Escape Adulthood with Kim & Jason » Adults are Ruining Everything

«« What’s So Great About The Great Outdoors? • Home • Pie Anyone? »»

October 29th, 2005 at 11:42 am

by Jason
In: Adultitis, Adults Are Ruining Everything, Delight in the Little Things, Jason's Random Musings, Maintain Perspective

They say misery loves company. That must be the reason why grown-ups suffering from full-blown cases of Adultitis are working so hard to ruin Halloween for kids.

My three-year-old niece is going Trick or Treating as Darth Vader this year. (Yes, I did say niece.) She already has the next three years worth of costumes planned out. Next year, it’s Luke Skywalker, then Darth Maul, then…a bunny.

The other day on the radio, I heard the superintendent from the Madison School District mention that they don’t encourage schools to have costume parties. They don’t ban them; they just strongly discourage them. “Some cultures don’t look at dressing up in costumes the same way as others,” she said.

When Kim was teaching kindergarten, she ran into this issue every October. There was a very small contingency that wanted to do away with Halloween altogether, for fear that someone, somewhere would be offended. Now I don’t know about you, but any time I see a five-year-old dressed up like Spiderman with a bag full of Milk Duds and Milky Ways, my blood just boils.

Why have we lost our perspective? Why have we become so over-sensitive about everything? These days, political correctness might just be a fancy way for an Adultitis-stricken grown-up to say, “I’m angry, miserable, and afraid, and I hate seeing other people happy.”

Then I come across a USA Today article talking about companies that are coming out with more healthy alternatives to standard Halloween fare. Mini granola bars. Bat-shaped pretzels. Pre-sliced apples.

Pre-sliced apples?

“Halloween is a nutritional nightmare,” says Cynthia Lair, a nutritionist. “All the candy isn’t just non-nutritional, it can also create nutritional debts.”

Question: What in Sam Hill is a nutritional debt? Is George Bush aware of this? Call Congress into action immediately!

Says spokeswoman Wendy Davis, speaking on behalf of the apple growers group and Radio Disney about sliced apples in pre-sealed bags at 50 cents a pop: “About the same price as a Hershey Bar. But better for you.”

Of course, these companies are not marketing to the kids. No kid in his or her right mind would ever, EVER choose a pre-sealed bag of sliced apples — sliced apples? — over a Hershey bar. These companies are marketing to grown-ups, particularly the ones who have become so overcome with Adultitis that they are inadvertently (I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt) choking all of the fun out of childhood; specifically Halloween.

When I was a little shaver, my dad made us a snack every night. Usually it consisted of some combination of oranges, raisins, bananas, and yes, even sliced apples. But when Halloween rolled around, it was all about the sugar. We would binge on candy for days at a time (I’m sure creating a very sizable nutritional debt) and it was wonderful.

It was wonderful because it only happened once a year. Childhood obesity is a big problem these days, but it’s not because of Halloween. It’s because too many parents can’t say no to their kids, are too busy to prepare much else but fast food, and appease their children with chocolate and sugar.

In the eyes of children, Halloween is a national holiday. Dressing up like a ballerina (or Darth Vader) and eating some Hershey bars is not going to hurt anyone. Grown-ups, please, get some perspective, get some help for your Adultitis, and quit ruining everything.

13 Comments on the Chalkboard »

200

I totally agree with you! As I was reading, I was thinking, “Absolutely! What’s wrong with some candy?!” Then I thought back to when I was single, probably 21, idealistic, and in my own apt. When Trick or Treat time rolled around, I had lots of beautiful apples for the kids! One little girl, in particular, stands out. She came up on the porch, and her mom was waiting on the sidewalk. I gave her the apple and she said, “I want some CANDY!!” Her mom was embarassed and was trying to quiet her down, but she persisted. Finally her mom said, “Just take it; your dad’ll eat it” and they headed out. That little one let me know what this holiday is all about for kids!! (Of course, once I had my own kids, I REALLY knew it was about the candy!!)

Comment by Marilyn on 10/29/2005 @ 2:07 pm

208

Forget about the kids! I always secretly hope we won’t get many trick or treaters so we can end up with all the candy!!

I always find it so funny when people who had lenient parents when they were little end up being like the KGB with their kids … no candy, no TV, strict curfews, etc. … cracks me up. I know several people like that.

Anyway … yay to all you said … you’re so right that we’ve become too sensitive to everything, and that the people with the worst cases of adultitis can ruin it for everybody by getting offended and worked up over the slightest things, like schools celebrating Halloween. Even though it’s been many years, I still think back to the Halloween parades at my son’s school as some of the most fun (and funny) times.

