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Yes, I am pretty much OK with all the other holidays. We are selective with the toys we buy our kids because I think a lot of toys do nothing to promote creativity and development, so they may not receive the most popular item for Christmas.
Yes, I am pretty much OK with all the other holidays. We are selective with the toys we buy our kids because I think a lot of toys do nothing to promote creativity and development, so they may not receive the most popular item for Christmas.
I think it's smart to be selective with toys. I also think it's an approach that works best when tempered with common sense and without judgment.
With 3 boys ranging in age from 11-18, I have tried most things and failed at many. To me, toys and the influence of popular culture should be viewed kind of like eating, the old 80-20 rule, where you "eat right" 80% of the time but allow yourself treats other times.
So we gave our kids plenty of educational toys but also let them have stuff that, in our naivete, we once eschewed as an evil influence (i.e. Xbox).
It didn't kill them.
I guess my bottom line is that toys can and should mirror your family philosophy, and if you just make it a toy and not a lifestyle commentary, your kids will view it that way too.
One, almost three, and my nephew who is like my kid is five.
Well, a 3-year-old is barely aware of Halloween anyway.
Like I said, your child will follow your lead. And believe me when I say kids, especially smart kids, quickly ascertain when they are being brainwashed with stuff that is only "good for you." They get tired of it and can become very jaded about any messages from you. Sometimes a kid is just supposed to have (age-appropriate) fun.
I encourage you to reconsider your position that you are THE MOST qualified person to teach your child, especially if it is to the exclusion of all other potential teachers. IMHO, education should be about investigating and considering all possibilities, not brushing away most before even examining them.
OP- We parent is a very similar way to you. No Easter, Tooth Fairy, Halloween, Christmas, etc here (We do celebrate Birthdays and Hanukkah). My kids are 9, 8 and 6. We homeschool as well. So i get it from your POV.
For the homeschooling argument- socialization is not all school should be about and you DO NOT have to have a teaching degree to homeschool. HSLDA.org can explain every states homeschooling laws for those interested. There are groups, co-Ops, activities, sports, etc kids can get involved in. We are not hermit crabs.
For no halloween/holidays. (for us it was religious and personal choice) but just because Sally and Tom dont know the Easter Bunny or need to dress like Elsa like 1000000 other little girls for Halloween, doesnt mean they aren't nurtured or growing otherwise. Sure you can argue tons of kids grow up, its part of childhood, your parents did it, etc but its not hurting YOU in any way for OUR (op, i and many others) children to not believe or do these things. We respect your thoughts and opinions. I DO teach my children that not everyone believes the same as us. EX: " Sue may believe Santa will bring her a present and its not our job to tell her otherwise, people believe different things " RATHER THAN " Santa isnt real! " <-- see the RESPECT there?
My daughter is 3 and we just did her first trick or treat. I am not big into Halloween but we do have some fun with it.
We don't do the Scary part, we dress her up in something cute, carve some pumpkins and go trick or treating in our neighborhood. At my work they let me dress up on Halloween and I went in a Prison Inmate uniform.
You can still do Halloween without all the Gore, scary monsters and demons part.
OP, don't do Halloween if you don't want to. It's not that big a deal.
Your kids live a life outside of Halloween right? So do other people's kids. Just like no one knows how happy or healthy your kids are just because you don't take them trick or treating, you don't know how healthy or happy other people's kids are because they do. It's just one night, and there are a lot of ways to celebrate it... Or not. It's all good.
My mom broke her hip and is recovering in a rehabilitation hospital. Lots of kids came through the patients' rooms trick or treating. It put a smile on mom's face for a few hours. I'm sure some of the parents took the opportunity to talk to their kids about the patients they visited. So I think with a little thought, a lot of good can come from Halloween!
I understand what you are saying, OP. I'm an atheist and have been since 7. I don't like the celebration of horror and of fright. When I was in High School it was shocking to see that the students in one of my classes who were regular church goers loved horror movies and discuss them. I never liked horror and blood.
But as a little kid I loved to go out trick or treating. It was cool to finally not be chaperoned by mom and dad, but only by older siblings. And the candy was nice.
These days I am a nutrition fanatic - cut out my sugar habit cold turkey back in April. Lost body fat while still working out with weights to maintain strength. For me, treats are very rare, like a bar of gold. So that it's every few months that to get a dessert. About 5 weeks ago a gal friend and I had frozen yogurt. All refined sugary stuff. I went all out. But I think there is no danger of falling off the wagon. My abs look great and my tone and muscularity is great - I'm no bodybuilder but am happy with definition on my shoulders and waist and biceps in my mid 50s. Cannot go back to the habit of junk food. My better health and looks are my own reward that keeps me off that habit!
I read this entire thread. Where are all these so called people who are demonizing Halloween? It seems like every person who replied was in favor of it. The only thing that has changed is schools have gotten politically correct and don't allow "Halloween" parties but allow "Harvest" parties. However, outside of schools, Halloween has become increasingly celebrated each year. It's much bigger now that it ever was as kids. Because now, people's parents celebrate Halloween and dress up with their kids. When we were kids trick or treating, you never saw a parent dress up. If a parent dressed up, those parents were not viewed favorably and it wasn't accepted. Now, the majority of parents dress up or wear some type of hat or shirt with a theme. And have you noticed how every community has a haunted house? Haunted houses are a dime or dozen. They used to be rare where your downtown had an urban haunted house. Now, the overzealous neighbor down the street will spend a few thousand dollars and turn his house into the ultimate haunted house.
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