A Few of My Favorite Things: Nothing Wrong with Stuff

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People who write columns for years sooner or later succumb to what I think of as the Larry King list phenomena. Before he was released by USA Today, his column had become a string of brief comments about things, subjective lists, and random mentions of people and events. Of course, you also become a bit (or a lot) repetitive, reworking themes and critiques and mining earlier content to come up with things to say.

So, a confession: Larry, I understand where you were coming from. My time has come after 25 years of writing for Exchange. What's wrong with lists and a string of comments, particularly when on deadline? You be the judge. This column is focused on a simple theme: the idiosyncratic furnishings, equipment, and stuff that I would have in any center where young children are going to spend a good chunk of their childhood. Great early ...