Comment by maria on 10/30/2005 @ 7:55 pm

214

I think we can consider ourselves lucky that the PC brigade haven’t yet completely banned Hallowe’en, citing its celtic and pagan origins.

The bottom line, really, is that if you care about the quality of your kid’s childhood, let them eat sweets at Hallowe’en. If you don’t, you may be creating problems that are more serious than the occasional dentist trip and extra couple of centimetres gained around their waist.

Comment by Alex on 10/31/2005 @ 8:32 am

301

I feel the same way you do. Once a year does not do the harm that a year of fast foods do. I still enjoy the Halloween party at school and so do the kids. It’s some of the parents that won’t let their kids be kids.

Comment by Pat on 11/8/2005 @ 8:12 am

362

[...] About a month ago right before Halloween, Jason posted a blog about how “Adults Are Ruining Everything.” The conversation started with The Madison School District ‘not encouraging’ classrooms to have costume parties for Halloween. Yesterday I ran across a blog along the same lines posted on Blogging Baby, which is a online magazine about pregnancy, baby care and parenting. If any of those four words connect with your life, you will want to check out this blog. It is really well done. Actually, none of those words currently connect to my life, and I am really enjoying it. Sarah Gilbert wrote about ‘Banning holiday talk from schools: how PC can you go?’ She talks about the epidemic of taking holidays out of everything and replacing them with the seasons. She writes, ‘Easter can’t be celebrated, instead students make “spring baskets” and draw pictures of “spring bunnies.” In winter, it’s snowmen and icicles, even in warm climates.’ [...]

Pingback by Swingset Reflections » The big brown picture. on 11/16/2005 @ 9:48 am

47043

[...] About a year and a half ago I wrote a post about how adults are ruining everything. Sadly, things don’t seem much better today. I pray that parents will come to see how strongly their own approach to life affects the development of their children. I hope that grown-ups can get a little perspective and focus on the things that really matter. [...]

Pingback by Escape Adulthood » Time to Let Kids Be Kids on 2/12/2007 @ 2:17 pm

152145

[...] If you’re new to this blog, here’s what it’s all about. You may also want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!In the "Adults Are Ruining Everything" department, it seems that parents, colleges, and even the federal government are passing on their proclivity for busyness and stress to children. How? [...]

Pingback by Escape Adulthood » The Price of Losing Free Play on 6/22/2007 @ 10:18 am

263418

This is a great and oh-so-true posting! In my last job at a cubicle farm just one person (who was not happy) complained about having a “Christmas” party. There was no vote or anything, but of course it was changed to “Winter Festival”.

Adultitis in the the extreme! Lighten up everyone. Halloween is for fun. Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukah are all supposed to be about family and friends - not bickering over names. Let’s teach our kids and each other to be tolerant and find our similarities, not drag each other apart.

Thanks for a funny article - if nothing else it made me laugh!

Comment by Shirley on 8/29/2007 @ 6:33 am

263461

It’s amazing how quick we are to bow to the whims of ONE PERSON because we’re so fearful about offending anyone. And sometimes it doesn’t even take one person to object, but just the fear that they MIGHT.

Ridiculous.

Comment by Jason on 8/29/2007 @ 5:01 pm

263513

[...] the “Adults Are Ruining Everything” department, it seems that parents, colleges, and even the federal government are passing on [...]

Pingback by Escape Adulthood » The Price of Losing Free Play on 8/30/2007 @ 10:15 am

263514

[...] a month ago right before Halloween, Jason posted a blog about how “Adults Are Ruining Everything.” The conversation started with The Madison School [...]

Pingback by Escape Adulthood » The Big Brown Picture on 8/30/2007 @ 10:16 am

263515

[...] What has led us to this point where we care more about not hurting people’s feelings than we do about using a little common sense? One person is offended by something (or these days, just the THREAT that someone MIGHT be offended by something) and we have to completely ban a childhood game, cancel a Christmas party, or shut down an entire holiday. [...]

Pingback by Escape Adulthood » Yep, Tag is Way Too Dangerous on 8/30/2007 @ 10:46 am

272830

[...] American schools rampantly work to take Halloween off the calendar, I am relieved and refreshed to hear about a few businesses embracing this fun holiday with open [...]

Pingback by Escape Adulthood » Playful Profitability on 10/19/2007 @ 1:00 am

RSS feed for comments on this post. | TrackBack URI