Halloweenies -- The ghouls of political correctness take the fun out of being a kid

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ^ | Saturday, November 01, 2003 | Francine E. Rose

[Willie Green]

Halloween is over, but I can still see beaming ghosts and goblins, witches and sorcerers, monsters and hip-hop stars parading around outside my local elementary school yesterday. They were the lucky kids; many schools offered only "harvest celebrations" yesterday.

The harvest celebrators saw Halloween as someone else's holiday. When my children were in preschool, both Jewish and Christian schools objected to Halloween. The Jewish preschool teachers explained to me, a Christian, that Halloween celebrated a Christian holiday, All Saint's Day. Though I grew up Catholic, this was news to me, but OK, no Halloween party in Jewish preschool. One year later, in a Christian preschool: no Halloween party because Halloween was a devil-worshipping, Satanic holiday.

[sfRummygirl]

You too!

[sfRummygirl]

Gotcha! Give me a few minutes...

[jedwardtremlett]

Cool. Just keep in mind that I might be logging off soon, and I might not get a chance to read it until tonight, our time. So if you don't hear anything for a few hours more than you might think, it's not because you're being blown off ; )

J

[sfRummygirl]

You got freep mail ;-)

[sfRummygirl]

Please delete #165...I meant to private mail!

[sfRummygirl]

I didn't mean to preach personal on this thread....I don't like doing that. Sorry folks, if Admin moderator doesn't get it off soon....

[nopardons]

My post is factual; unlike the slush you hand off as absolute " fact ". LOL

[sfRummygirl]

Thank you!

[nmh]

"My post is factual; unlike the slush you hand off as absolute " fact ". LOL"

Only in your deams is your rewritten history factual. Dream on.

[nmh]

"My post is factual; unlike the slush you hand off as absolute " fact ". LOL"

Only in your dreams is your rewritten history factual. Dream on.

[nmh]

"Don't trust your neighbors much??"

I don't trust evil people. Neighbor or not.

[Mo1]

BOOO

[nmh]

"You ARE getting the point that I think you're just a little out of touch with how things really work, right? "

No. You are very naive. Possibly still a believer in Santa Claus too or the Easter Bunny?

"If there were human sacrifices going on in England, today, it'd be all over their papers, right next to which britpop star is bonking who and what Prince Harry did last weekend. That there is not is either sign of conspiracy, willful ignorance... or the fact that someone you're reading is wearing tinfoil under their hat."

DO you really think ALL crimes are reported? LOL. Many crimes are NOT printed.

"So do us both a favor. Just tell me which of these books it was, and the page number. A direct quote from that page to back up your assertion would be good, too, but if you can just give me the book I can go from there. "

I've listed my references on my original reply. There are three references - titles and author. I suspect any library would have them or if not go to amazon. They'll have it.

[maxwell]

We live in a community filled with small kids and they were out in full force.

Yep, could hardly get through all the little nippers on the way to the bar Friday night... Cute kids, though.

That is sure funny about H'ween being a "Christian" holiday. The strict conservative religious types I know think that anybody who puts on devil's horns for H'ween is goin' to hell.

[nopardons]

No, pet, facts are immutable; you just don't know many and are incapable of recognizing them. LOL

Your hallucinations and revisionis history may comfort you, in some way; however, you're the one who's deluded and " dreaming "! ;^)

[jedwardtremlett]

I'd believe the Easter Bunny over you, kiddo.

Thanks for wasting our time.

J

[nmh]

Believe whatever feels good. I really don't care one way or the other what you believe. As for me truth is what I state.

[nmh]

Live in your imaginary world. Imagine John Lennon's Imagine is really happening.

All Idid was point out the truth. You are free to reject it or accept it. It doesn't matter to me.

[mikegi]

I miss those carefree days. And kids of today never got to experience them. Instead, everyting, and I do mean everything, is heavily supervised. Parents not only drive their children to soccer or Little League practice (even if it is just down the street) but they insist on lugging their lawn chairs to every single minute of every single practice and/or game. Parents even go into the movie theatres to watch "kid" movies with their kids.

I agree. Maybe we're remembering things wrong? It sure seems to me that I had very little supervision as a kid. Eat breakfast then out until lunch then out again until dinner. We used to wake up early and walk a mile or so to a pond to fish (fighting water moccasins!). Very relaxed, non-stressful life.

I'm trying to raise our daughter somewhat similarly (she just turned 4) but I run into parenting-freaks all the time. Many kids her age don't know how to use scissors - too dangerous. Same goes for real knives at the dinner table. Oh, boy, watch out for that Barbie Jeep at age 3, it might roll over! Jump into the neighborhood pool from the lifeguard's chair - no, that's against regulations! People think we're crazy. Here's a photo of Emily, when she was a few months shy of four, climbing the rock wall at Galyans:

I call all this parenting weirdness "20/20 Syndrome". People watch these prime time disaster, scaremongering shows and freak out. The weirdest parenting decision I've seen so far: a mother wouldn't take her daughter to Ballet class at one school because she would have to drive across railroad tracks to get there. WTF???