Monday, December 15, 2014

The Elf

This morning I read a report from Drudge that stated the "Elf on the Shelf" conditions children to believe that spying is OK.  Really?  How incredibly paranoid we have become.

I don't recall anyone ever accusing Santa Claus of spying all those years ago when parents told their children that Santa knew if they were naughty or nice.  Even had a Christmas song that proved it with the words, "He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake."

Me...I made up all sorts of silly facts to get my children to behave when they were young.  I told them that raw cookie dough causes worms.  I told them that if they didn't straighten out, I was going to line them up along the highway with "Give Away" signs around their necks.  And I told them if they weren't good, Santa was going to leave a lump of coal in their Christmas stockings.

They didn't believe a word of it.

The same way that kids don't equate the Elf with spying.

Only adults do that.  The kind of adults who want to suck the fun and joy out of everything.

And with that in mind, here is what the Elves who live with my grandchildren were up to last week.

They were watching from the ledge above the kitchen cupboards.


They got themselves stuck in the VCR.  (David said he was surprised that they still owned a VCR!)


And they made snow angels.


Sometimes an elf is just an elf.  And kids having fun are just kids having fun with no sinister hidden meanings.

Some adults really need to find a life.  Preferably one with a little bit of fun in it.

8 comments:

  1. Bwahahaha. Thank you for the smiles

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  2. You're welcome, Dani. Sometimes I think we take ourselves way too seriously.

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  3. Somebody always has something like that to say. Usually people who don't have kids themselves and never have had.

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  4. Harry...You are spot on. Those people with those opinions obviously know nothing about children. I have found that one of the most important assets in raising kids is a well developed sense of humor, which goes a long way in playing the "Elf on the Shelf" game with kids. And in so many other areas of raising children. And in other areas of life, for that matter. You gotta have a little fun along the way!

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  5. Mom, raw cookie dough doesn't cause worms?! It's funny that I told my daughters that a couple of weeks ago while catching them with their fingers in the cookie dough.
    People need to lighten up and not try to control what others think. You only go around once in this world, better enjoy the ride.
    David

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  6. David...My children didn't buy the cookie dough worm thing, so I doubt it made much of an impression with yours! There is so much junk going on around us these days that I doubt we need to manufacture more things to worry about. The elf is just an elf. I'm glad your kids have fun with it each December. I know I do!

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  7. omg girl you crack me up! the sign round there necks along the hwy...hysterical! my parents it was give us away to some stranger in the market....or wherever we were at t he time.and yes they used the star v ing children in ethopia trick too. walked up hill both ways to school etc...funny thing was dad showed me where he walked everyday and he was right!

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  8. Mary...Kids are smart. They know what they can get away with and what they can't. They also know that an elf is just an elf and not some huge spy conspiracy. It's only adults with too much time on their hands and no sense of humor who think an elf teaches kids to spy. Sheesh!

    I don't think I ever used the starving Ethiopian children thing or the walking to school uphill both ways story. That's really funny that your Dad actually did walk uphill both ways! Had to be through waist high snow drifts, I'll bet. :)

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