Political Correctness ruins another holiday.....

[MsLeFever]

Papa D you need to come to this side of the state! My DD (preschool) and DS (2nd grade) are both having V-day parties this month!

I'm glad that our preschool has Christmas, Easter, Valentines, Halloween parties. I'd be glad if they had even more - cause when you are a Pre-schooler - parties are the best thing in the world!

 

[chobie]

I think there already seems to be a proper mix these days (at least in sports). Around here, most sports have two levels of play -- "travelling" teams and "recreational" teams. The travel squads are ultra competitive and the rec leagues focus a little more on having fun. They usually still keep score and all that, but it's usually not as intense.

I agree and I think its a good thing. When I was four years old they did not have any organized sports for kids that young anyway.

I think its becoming politically correct to complain about being politically correct.

 

[chobie]

This is off topic. The original Post is not to debate SAHM to WORKING mom's, there have been enough of those threads.

He said he did not have a choice and I was pointing out that he did. If that upsets you...oh well.

 

[chobie]

I actually think there is more! or maybe it seems like more because there are more people? We had cliques, but nothing like I see wit my kids now. We had bullies, but I can only remember 1 boy that always was getting in fights. High school was more the in crowd than elementary school was.

We did all the fun things, we had Christmas (and got to sing real Christmas songs too), we dressed for Halloween and got lots of candy, we did Valentines Day, don't think we HAD to give to everyone (I remeber making sure the boys got the yuckier cards and the girls got the cute ones..and of course my friends got the best) We played games and had winners and losers. Amazingly I am not in therapy, I have not been tramatized by my childhood, it was not always great, but it made me the person I am today. (and I happen to think I'm pretty terrific)

So, do you think if your parents had put you on a non-scoring team as a small child, or you had not been able to celebrate those holidays in school you would be in therapy and would not be the person you are today?

Personally, I don't think it makes much of a difference in the long run. The point of school parties is to give the kids a break from the routine and whatever they call it the kids are happy for it IMO.

 

[Planogirl]

So, do you think if your parents had put you on a non-scoring team as a small child, or you had not been able to celebrate those holidays in school you would be in therapy and would not be the person you are today?

Personally, I don't think it makes much of a difference in the long run. The point of school parties is to give the kids a break from the routine and whatever they call it the kids are happy for it IMO.

I agree with this when it comes to the little kids. However, when they get a bit older I think that it's important to learn about losing and rejection as tough as these are to deal with. These things are a part of life and they get much worse than not getting a valentine or losing a volleyball game.

 

[chobie]

I agree with this when it comes to the little kids. However, when they get a bit older I think that it's important to learn about losing and rejection as tough as these are to deal with. These things are a part of life and they get much worse than not getting a valentine or losing a volleyball game.

I thought this thread was about a PRE-SCHOOL party. But even when they get older, is it the school's responsiblity to teach kids how to deal with romantic rejection?

As for the sports teams:

THERE ARE BOTH KINDS OF TEAMS OUT THERE!

 

[poohandwendy]

I guess my question is why? Why 'fix' something that is not broken? Valentines Day is a tradition, nothing religious or insidious about it. Preschool children are not sexual or romantic anyways. They get a Valentines Day card from their friends and naturally see it as a friendship thing. So why put a new name on it? I think that is just confusing, to be honest.

Call it a Friendship Day party (even though the first sunday of August has already been marked as Friendship Day)...but the kids know it is Valentines Day and will inevitably be handing out Valentines Day cards and candy to their classmates.

So, what is the point? I just do not see making changes like that without valid reason and I cannot come up with one. Maybe someone can explain it to me?

 

[arminnie]

A couple of years ago I read an article about a rash of suicides among college freshmen. One of the theories was that these young people, having spent their childhoods encouraged, promoted, and exalted, could not handle the pressure of a university system, where there were thousands of students, each just as "special" as the other. Without constant reinforcement of their own worth, they could hardly function.

I once worked for a company that only hired the top, top students out of college. Then they put these new hires through a very rigorous training program (that not all passed).

Some of these students had NEVER failed or even struggled with anything in their life. While we fortunately did not have any suicides, I did watch some come completely unglued. One actually took a hostage and threatened harm - police had to come.

I'm not advocating that we teach children to "be failures" but learning how to accept failure or not winning all of the time is just part of life.

 

[chobie]

I guess my question is why? Why 'fix' something that is not broken? Valentines Day is a tradition, nothing religious or insidious about it. Preschool children are not sexual or romantic anyways. They get a Valentines Day card from their friends and naturally see it as a friendship thing. So why put a new name on it? I think that is just confusing, to be honest.

Call it a Friendship Day party (even though the first sunday of August has already been marked as Friendship Day)...but the kids know it is Valentines Day and will inevitably be handing out Valentines Day cards and candy to their classmates.

So, what is the point? I just do not see making changes like that without valid reason and I cannot come up with one. Maybe someone can explain it to me?

I don't know the point of it is either. But, does making a big deal about it have a point either? Why care either way? It's a silly class party whatever you call it.

 

[roque]

.......MERRY CHRISTMAS....AND I WANT A CHRISTMAS TREE...WITH CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS.... i just ignore it pc for the most part is stupid

 

[C.Ann]

I guess my question is why? Why 'fix' something that is not broken? Valentines Day is a tradition, nothing religious or insidious about it. Preschool children are not sexual or romantic anyways. They get a Valentines Day card from their friends and naturally see it as a friendship thing. So why put a new name on it? I think that is just confusing, to be honest.

