Christmas Rant.
>> Thursday, December 17, 2009
Hey everyone!
So, I have a Christmas rant.
Most of you know I work for an afterschool program. The age group that is "my kids" are the kindergartners and first graders. On Tuesday the kindergartners were not listening, so after asking Sara I told them I knew Santa's phone number and that Santa and I were BFFs. The kids TOTALLY bought it, and even though I had a "naughty list", anyone who was on it was removed and told they were going to have nothing but good things said about them to Santa Claus!
Apparantly, one of the children didn't get that they was no longer on "the list". This child went home, cried to their Mommy that they were afraid that I didn't give Santa a good word about them. The child's Mom sent a letter to Sara and I. She said she would "appreciate it if we would remove the Santa threat." We had to explain to ALL the kids that what I did was in jest, and that I don't actually have Santa's phone number, and the "Santa" I called was Joe and he was just playing along.
The situation kinda ticked me off, and ruined my day (well, not completely! One of my kiddos brought me a Christmas gift)! The fact that this child is SO sensitive about fictional characters (tooth fairy, Santa, the Easter bunny, etc) and possibly everything else, I don't want even say anything to them anymore! Like if I say anything while joking around that they're going to run home crying to Mommy because their feelings were hurt! UGH!
When I was in kindergarten and misbehaving around Christmastime, my Mom totally used the "I'm going to tell Santa that you're being bad" thing! She even told me that Santa would tell the Easter bunny I was misbehaving! I didn't get my feelings hurt, I went along with it and I behaved!
When did we get to the point where parents are way too overprotective of their kids and making them into a bunch of sissies? This child got so worked up over being on the "naughty list" that they made a bigger issue of it then what it really was. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I know MANY parents use the Santa threat and it works like a charm! I think this particular Mother overreacted.
If I knew this was going to cause such a problem, and it blowing up in my face I wouldn't have done it! I guess this is a learning experience. :/
So I ask you:
Did your parents use the "Santa threat" when you were misbehaving as a kid?
Later Days!
Dani
3 comments:
Hmmm I don't remember....I think that the whole "Better watch out" song was enough of a threat to behave at Christmas time!
It sounds like, in this case, it's not the 5 year old child overreacting, but their mom. She just has to accept that the way the center chooses to handle rambunctious kids isn't always going to be the way she would choose to. If she wants to micro-manage the way their child's behavior is addressed, she could choose to actually raise her child herself rather than leaving him/her with strangers at a daycare center for hours on end.
Sorry for hi-jacking your rant. I'm right there with you. lol
I have the same age group at my job!!!
I used the santa threat once last month..haha it went like this "Friends, it is a big priviledge for us tobe allowed to drink hot chocolate during the movie, but I need to let you know that if you spill it on the new carpet I will be calling santa, so please be careful"
..not ONE cup spilled...absolute miracle!
Kids are so spoiled they havent been taught the logic behind things, they just spaz out and have mommy and daddy bail them out of EVERYTHING.
One of the older girls had an earing fall off and she gave it to me to hold onto BEFORE the christmas break (stupid pink claire's 2 cent thing) and I told her it was HER responsibility to remind me before she went home to give it to her. She forgot. I actually kept it in my purse the WHOLE break *i put it in a little baggie* and when we came back in january she forgot to ask me again the first day back. The next day her mom came and interrupted me while I was talking to some kids to ask me about the earing (RI-freaking-DICULOUS) she was all pissed about an earing that she should have THANKED me for keeping track of!!! I gave it to her and she just stormed off like it was such a huge ordeal she had to come down and ask me- when #1 her daughter is perfectly capable of asking herself and #2 I could have said NO and made the girl put it in her pocket so she could lose it herself!!!
working with angry parents is the worst! Especially when I feel like I'm a better parent at extended day then they are at home!!!
Shayla, isn't that the truth?! We spend so much time with the kids that I'm starting to wonder who's the parent!
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