Snowballs

A couple days ago my son got in trouble at school.  He was TERRIFIED to tell me.  They made him write the above note and bring it home for me to sign.  Sigh…

I ask you this - what the hell are we doing to our kids these days?  Why can’t we let them be kids?  Why do we have to raise a bunch of wussies??

Seriously, when I was little we’d actually PLAY on the playground.  You’d run, jump, twist on the swings, hang from the monkey bars, play tag and football, and yes…have a snowball fight.  But apparently, because someone can get “hurt”, many of these things are no longer allowed.  No wonder kids don’t want to do anything but sit in front of a TV or play video games.  They don’t know HOW to frickin’ play!  We have sheltered them so much that they are afraid to try new things.  They are afraid they might fall and get hurt because WE tell them they will.  WHY!!!!  Falling down and getting back up is a part of life.  Trying new things is important.  Scrapes, scratches, even broken bones…that’s a part of growing up.  Why teach kids to be afraid of play?  Why teach them to be afraid of the world in general?  Yes, the world can be a scary place, but sometimes we create our own fear for absolutely no reason.  I don’t think keeping them wrapped in bubble wrap is going to help them in the future.

I'm still in shock.  I can’t believe you can’t have a snowball fight on school grounds.  It's not like he pinned someone down and was pelting them with snowball after snowball.  It was a group of boys, dodging, weaving and running.  And no, I’m not saying putting rocks or chunks of ice in your snowball is ok.  But seriously?  A measly 9-year old size handful of snow??  He is not even allowed to pick up any snow on the ground.  CAN'T EVEN TOUCH IT!  Ugh.

Many will think I’m being a poor parent because I told him that I don’t see anything wrong with a snowball fight.  I DID in fact tell him that sometimes schools have rules that don’t make any sense, and even though his mom might not agree with the rule, he still has to follow it.  And it KILLED me to tell him he had to do that.  But for the sake of our stupid wussie over-paranoid society (and to keep him from getting suspended), I did.

However, as I discussed with someone last night, I will make sure he has ample time to work on his snowball throwing in our backyard so when the shit goes down, he will be ready.  And he will kick some serious ass when “the man” stops repressing his need to be a child.