Call it a Friendship Day party (even though the first sunday of August has already been marked as Friendship Day)...but the kids know it is Valentines Day and will inevitably be handing out Valentines Day cards and candy to their classmates.

So, what is the point? I just do not see making changes like that without valid reason and I cannot come up with one.

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I agree 100%..

And for those who don't think all of these name changes (not just Valentine's Day - but everything else that needs to be changed due to PC) aren't a "big deal" - you might want to call some of the bigger greeting card companies and see how they feel about having to go in an entirely different direction with their titled cards and marketing because Valentine's Day now must be "Friendship Day" - Thanksgivng must be "Harvest Festival" - Christmas must be "Winter Holiday" - and on and on..

It's worked fine for years and years - why not leave it alone?

 

[Ziva]

I don't know the point of it is either. But, does making a big deal about it have a point either? Why care either way? It's a silly class party whatever you call it.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm not advocating that we teach children to "be failures" but learning how to accept failure or not winning all of the time is just part of life.

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I totally agree.. Right now we're going through the tortures of heck trying to impress on my DGD that she does not have to be "perfect" in everything.. It's okay to make mistakes - we've all made them and we've all survived..

 

[poohandwendy]

I don't know the point of it is either. But, does making a big deal about it have a point either? Why care either way? It's a silly class party whatever you call it.

Honestly, this is not a huge, big deal to me. But, for the sake of argument...why have traditions at all if we are going to change them into something else? Why have a celebration on a specific holiday, but ignore or eliminate or rename the holiday? Calling a Feb 14th party a Friendship day party...but remember to wear your pink, red or white? Pahlease. What the heck is the point? Why bother at all?

The students are smarter than the adults these days. For goodness sakes, the psuedo psychology used when making these decisions is lacking any substance. Really, is this about the kids or about the adults who just cannot seem to get over childhood disappointments themselves and have decided kids need sheltered from encountering them?

 

[LaLa]

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Lots of kids wear designer clothes and others don't.. Should we make a rule that designer clothes aren't allowed because everyone doesn't have the same thing?

They already have. It's called the School Uniform.

 

[bcvillastwo]

Slowly, the special days I knew as a kid are disappearing and/or changing. Is this bad? I don't know whether's its bad or not, but at a minimum it's different and we all have problems with change.

Is it political correctness? Maybe, probably, who really knows for sure? If we are having a "friendship day" instead of Valentines Day in an effort to sooth hurt feelings, well that's a laudable goal, it's even a worthy goal, but it's not going to change anything and it could make matters worse.

Lets face it, not all of arrive on the planet with all of the marbles. Some us are better looking, others smarter, others better athletes, etc. Some are born with host of good qualities while others aren't. Still others are born into wealth, but others are born poor.

There are many things about life that simply don't seem fair. Changing the focus of a holiday isn't likely to change things appreciably. As to making matters worse. Yes, we should do everything we can to build esteem, particulary in children. But, esteem by itself may not get someone very far once they get out of school and are faced with the real world.

Encouraging each other is the right thing to do, but if it's done falsely just so people feel good about themselves then a myth is being created that may not have any basis in truth. For example, letting a child believe that they are really good at something when they are really in fact just average or worse potentially sets up a whole host of problems.

I believe our collective efforts to build esteem are going to cause serious problems for those who believe the lie, but still have to fend for themselves in the real world. (For the record, I wish the world wasn't the way it is. I wish those that are smarter, better looking, more athletic, etc. would realize that they had absolutely nothing to do with getting their wonderful gifts. I wish those born into weatlh and priviledge would realize that they had absolutly nothing to do with their lot in life. But, as a realist I have to look around me and accept the truth of what I see for it has always been this way and it is very likely going to stay this way.)

 

[jekajekalynn]

This thread rocks!!!! We've managed to cover every debate from sahm's to childrens sports... Come on people!!! SOME ONE has to bring up mug refills!! *grabs some more popcorn*

 

[chobie]

Maybe someone should alert Bill O'Reilly that there is a war against Valentine's Day in our nation's pre-schools.

 

[poohandwendy]

Maybe someone should alert Bill O'Reilly that there is a war against Valentine's Day in our nation's pre-schools.

Nah, I'll leave the whistleblowing to the types of ninnies who would take time out of their day to think up a new name for a benign holiday, for the 'sake of the kids'.

 

[C.Ann]

This thread rocks!!!! We've managed to cover every debate from sahm's to childrens sports... Come on people!!! SOME ONE has to bring up mug refills!! *grabs some more popcorn*

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Okay - I'll bite.. Now think about it.. What is going to happen if you allow your child to bring a refillable mug from a previous trip and some grumpy CM stops them dead in their tracks and says, "You can't use that mug! I know it's from a previous trip!!!"

Imagine the disappointment your child is going to feel.. It's going to cost thousands of dollars for therapy as opposed to twelve bucks or so for the new mug.. "Oh my - what to do, what to do.. I must shelter my child from any and all disappointments in life - but - gee - twelve bucks is twelve bucks!"

Disappointment is a HUGE part of life, but in respect to this particular topic - Valentine's Day - I have yet to see one single person post that a teacher has said, "You are free to give Valentine's Day cards only to those classmates that you like.."

Everyone gets a card - everyone is happy - and in just case no one has noticed, those cards say, "Happy Valentine's Day" - not "Happy Friendship Day"..

It ain't broke - don't fix it..