AquaDots

Dear China,
Please stop making toys that can kill my children.

This morning, I almost had a heart attack watching the news during which the recall of your latest bungle, AquaDots, was announced. I then almost killed myself falling down the stairs as I raced to grab that very toy from the kitchen table and throw it in the trash. And then, I had to explain to my FOUR-year old that AquaDots were very dangerous and that should she find any errant beads, she needed to throw them in the trash and never, ever eat them or let them near her SIX-MONTH old sister.

China, I have to admit, you've put me in a *very* bad position. My child thinks I'm a mean mom who doesn't want her to have any fun just because ingesting a few AquaDot beads can simulate the effects of the date rape drug. And because I now don't trust the manufacturing process of the entire toy and thus threw away everything, not just the beads, I have taken away my child's nail dryer (the super AquaDots set comes with a unique dryer that looks conspicuously like the ones in most nail salons and works like them too).

So China, please do me a huge favor. Get the government involved. Start implementing better, more rigid QA processes for your exported goods. And please, for anything that might end up in the hands of a child-particularly mine-take extra measures to ensure it's not toxic.

Thank you for your consideration.