Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 11

Asbury Park PressMonday, December 28, 1987 All Possessions now determine communities PanoramaLifestyle 3 By MARGARET B. CARLSON Historian and former Librarian of Congress Daniel Boorstin has said that this decade will be remembered as one in which people formed themselves into communities not by what they believe but by what they own. Baby-boomer parents are the first generation to sense that their children might not do as well as they have. "The pressure is much greater now than during the last baby boom. The world was expanding in the '50s.

Now the baby boomers see shrinking possibilities that it is going to be a lot harder for their kids and they are panicking. It's not just keeping up with the Joneses, it's getting way ahead of the Joneses' kids." To that end, Child, a magazine devoted to our newest consumers, said that a couple can spend $60,000 in the first two years of a baby's life. At the junior high school level, there are parents who admit out loud in school meetings and on national television to spending as much as $4,000 a year for kids' clothes. Spend a few hours shopping and you will see how. At the Esprit section in Bloomingdale's, I see $464 and Aft fV-f .1 6) mil C5l if A change flashing on the cash register and it is not a mistake.

A 12-year-old has just purchased a wardrobe consisting of one $112 sweater and one $95 sweater, a pair of $70 overalls; two pairs of cotton pants, $46 each; two shirts, $36 each, and miscellaneous belts and socks. All will be outgrown in a year. How have we come to the point where spending $100 on a kid's sweater is thinkable? The younger generation's need to conform and peer pressure always have been factors no one wants his child to be the one sitting alone over a hamburger because he dresses like a dork. But psychologists and school officials see a new factor at play: parents themselves. In the old days parents acted as a countervailing force against children's acquisitiveness.

A parent could place a limit at one pair of penny loafers. Now what you can count on is kids showing up with an entire wardrobe of pricey sneakers. Baby-boomer parents didn't have it as easy when they were growing up. Boorstin said, "We didn't have everything handed to us and we didn't even know to ask for these really elite things. Now a 13-year-old will say to a parent, 'Don't lay a guilt trip on me about buying a $100 sweater when you own a This is the inevitable "precociously sophisticated stage," according to Dr.

Susan Blumenthal, a child psychiatrist and chief of the National Institute of Mental Health's Behavioral Modification Programs, when a child who has been fulfilling the status needs of his parents comes to feel entitled to whatever he wants. Even if parents see this for what it is, they are often not equipped to deal with it "These parents are used to spoiling their kids. Both frequently work and they don't want what little time they have to be filled with conflict so they give in." Professor Carol Seefeld of the University of Maryland's Institute for Child Study, said, "It's the Reagan 'You are what you spend' She sees less peer pressure than parental need to turn their kids into pint-size status symbols. "I have parents who tell me they buy $50 Nikes for their babies." Now, a "Bloomie's Baby" is going to run you a lot more than, say, a "Sears Baby" or a "JC Penney Baby," what with the Naf-Naf coverall, $76; the Absorba undershirt, $12; the Dior booties, $10; the Petit Bateau pajamas, $22, and the Je Suis sleep sack, $50. You can outfit your child for less, of course, but that's not the point.

"My most expensive items move first," said Analise Plain, owner of a children's boutique. Of the 20 Italian wool coats retail- Los Angela Timas Jenna Knadle, 3, models $60 Guess coat for mother, Rona, at 0-2-14, Los Angeles children's clothing store. v)i I I 2 rf Ms i ing for more than $300 this fall, four are left. After a trunk show, she sold out the 50 Malley party dresses priced from $150 to $300 in one day. Associated Merchandise which charts industry trends, said the children's departments have become such big profit centers in recent years that they have moved out of the budget backwaters into prime retail space on the upper levels.

The whole category has become so lucrative that a raft of designers has begun cutting kids' clothes Ralph Lauren, Gloria Vanderbilt, Calvin Klein, Georges Marciano (Guess), Izod, Dior, Yves St. Laurent, Missoni, Valentino and Giorgio Armani and they are using the same success-and-scx hype in the child market that they use for adults. It was inevitable that a publication would arrive to sop up the advertising dollars of the new industry. The year-old Child magazine, fat and glossy, is Vogue for the young. Minimalist editorial materials what to wear to that all-important first sleep over (sleepwear made in Taiwan will not do) and a fashion spread on "clothes for junior achievers" surround designer ads.

Neither the Old Child, who would spit up mashed carrots on that blazer no matter how much it cost, or the Old Parent, who thought a little permanent-press never hurt anybody, is much in evidence in these pages. That's because the Old Parent didn't spend enough. The New Parent of this mini-baby boom of about 4 million births annually, up from a low of 3.1 million in 1973, is much older and richer and worth being pursued. About 1.5 million of the 4 million births are first births, the largest number in history, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Even so, there may be a limit.

