Disneyland Family 5K -2014

Disneyland Family 5K -2014

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Bunch of savages in this town...

Happy All Saints Day!  Have you recovered from your sugar high yet?  I'm still cruising along on mine, at least for another week or two, I think.

A few tidbits from this most recent "holiday"....

"Please, take 1" and "Please take 2 pieces."  As we wandered my brother and sister-in-law's neighborhood last night, we came upon several houses with bowls or cauldrons placed on chairs or on the porch, with a sign for trick-or-treaters to just "take 1."  Sadly, when B got to many of the bowls, they were empty.  While I do not know how much candy was in the bowl when the evening started, I do know that we weren't out that late and while I saw several roving bands of ghosts and goblins, there were by no means huge masses of kids.  So where did the candy go?  My guess is that it went directly into the bags of a few select hooligans, who opted to just take the entire bowl and the rest of the kids be damned.  Cynical?  Yes, probably.  But I believe that the homeowners who left the bowls did so with the best of intentions and were instead taken advantage of by a few select ne'er do wells who decided to steal from others. 

"You're a Blockhead, Charlie Brown!"  A few days ago, I shared an article on my Facebook page that mentioned a blog where a parent lamented the viewing of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and asked if it was not time to retire the show.  He claimed that the bullying by the other kids of Good ol' Charlie Brown was not appropriate in today's society and that it had no redeeming qualities for kids.  I heartily disagree.  I think that the show is a perfect opportunity for parents to teach their children what is right and wrong, and also to simply enjoy a tiny slice of their own childhood.  I still believe that parenting needs to start at home, and parents need to stop asking society to do their jobs, by removing any trace of violence or unpleasantness from the television.  That dad needs a several reality check if he believes that his children are not already fully aware of how the world works.  It is up to him to help them parse through the details and figure out the right and wrong of things.  Circling back to my candy thieves above, where were the parents on this one?  I wonder - if your child is old enough to go out trick or treating without you, are they too old to trick or treat?  An interesting thought to ponder.  I have to assume that any kids dumping large handfuls of candy into their bags from a bowl left unattended would likely be doing so without parental supervision.  Unless the parents were the ones grabbing the candy.

Then there was the guy roaming through the neighborhood in his golf cart, full of self-importance.  But I don't think I'll go there today.

In the meantime, just 21 days until we sit around the table and stuff ourselves with turkey and all of the trimmings, only to run it off that night, beginning at midnight or 2 a.m. or 4 a.m. in our quest for the perfect gift.  In case you are wondering, yes, I am already listening to holiday music.  Yes, I have already started my holiday shopping and have toys on layaway for the girls.  Yes, I stuff myself on Thanksgiving with way too much food and even more pie and dessert.  Yes, I shop on Black Friday, although I do love my sleep and tend not to go out too early in the morning, unless there is something I absolutely can't live without.  This year though, I'll be trying to do a little shopping for those less fortunate, at the same time. 

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