Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Hazards Of Childhood

Currently Reading:  Finished Liz Crowe's Cheeky Blonde and I really enjoyed this book!  There's flirting, conflict, a little mystery, and it keeps  you scrolling.  So go pick this one up!  Recommended Read.  Print-wise, I began The Truth About Lord Stoneville by Sabrina Jeffries before going to bed last night.  I read this series out of order, so it's nice to finally read the 1st one!


Had a total 'What the hell...??' moment yesterday.  Admittedly, I did not catch all of it, so if you heard the same announcement and I've got some things wrong, please let me know.

Found the article:  Go here to read it.

Here's what I heard on the radio:
New permission slip for kids:
I understand while on this field trip, my child may:
-come into contact with mud
-come into contact with plants/trees/flowers
-get his/her shoes wet
-get get clothing wet/dirty

Are you kidding me?
If my kids go on a field trip, a) I don't send them in their church clothes and b) I expect them to have fun/get dirty.  My oldest son once went with his class to a farm and 'accidentally on purpose' fell in the pond.  I met them back at school with another complete set of clothes and when he got home, we set his shoes outside to dry.

Wait....maybe this is because of an old neighbor of mine?

I think she expected her kids to stay inside all day and not get dirty.  She got mad if they happened to spill anything on their shirts (I watched her kids when her son was in 3rd and daughter in kindergarten).  At a Cub Scout event, they played tug-of-war over a small plastic swimming pool, and afterward, a water fight ensued.  My son is the one who pushed her son into the water.  He came crying to his mom, and she yelled at him for not staying away from the water, then yelled at my son for getting him wet.

Give me a break!

These boys were even on the football team together, everything was fine until her son got (gasp!) grass stains on his football pants.  You'd have thought the world ended.  Hit 'em with a little Shout and they'll come clean!  And she had the same conniption fit when it had rained the night before and her darling got (gasp!) a little mud on his jersey.

You have to let kids be kids and get that chance to be a little dirty/muddy/wet at times.  As adults, we don't get that many chances anymore.  Unless you're into going mudding in a four-wheeler.

Aunt Molly Forgot Her Camera
No pics of yesterday.  But the kids and I had a wonderful afternoon at the water park!  Rode the Lazy River, sat in water up to my elbows and people-watched, threw the dive rings for the girls (and one little boy who wanted to join the fun), and watched the boys go down the slide.

Got to drive my mom's new Dodge Caravan!

Mom and Dad ordered Happy China takeout for dinner, and we left at 8pm.  Am hoping we get to do this again next week and take Miss Alex aka 'Munchkin' aka 'Itsy-Bitsy'.  She'd enjoy the splash park!

I think I'll be joining the HDH fun again tomorrow, so come back again!

12 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow! Really? What in the world are parents teaching their kids these days?! Getting dirty/muddy/wet/grass-stained is all part of kid-dom!

Come on people, get a life!

Anyway, I know your pain as a mother. I'm sure mine felt the same way when I was in 3rd grade and we took a field trip to a dairy farm.

Like your son...I fell in the pond, accidentally...on purpose cause I wanted to see the fishies!

And don't get me started on the time I helped my father birth a breached foal...in my Easter Sunday finest...at the age of 5! (Needless to say, that was the day my mother decided I would probably never be the "little lady" she wanted...)

Tabitha Shay said...

Good grief! This world is falling apart. Kids are kids, let them get dirty, play games and play in the rain...my five year old twin grandsons spray each other with a hose. I love it. It's good and healthy. Much better than sticking them in front of the TV and telling them not to breath the germs...lol...

J.S. Wayne said...

How unbelievably asinine, eight, seven, and SIX! We're so bound and determined to "protect" our kids from the world around them that we're actually breeding a fear of the world into them. "Ewww, I can't touch MUD! Oh, no, I can't play in GRASS!"
W--T--F?
Thanks for the great post, Molly. I really wish people would recognize real dangers and not make up artificial ones.

Unknown said...

Wow..that's just a bit crazy. I love seeing my kids get dirty, unless we're headed to an important event. LOL But their kids that's what they're supposed to do. That person is just a touch out of reality.

Liz Flaherty said...

Don't you imagine it's because some kid probably went home with poison ivy or an allergic reaction and some parents got up in arms? Once you've been yelled at for everything, as anyone who's ever worked in public has, you try to cover all bases no matter how silly it looks.

Melissa Keir said...

Believe it or not...I'm not surprised. Being a teacher we get kids who come to school in uniforms that are completely wrong to falling apart...to the ones who can't get a thing on their clothes. I feel for all those children.

Children need to get dirty. They need to play rough outside and explore the world with their hands. They should have grass stains, dirt on their clothes and I know this is going to come as a shock...those things should be washed!

Somethings like eating dog food, picking your nose, digging up worms, going fishing are all a part of life.

I'll get off my soapbox now. I'm sure my school has those permission slips. I had 17 children last year and three of them couldn't be near each other at any time. Can you imagine that problem in a 10 by 20 size classroom?

Molly Daniels said...

@Margaret: LOL! The Easter my sis and I received hula hoops, we took them outside before church. Mom supposedly told us not to get dirty/stay on the porch. But I took mine into the street and rolled it; my sister stood in the grass and put it around her waist. Mom came out and screeched at us b/c the hem of my long dress was wet, and my sis's stockings were wet to her ankles!

@Tabs: Exactly!

@JS: Definitely! The world is full of REAL danger, not just kids staying clean so it cuts down on housework. And I personally think designer clothes should only be allowed as teens. I know someone who dressed her toddler in Baby Gap, then took them outside after a rainstorm. She got mad at her hubby for putting the child down so she could walk across the parking lot....and promptly got her new shoes wet!

@Amber: I agree with you:)

Molly Daniels said...

@Liz: I can see this if a particular child has allergies or sensitive skin.

@Melissa: Yup, that's hard to keep three people in different places in a room, lol! Too bad two of them couldn't be moved to other classrooms. We had a bullying incident at our school, and the bully was placed in another classroom.

Marianne Stephens said...

Geez...let kids experience the fun of being kids and doing things where they get dirty. That's what soap and water are for!
A warning about getting dirty on field trips? What's next???

Molly Daniels said...

I know; it's crazy!

Unknown said...

Um, I still play in the mud and the rain and the lake. And I do it all without breaking out the 4-wheeler. lol

I'll never understand parents. Y'all are crazy! ;)
-b

Molly Daniels said...

That's why I call this my 'what the hell...' moment!