First of all...are these not the cutest decorations!! I have to say they look pretty darn cute on our front porch. The best part is that they didn't cost me anything...and I can throw them away and make new ones next year. So no storage issues!
I do have issues with some other things...things you have arguments in your head about as you're driving--kinds of things. I figured I would use my captive audience to lay it out for...feel free to tell me I'm totally off my rocker.
1. I have a problem with Parent/Teacher conferences and field trips for pre-school. I do not like having no school day's in pre-school. I am paying for a safe fun environment for my child so that I can have a few hours for myself. If I wanted to take my son to the petting zoo I would--and I do. As a family we do many fun activities together. AND...I'm guessing that the majority of the kids in the class are right on track. If there are one or two who aren't I would hope the teacher would take a minute to let the parent know there are concerns. Somehow we now have to have PT conferences for 3-year-olds which, to me, just means 2 1/2 less hours I have to run errands this week. I am cranky about this and am considering boycotting the field trip tomorrow. We'll see.
2. I do not like projects sent home to promote family together time...In my opinion (and Carrie's too I know) they are just homework for mom. Never once has our whole family sat down to work on a sparkly turkey for one of the kids. It is just the child and mom. We spend plenty of time each day reading, writing and various other activities...that don't include glue or glitter.
3. Entitlement. This one has been brewing for a week. At the school carnival I manned the jump house for a bit. It was chaotic. Moon jumps are not a great place for big kids and little kids to be at the same time.
So...there was a family who came up and had 3 big kids and one little one. The little one wanted to jump. Her older brother brought her up as the rest of the family sat back and watched. She handed me her 3 tickets and started toward the door to the bouncer. Then the mom, watching carefully, motions for the brother to go in with her. I'm certain she was concerned with her daughter's safety...I would have been too, but...the son did not pay for his turn, and it was clear they had no intention for him to. Now, one might say maybe they couldn't afford more tickets for their son. My response would be...then they shouldn't be shopping at upscale stores (which they obviously did) so they can pay the 75 cents for the PTA fundraiser moon jump! I'm just sayin'...
4. One last thing...trophies. It has taken me 6 years to build up the courage for this one. Why is it that we pay through the nose for our kids to participate in a sporting or dance activity and then at the end of the season spend another $7.50 to pat them on the back for a job well done? I do not understand this.
In Rachel's new room there is a shelf. As we unpacked I realized how many trophies had been purchased purely because of peer pressure. Trophies that she cared NOTHING about. I put up about 5 but she had many other collectibles and pictures of friends that she wants on her shelf so about $60 worth of trophies are now in a box in her closet--waiting to be thrown away at some point.
So when Rachel came home from her game on Saturday with a note from the team mom about the trophies I gave Rachel a choice. I told her I'd get her the trophy if she wanted one--OR--she could take the cash. She agreed that the trophies don't really mean anything to her and so she decided that taking the cash was a pretty good idea.
I emailed the team mom to tell her not to order a trophy for Rachel. She replied back and said she wouldn't...then a few hours later I got another email from her telling us how great she thought Rachel was and what a hard worker she was on the team and asked if we would be offended if she "purchased a trophy for Rachel to recognize her efforts."
It made me laugh. At first I thought--Hey free trophy--just kidding... I emailed this kind woman back explaining that Rachel had made the choice to take the cash rather than the trophy and thanked her for her kind words. I'm sure she and whomever else she's told either think we are horrible parents for making our child be the only one on the team to not receive a piece of junk soccer trophy--or they are really feeling bad for our sad financial situation and we will be the recipients of a fabulous "Sub for Santa" this year!
I don't know...maybe it is because I never received a trophy in all my days of dance and tennis and I'm just disgruntled and taking it out on my 10-year-old. She'll get over it right?
Wait...I do have a ribbon from my first place in the stick pull at our Stake Track meet when I was about 13...AND...was a member of my high school Drill Team--which got 1st place at the National Competition my Senior year--GO ACCADIANS!!
7 comments:
AMEN to all posted grumblings.
I second the motion to cancel all trophies, unless absolutely warranted. For example: undefeated season, you won a million dollars, etc. I'm convinced the trophies on Andrew's shelf are half the reason he has winter allergies from the dust on them.
Girl. I totally feel your pain on every one of these items. Also, I hate the snacks for sports events. After a 45 minute volleyball game at 9:00 everyone NEEDS a bag of tiny oreos and a caprisun? Then bring your own for your own kid. The family project just about sends me into orbit. How about if we decide on family projects and the teachers decide on projects done at school? I'm just sayin'.
I am so with you!!!! Don't go on the field trip and feel no guilt!!!!
Haha. I was cracking up the whole time. Guess where my trophies are? Sitting in my old bedroom at my parent's house. Why? Because I don't give a crap. Kids don't care about that stuff.
I never knew!!! I love it! I love an opinionated woman, as you might notice from my blog. I am with you on all the issues, especially the trophy and may I add team pictures. I spent 12.00 on Adams soccer pictures and she handed the 5 X 7 picture to me in a snapfish envelope where she had it developed for .99. Let us know if you sent seth to the field trip. Don't you feel better now?
I think the trophie is WHY Hannah and Hayden play anything- just kidding, I think :) Hunter has out grown the trophy, he only gets them now if his team won first place or whatever. He does have a crazy number of them though. I too hate the snacks after the game it's usually junk after an 8:30 am game, whatever. Love the grumblings!
I completely agree with you on all your points. Now I'm just thinking that if their are 7 of us who responded in the affirmative to your posts, then there must be more women out there that feel the same way we do, and if so, then it just boggles my mind why as mothers we have to live in this crazy chaos of "extras" that come in the form of extra home work, meetings, and trophies. In fact I was laughing when I found that Dustin's whole soccer team got trophies, when in fact they didn't even keep score the whole season! WHAT are they trying to teach our kids!!! A big eyeball roll here. I'm also not thrilled with the "field days" at school where they don't really compete with each other because goodness me, if anyone wins then everyone else feels miserable. I think to myself, isn't that what makes us want to do better??? Anyway, your post was funny but sooooooo very true!
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