Culturebox: Fancypants

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culturebox Fancypants How I cured myself of a craving for selvedge denim. By Mark Oppenheimer Posted Thursday, June 16, 2011, at 7:09 AM ET I'm on daughter No. 3 in five years. Hence I'm derelict in my professional life, my ambition falters more by the minute, I do not play as much tennis as I used to, or read as many novels, or see as many plays, or talk as languorously on the telephone with old friends, and I am now awakened about two hours earlier than my body would like. But I have no nostalgia for the time before I was a father. I like most everything about dadding (I just coined that--pass it on). There is, however, one exception to my general infatuation with the dadly life: the way it has complicated my relationship to money. If parenthood meant I could no longer afford the things I badly wanted, that would be regrettable, but not exactly complicated. My problem is rather different: I actually have very simple pleasures, and I can still afford all of them. Whereas some people enjoy backpacking in Thailand, leased BMWs, and triple-mint real estate, I like skim mochas at the local coffee shop in the winter, Starbucks Frappuccinos in the summer, ice cream at the local parlor year-round, a few new books a year, and midprice new clothes bought at T.J. Maxx or at chain stores you can find in the average upscale mall. I have enough money that I could buy everything I want. But I now have children, and no money saved for, say, college-tuition payments. And yet even if I forewent every frappuccino and pair of corduroys for the next 20 years, I fear I would not save enough money for one year of college for one daughter. So while in one sense every frappuccino is money wasted, in another sense every penny saved is for naught. To continue reading, click here. Mark Oppenheimer is the Beliefs columnist for the New York Times, a columnist for The Good Men Project, and the author of Wisenheimer, a memoir about growing up talkative that is just out in paperback. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Spitzer: It's Ridiculous To Say These GOP Candidates Are "Moderate." They're Radical. Will It Take a Long Hitter To Win the U.S. Open? What the "Moneygolf" Stats Say. Japan Is Getting Absurdly Good at Making Craft Beers	Advertisement
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