Perhaps with the $200 Giorgio Armani sweater for a 6-year-old, we have reached an intermediate top, a pause in the shopping wars where nostalgia for a bygone era will kick in. Margaret B. Carlson is managing editor of The New Republic and has contributed to Esquire, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and other publications. V. I 1 (hmd Cherie Bellinger (left), 21 months, wears fashions from Mervyn's, while chum Hanna Parker, 2Vz, sports an ensemble from Nordstrom's, during a shopping spree to the Westside Pavilion, a Los Angeles shopping mall.

Japanese tourist Shohei Maka-mura, 4, shops for designer items. Teens have alternatives to alcoholic New Year By ROSEMARY E. LLOYD Press Staff Writer Iow can teen-agers, wno cannot drink legally until they are 21, FmctBiry RT. 9, THREE MILES NORTH OF LAKEWOOD OPEN MONDAY THRU SATURDAY 10 A.M.-5 P.M. OPEN FRIDAY NIGHTS 'TIL 9 P.M.

363-9330 The Great Vi Price Coat Sale Half Price Coat Sale Long Winter Coat Short Winter Coats Tweed Plush Wool Tweed Plush Double Breosted Full Vt Length large Sizes Limited Quantity, Selection Will Not Last Sweater Sale Every Wool Sweater Less 30 Every Cotton Sweater Less 30 Every Orion Sweater Less 30 Every Lambswool Sweater Less 30 Every Novelty Sweater Less 30 Every Decorated Sweater Less 30 Every Cardigan Less 30 Every Sweater Less 30 Special Sweater Clearance $2 to $4 and $7 del High School who is co-president of the Monmouth County Council of Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD), suggested renting videos, buying junk food and staying in one place as an alternative to "cruising." "I think they could all get together at a friend's house and have an all-night party. They could rent a few movies a classic or something like 'Bachelor Party' or 'Animal she said. "Bring lots of junk food and just go all night and by the time they think about drinking and driving, it'll be morning and drinking will have lost its allure." But no matter what teen-agers do or where they do it, Miss Gropper stressed the importance of staying in one place for a lengthy period of time and to avoid driving, if possible, on New Year's Eve. "New Year's Eve is the worst night to be driving," she said. "The odds of the guy next to you being sober are low.

If you are going out, go from one house to another and stay there. It's not cool to drive on New Year's Eve it's stupid." Although SADD, the Monmouth County High School Task Force on Drinking and Driving and Mothers Against Drunk Driving are urging youngsters not to drink and drive, none of these groups is scheduling activities for New Year's Eve. However, the task force plans to have a skating party at 7:30 p.m. today at Eatontown Roller Rink, Route 35. Joan Spinelli, Middlctown Township, who is founder and adult coordinator for the task force, said any Monmouth County high school student is invited.

There are few if any activities or Winds, Ocean Avenue, Sea Bright, will have a Teen Dance and New Year's party from 8 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. tomorrow. Admission is $5 and youngsters from 13 to 18 years of age are invited. Proceeds will benefit the Gregory School, Long Branch.

Trade Winds had a teen club for approximately a year before reopening as an adult night club in July. "We know quite a bit about how to run teen clubs," said George Juska, manager of Trade Winds. "The teen club is really a great place for teens because they literally have nowhere else to go. I think it would be good if a few communities would do this. "If you don't provide an outlet for them, an opportunity to get into the wrong kinds of things certainly becomes available," he said.

Although Juska said teens are more concerned with having a place to go rather than an atmosphere, he said Trade Winds makes the atmosphere attractive enough so teens will want to stay there for the evening rather than "hanging out." "We have the same entertainment that adults have and the kids just need an outlet. They don't care. Trade Winds is set up for that sort of thing it's a real party atmosphere with a light system and sound system," he said. He added it is both safe and healthy because alcohol is neither served nor permitted. But if a teen-ager doesn't want to go to a club or stay home, there are other things he or she can do that are safe and fun.

Joelle Gropper, a senior at Holm- teen parties scheduled for New Year's Eve, but teens are not being left out of holiday celebrations. Community groups either had holiday functions specifically for teen-agers or will have them before the New Year. HR Underground, a teen club in Rumson, had its holiday teen dance Dec. 19 and donated a tree and presents to a needy family in Tinton Falls on Wednesday. The Toms River High School Alcohol Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) had a Christmas dance Wednesday and Southern Regional High School, Stafford Township, will have what they call a "drug-free" dance for teen-agers recovering from substance-abuse problems Wednesday at Beach Haven Moose Lodge, Route 72, Manahawkin, Stafford Township.

