Your Butt-to-Chair Ratio

We rented a mountain cabin for a few days off amidst my book/lecture tour. And like any good scientist (or babysitter), I searched the house looking for hidden stuff. Upstairs in a tiny cove I found a doll house. And next to the doll house, I found a box of stuff for said doll house.

We hauled down the box and my kid and I unloaded all the stuff one would need in order to play "house."

I pulled out a fridge, a sink, a TV, a computer desk, a record player, 2 toilets, 3 dolls, a pony, and, to my chagrin, 13 chairs.

THIRTEEN CHAIRS. For a family of three gals (a barbie, a princess, and a witch). Oh, and a pony. Which makes me think that playing house has more to do with arranging furniture than it does with inter-personal (i.e. fairy-pony) relationships.

With all we know now about sitting and the increase risk for disease, it may be time to take a closer look at where the chair/sitting paradigm is being reinforced, even subtly.*

I was blown away by the butt-chair ratio until the Huz said, "Well, that's a pretty normal ratio of chairs to family member, don't you think?" He was right, of course. I counted the chairs in the rental: Twelve. For a rental that "sleeps 2-3."

What is the butt-chair ratio in your home? You can count each main cushion on a couch, but you don't have to count the toilets I guess. Although they are a regularly used butt-rest stop, hopefully.

P.S. When you don't have chairs or couches in your house, your children might develop a fascination with them. Seriously. This kid needs to sit in/on EVERYTHING!

*There is currently no data on the effect sitting has on pony health. A huge hole in the research, for sure.