I was reading a local paper last week and saw an article about a special event in the park for "pets and their partners." At first I thought, "Dogs are marrying each other? Or are people marrying their pets?" Then I realized that it must not be nice to say, "dogs and their owners" anymore. I was not aware of this!
Here's another thing I had no idea about . . .
Middle Child took a Families & Communities college class last semester. This course material will really come in handy some day, if she should ever be a teacher to a preschooler with a disability who was adopted, with two moms who don't speak English, and a biological father in jail. Also, if she has a preschooler who is homeless (not sure how they are paying for preschool) and the parents believe in spanking and do not respond to your phone calls or e-mails (probably because they are homeless) about alternative discipline strategies.
Anyhoo, besides the usual dogma about not offending anyone with holiday celebrations, the book repeatedly mentioned the evils of celebrating Mother's or Father's Day in the classroom. This was a new one to me. I guess it's wrong to make special gifts or cards when one or two kids in the classroom do not have a mother or father in their lives. I'm not sure what happened to just giving the card to another relative or family friend. It's not like everybody has a grandparent to invite when it is Grandparent Day at school.
According to the book, you get to celebrate Earth Day and Valentine's Day, and that's it! Although I'm sure Valentine's Day is offensive to plenty of people.
were the dogs offended by being "owned"? This is getting a little out of hand.
ReplyDeleteIt cracks me up to think about it! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteGREAT post and I LOVE your post title, it's flawless!
ReplyDeleteYes, this whole 'politically correct' thing is getting waaaaaay out of hand. I mean, you're always walking on egg shells in fear of saying the 'wrong thing' because god forbid you offend anyone.
" the book repeatedly mentioned the evils of celebrating Mother's or Father's Day in the classroom. This was a new one to me."
Yes, that's exactly what I mean. And also, do we say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays?"
And as far as Mother's or Father's Day, many people who don't have parents have substitute parents (like a close friend) who are LIKE a parent to them. Therefore, they can celebrate those holidays just as much as anyone else.
Again, great post, my friend!!!!!
X
Glad you enjoyed it, Ron! I hate slurs against people based on race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, etc. but I find it a bit much when a teacher has to cater to one or two kids in the classroom. I never expected that sort of treatment for my daughter with autism. Life isn't always equal and fair!
DeleteGuardian Day? I am wearing an Earth Day bracelet as we speak! Just because I like the colors.
ReplyDeleteLegal Guardian Day would be offensive because no one likes to be guarded. Let's call it Loving Caretaker Day.
Deleteyeah, i've gotta story juicing up for release soon about the next church we're about to leave. It includes kudos for Mothers Day when the assistant pastor got up and said "Happy Mother's day to all you Mothers but we apologize profusely to all of those hurting today .... " and then went on to, at brutal length, detail nearly every condition know to humans that might cause one to dislike Mothers Day. t really was a case of "We're sorry we're forced to say this, but Happy Mothers Day. A terrible no-good-rotten day".
ReplyDeleteBut the Senior Pastor stepped right up and said "Happy Mothers day, but only if you husbands go home and clean the house and wash the dishes. Otherwise it will be a miserable Mothers Day".
And that was it. It's not the only reason we're looking again but ....
Oh dear. I get a gift every year at my church! Unnecessary, but now I'll appreciate it even more!
Deleteastonishing how things turn, eh?
DeleteOMG we're getting ridiculous! I don't know how teachers keep up with it. Someone said every time you have an event now, you get a list of things that can't be present in the food you bring due to all the allergies kids now have. I don't know how any of us survived a childhood full of gluten.
ReplyDeleteI've heard some schools no longer allow the birthday child to bring in a treat. I wonder how many of these kids have actually been tested for allergies. The blood work and skin tests are brutal.
Deletethose schools do, indeed, exist. locally many schools require you to use only food/cake from the cafeteria or for a for-profit business with insurance so that there is someone to sue if anyone gets ill. it became all the rage just around the time we stopped taking goodies in for our daughters birthdays. amazing world we live in.
DeleteAn' why should Earth get a day, when Venus and Mars don't? Martians and Venusians can get offended too, y'know. . . An' heck, Pluto got kicked out of the planet-club altogether. . .
ReplyDeleteI do feel sorry for Pluto.
Deleteevery time my dog starts to think he's my 'equal' a size 10 in the backside refreshes his memory.
ReplyDelete(this method of clarification is also useful on dickheads who go overboard with political correctness)
Ouch!
