."

"Sand and what?" I asked.

"I don't know," she replied and put me on hold. She came back on the line, "You should call the corporate number. Maybe they can tell you." She gave me their number.

I called the corporation, Spin Master Ltd., directly and asked the same question. The man who answered the phone said he couldn't tell me what it was because it was patented. Then he asked me if my children had allergies and read off a list of all the things it was free of: wheat, gluten, peanuts, etc.

"What about pthalates?" I asked. "What about PVC? Do any of the chemicals off gas?"

"I don't see pthalates on the list," he said. "It doesn't say if it has any PVC. It doesn't say that it makes any gas." The more I talked to him though, the more I realized that he didn't understand what I was talking about. Pthalates starts with a P not a Th, and vinyl contains PVC, but he doesn't seem to know that either. Even if those items were on the list, I don't think he would have found them. "It's safe," he said.

Safe? But how am I supposed to know? Am I just supposed to trust the word of the company? This is the same company that made Aqua Dots, which were recalled when it was discovered that their safe, non-toxic adhesive coating converted to GHB (the date rape drug) when consumed, causing children to fall into comas.

"Can I get a copy of the MSDS?" The MSDS (materials safety data sheet) for Moon Sand.

"Sure I'll email it to you."

I gave him my email address.

"Also I noticed that your company also makes Pixos," which, let's face it, is a repackaged Aqua Dots. "Can you send me the MSDS for that too?"

He said he would, but I never got the email.

I went to the company's website and sent them the same request via their contact form, just in case the guy on the phone didn't write down my email address correctly. They never did send me the MSDS for either product.

So my kids have the Moon Sand, but I won't let them just play with it whenever they want. I supervise them just to make sure they don't put their fingers in their mouths or rub their eyes while they're playing with it. They must wash their hands immediately after using it. And we clean up the mess thoroughly, just to ensure that our pets don't eat the stuff.

I don't care if they say, "It's safe." I don't trust a company that won't tell you what its products are made out of but wants you to let your kids play with those products for extended periods of time.

(And what about the environment? Will the stuff break down into something toxic? Will it pile up in landfills and contaminate the ground water? Why don't they talk about that? Play with it today, worry about it tomorrow.)

Oh well, as soon as the weather gets warm, the kids will be back outside, playing in the sand box, with real old-fashioned water and sand.

Labels: Things that Annoy Me

If you spend your life trying to lift yourself up to the grand status of standing on the peak of a mountain of importance, then you are dooming yourself to fall to your your death. Even if you succeed in reaching the top there are only two possible outcomes. In the first, somebody just as great as you will climb up and push you off. In the second, the world will forget about you, forget that you are standing there with your achievements, and will leave you to grow so weary that you will eventually lose your balance and strength and tumble down. Either way, you end in failure.

Lasting success comes from helping others climb out of the crevasses, so they may enjoy the freedom of roaming on the valley floor and wandering over the foothills.

Focus on how you are treating others and what you are leaving for your children, your grandchildren, and future generations to come, and you will achieve greatness. Focus on building your own legacy, and you will be mocked.

Labels: Deep Thoughts and Philosophy