Standard Poodles -- personality & grooming

Question
I'm interested in getting a Standard Poodle because years ago our family had one and its reputation for its smarts has been almost like a legend.  Recently I saw one in  a jeep with fairly long curls and it didn't look badly unkempt--can you just not get its hair trimmed as often or do a simpler style and save money?  Are there detriments to that approach?  Also, what are the general personality traits of this dog in relation to small children?

Answer
I am not sure how Poodles are supposed to be with children.  However, as with other breeds, the most important factor is the dogs early socialization.  Any dog exposed to children between 6 and 12 weeks is likely to be fine with them.

It is common for Poodles to be given sort of a burr cut.  For ordinary Poodles not being shown or actually used as originally bred, it makes a lot of sense.  Let me give you some links to working Poodles.  The first is a personal picture from one of my dog guide meetings, and the other are from the net. http://www.photolocker.net/images/Labman/breedsofdogguidepuppies.jpg
http://www.jagerslatijn.nl/jagerslatijn/poodle.htm
http://www.vipoodle.org/

Good Poodles are hard to find due to indiscriminate breeding in the past.  If you find one, it will be the same fine, intelligent dog you remember.  
One of the best sources for dogs with a predictable personality is the rescue
dogs.  These are dogs that lost their home, but were taken into a foster home
to be retrained as necessary and placed in the right home for them.   You may
find a rescue near you starting at
http://www.akc.org/breeds/rescue.cfm  The rescues charge a fee to help cover their expenses, but is much less than the price of a puppy plus all its medical expenses the first year.