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Friday 1 June 2012

Explaining China’s global market position... to a toddler

I don’t know whether you have noticed, but pretty much everything is made in China.  Don’t believe me?  I’ll send you my three year old who will systematically check everything in your house for you.  You may be surprised.  He certainly was. 

It started when he discovered all his books are printed in China.  All except two library books that is.   One of which is printed in Singapore and the other, strangely, in Belgium.

My son is intrigued by this and is audibly impressed and surprised when studying the underside of an object to find it’s made somewhere other than China.  I mention the audibly bit as he’s not fussy where or what he’s found to inspect for its country of origin.

The thing is, although he can read ‘Made in China’ he’s not yet there with understanding the globalisation of industry.  So how do you explain such a thing to a toddler?  And, why is everything made in China?  How do they get all the books here that they print there?  And why does Belgium get a look in on book printing, but not the UK, or Spain, Greece?  So many questions and so few answers...at least not many my son can comprehend at his tender age.

I’ve never seen a parenting book that covers answers to these sorts of questions.  Is there one?  

Is it printed in China?

2 comments:

  1. Maybe you could write it?? I'd be in the market for one.. Could make a very interesting read!

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  2. I love the confidence you have in me :) I should have a look around, perhaps there is an 'My Very First Economics' out there already. I'd like to think so. Perhaps that way we'd have a generation of switched on kids who realise from a young age what happens to all their money.

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