Carolyn Hadge, coordinator for the Toms River ASAP, added the group also would be taking a group of youngsters on a ski trip on New Year's Day. Carmine A. Magnotta, faculty coordinator for the Ocean Township High School chapter of SADD, lauded the fact that many teen-agers have taken the pledge not to drive drunk nor to ride with anyone who is drunk. However, he was disappointed to note there are no New Year's Eve activities geared specifically for teenagers. "There's nothing like that going on.

It's always been talked about, but no one's been able to get the go-ahead or the numbers to make it successful," Magnotta said. "I would love it if one of the community centers would have something like that it would be an outstanding project. I'm going to start working on it now for next year." ring out the old year and ring in the new? Ann White, president of Monmouth Teen Center Shrewsbury, said many teen-agers simply prefer to be with their families; others may opt to do something different. "Sometimes kids go to a nice dinner a little nicer than they would normally do," Ms. White said.

"I'm sure there will be some kids that will have parties, hopefully with parental supervision. And I think that there are a few kids that will go away with their families skiing or someplace warm where they can relax for that week so they would be away for New Year's Eve." Cathy Aumont, education coordinator at the National Council on Alcoholism, Red Bank, added, "There are kids doing positive things and keeping busy that night" Some teen-agers choose to do something more pragmatic. "A fair amount of girls baby-sit. I like to think most will be doing something they want to be doing and hopefully they won't be jeopardizing their well-being doing whatever it is they want to be doing," she continued. If the "party animal" teen-ager dreads the thought of New Year's Eve anywhere near the house, he or she can go to a night club complete with everything but alcohol.

In Monmouth County, Trade Fashioned Tweed Wool Decorated Short Sleeve Cardigan Cotton Orion Full Fur Blend Neck Turtleneck Crews Shop Early, Limited Selection Blouse Clearance Reduced Skirts Pants Sale 250 to 7 $2 to $6 $3 to $7 Holiday Clothes Decorated Tops Designer Tops s30 Satin Skirts $16 Holiday Blouses M6 Satin Trim Tops Ml Book features best of women's witty words Children Sale Boys and Girls Boys and Girls Sweater Sale Pants and Jeans Less 30 Less 30 Every Childrens Sweater Every Childs Pants or Jeans Less 30 Less 30 Boys and Girls Winter Jackets and Coats Less 30 Every Childs Winter Jacket Less 30 LOCATION ON RT. 9: 6 milM south of Freehold. 3 mil north of lotewood. DIRECTIONS emerald and ruby ring she always wore: I like to know which is my starboard and port side. Hermione Gingold: I've discovered that what we in England call drafts you in America call cross-ventilation.

Barbra Streisand on the furor over casting her with Egyptian-born Omar Sharif in "Funny Girl" during the Six Day War. You think Cairo was upset you should have seen the letter I got from my Aunt Rose. Elizabeth Taylor on rumors she would be posing for Playboy: Oh sure and next month I'm dressing up as a sea bass for the front cover of Field and Stream. Bette Davis: Would I consider remarriage? If I found a man who had $15 million, would sign half of it to me before marriage and guaranteed he'd be dead within a year. Jayne Mansfield: I got married and we had a baby nine months and 10 seconds later.

Jane Russell: Sometimes the photographers would pose me in a low-necked nightgown and tell me to bend down and pick up the pails. They were not shooting the pails. Brooke Shields: What does "good in bed" mean? When I'm sick and stay home from school propped up with lots of pillows watching TV and my mom brings me soup that's good in bed. Princess Grace on an enormous helped over the rail of the Titanic: I rang for ice, but this is ridiculous. Dorothy Parker on the man she was divorcing: Oh, don't worry about Ala-n Alan will always land on somebody's feet.

Mae West: I feel like a million tonight but one at a time. Mrs. Woodrow Wilson: When Woodrow proposed to me I was so surprised I nearly fell out of bed. Joan Rivers: Princess Di wears more clothes in one day than Gandhi wore in his entire life. Fran Lebowitz: Radio news is bearable.

This is due to the fact that while the news is being broadcast the disc jockey is not allowed to talk. Knight-Ridder Newspapers Words of wit are much more entertaining than words of wisdom. We'll leave the wisdom for another day. Here's a choice selection from "Hammer and Tongues: The Best of Women's Wit and Humor" (St Martin's Press, $14.95) by Michele Brown and Ann O'Connor. VMrs.

Alfred Kinsey: I don't see much of Alfred any more since he got interested in sex. Bette Midler on Princess Anne: Such an active lass. So outdoorsy. She loves nature in spite of what it did to her. Madeline Talmadge Astor on being HtUM SHUKt AKE OK TRENTON: M.

IV? to OA, lo Rt. South tor 1 Vl miles..