DeleteActually here in our house is not dog and his owner, but rather dog and who he owns :)
ReplyDeleteIt gets kind of ridiculous with what you can say, what you can't celebrate, what you can celebrate, etc. I know from when the kids started school until they finished it, they went from a party for all holidays to one party a year and that was usually the end of the year party.
I have to say about Mother's/Father's Day, this tugs at me just a bit only because my dad died so young so when we were making Father's Day cards at school (our school always got out mid June and one of the last activities I'm sure to keep us busy was to make a Father's Day card). I never had anyone to give it to because we lived 3000 miles away from our family and didn't have a lot of family friends that I had an attachment to the dads, make sense? I used to hate to make the card, would do it because it was an assignment, but I don't think the card ever made it home. However, in doing the curriculum for the kids last week for the 3/4 year olds, I did it on the 10 commandments, focused a bit on the honor the father/mother one and emphasized even if they didn't have an earthly father (but I didn't say earthly, I said a father they didn't see or have around) they still had a wonderful Heavenly Father. That would never fly in the political correctness society we live in, but worked quite nicely at church :)
betty
I'm sorry you were faced with that, Betty. Did your Mom ever talk to you about it? I would hope that parents these days would be sensitive to the fact that these things are going to come up if they are in unique situations like that, so that their child is prepared.
DeleteTrue story- after Dad passed ( I was 11) we had an art teacher do the Fathers day thing and I chose to make one for Mom 'cuz, ya know, she was Mom and Dad at once. Mom understood, the art teacher got cranky at first but eventually got over it.
DeleteWow, the US is well ahead of Britain here (if ahead is the right word). I've never heard of pets and their partners, and I've never heard of all the Mother's Day/ Father's Day restrictions. I'm all in favour of considering other people's sensitivities, but it so often goes over the top. Referring to "people with diabetes" for instance, when many see nothing wrong with the term diabetic.
ReplyDeleteYes, that's the 'people first' language (because you are a person before your disability). I think it's appropriate in some cases, but I wasn't aware that it was being used for diseases like diabetes.
DeleteMy grandson's birthday party was at an arcade in the mall this year. He wanted to invite a couple of his buddies from school. Unless the entire class was going to be invited, he wasn't allowed to give just his friends the information... like at lunch or during free time. All or none. Since my daughter didn't have private addresses, she had to send invites in for everyone. Really, I think only the few he wanted in the first place came...but I can imagine the bill for pizzas and wrist bands for unlimited gaming if the whole class and their parents showed up.
ReplyDeleteI was in charge of picking up cupcakes for his class one time too and there were rules... no sprinkles or toppings of any kind. Only icing. WTH?
Pets and their partners... that's a bit much!
I had not heard of birthday party rules like that at a school. It's difficult to get addresses when your kid doesn't even know last names of some friends!
DeleteI guess you were lucky to be able to bring in cupcakes at all. You know, there are kids with gluten allergies!
Valentine's Day can rub me the wrong way, but I don't get upset because other people enjoy it. Both my parents are gone, so I could make an issue out of those days, too, but I don't. PC is getting a little out of hand...
ReplyDeleteWe can only hope that preschoolers don't have issues with a day of hearts and candy!
DeleteI think we are getting a little too concerned with hurting others feelings. I think it is important to learn as kids that some things in our lives are different that other kids and it may not seem fair but that is how life is. To tip toe around things just to avoid hurting someone is just ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteThose are my feelings too. It's seems like we are now punishing the majority.
DeletePersonally, I hate Valentine's Day so I wouldn't mind seeing it stricken. But it seems they have lost all sense about it. Why not celebrate mother's day and talk to the kids about different mother figures in their lives? Ditto father's day.And the dog thing is pure silliness. Dogs are not partners with their owners That's just creepy.
ReplyDeleteThe dog thing is completely wack, although I've been seeing people waaaay too into their dogs lately!
DeleteThat's definitely true. And again, creepy.
DeleteOh man, those would have me scratching my noggin as well. When you said Earth Day was permitted, I had to laugh in remember a story about celebrating Earth Day by peeing in the shower--water conservation and all. Think I'll skip that--for the sanity of the others that reside with me.
ReplyDeleteI had not heard that one, although someone on an Internet forum argued with me once that EVERYONE peed in the shower. They said I was a liar if I said I didn't!
DeletePets and their partners?!
ReplyDeleteIt's a slippery slope. Soon we'll be dining out and the chef will "match us up with" the perfect pasta. Just watch...
I already hate it when Amazon makes suggestions for me!
Delete