Okay, that is said a little sarcastically. I just finished reading an article stating that Silly Bandz are now being banned in schools. The kids are (omg!) fiddling with them and (oh no!) trading them. And, worst offense of all the kids can (heaven forbid!) get their feelings hurt if they don't have the right ones!PUHLEEZE! I am so tired of schools trying to make our kids into robots. Where they aren't allowed to be children. I am so tired of schools telling elementary kids...prepare for jr. high, and jr, high kids, prepare for high school...and so on and so on. Then we turn right around and tell them don't grow up too fast! EEK!
As a mother of one grown daughter, one almost grown, and a middle teen I can say, LET THEM BE KIDS! Let them fiddle, trade, and get their feelings hurt! It makes the grow, become better people, helps them to deal with others. No matter how we try to robot-ize the kids, once they get into a real job they are going to wonder why everyone doesn't play fair, why people don't like them just because, and why lots of other things!
Now, please don't think I am cutting down teachers. This couldn't be far from the truth! All of the teachers I know (I have tons of friends who are teachers) feel the same way that I do, but the institutional system, teaching to the test, everyone be the same, comes from administration. I know it.
So, my rant now over here is the site for Silly Bandz and I encourage you to buy your kids TONS of them! Encourage generosity, encourage collecting, encourage creativity...these are tools your kids can really use in their lives. But, if your school is banning them, make it a fun neighborhood activity!
I just read that article on Yahoo about them being banned. The article mentioned Texas, but so far we haven't heard anything from my daughter's school. I couldn't have said this better, I agree 100% with everything you have written here! Even though it is rather annoying to find these bands all over the house, I love that my girls want them. It reminds me of all the silly little things we collected when we were kids. You are only a child once! You better enjoy it....
ReplyDeleteLOL!! This craze just hit my kids' school this Monday- we're a little behind the times because it's a small magnet school. They came home Monday going "Mommy, mommy can we go to Wal-Mart and get silly bands? So and so has these kind, and this girl had those kind and this other kid has glow-in-the-dark ones and EVERYONE has them and oh please can we go get some?" Since I had to take them to the store to get some stuff anyway, I figured I'd use that as an incentive to get them to behave- and it WORKED. They were good in the store and they each got a package of silly bandz (the "real" ones, not the impostors, even at 4 and 6 years old they know the difference!!), and all was right with the world. They wore them all to school on Tuesday, excited to show them to their friends.
ReplyDeleteThey came home on Tuesday with notes saying the bands were no longer allowed in school. The administration certainly didn't waste ANY time passing that rule. I was just like "WTF".
It's ridiculous isn't it. IMO it's just going to encourage 'underground' activity for something as silly as 'silly bands'.
ReplyDeleteThey'll have a new name 'contrabands' hehe.
It's going to teach them 'sneaky' skills, so when they get into junior high they'll have it all down pat. Great idea.
Gina
OH my goodness. I had no idea what the heck these things even were until I read this. I've seen them...i just didn't realize that they were bracelets! I have boys.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that they banned them though, that's so silly.
We have a uniform policy in our city, all the kids have to wear the same shirts so that no one feels left out, like their clothes aren't nice enough etc.
The irony is that the uniform shirts are SO ridiculously priced that even parents who can afford nice clothes are scoffing. ($30 bucks a shirt.)
geeeeeeez.
Did I mention that I homeschool? lol