Strollerderby : competitive parents

Why Do Parents Cheat at the Easter Egg Hunt?

JeanneSager — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:35:00 GMT

They're apparently one of the most foul creatures on earth - the parents who help their kids a little too much at the Easter egg hunt.

Excuse me while I cough this one into my hand - that was me, last weekend. I followed her around, hinting, "Honey, look to your right. No, your other right."

To be fair, it was FREEZING in upstate New York, and my daughter had spilled a bottle of Yoohoo all over my winter coat the day before. So while the other parents stood outside wearing down-filled parkas, I was wrapped in my decidedly spring weight poncho, my fingers jammed in my jeans pockets while I whined like the little kids to the mom who set the whole thing up. My daughter is also only three and a half - of all of the kids present at the birthday party, there were only two younger than her, including the birthday girl's little brother. I didn't pick any of the eggs up off the ground, nor did I drag her around the backyard. But you better believe I stepped in when she had five eggs and six more to go to get to her eleven (the number put out for each kid by the mom organizer) to offer up some big hints.

So I read this story in the Daily Item about overbearing Easter egg hunting parents with a little bit of self-loathing. Just a little - because to be honest, I was much too cold to do any heavy duty helicopter movements. Whirring around would have required removing my hands from my pockets.

But I have met this kind of parent, the one who not only instructs their kids as to where to find the eggs but picks them up FOR them, and will yank an oblong piece of plastic with a bunny tattoo inside out of the hands of a two-year-old. And celebrate their massive victory!

The Easter egg hunt brings out the competitive streak in normally docile parents, the type who instruct their kids on helping old biddies across the street. Suddenly, their kid needs to gather some three thousand eggs, and who cares if little Jimmy from down the street has a single one.

The best part of our weekend hunt at the birthday party was the eleven egg limit per kid. Letting them have a goal of a certain number makes it more challenging, and it ensures no kid is left behind. But I can tell you my kid wasn't going to get to eleven without a little help. So is it wrong that parents step in? Do you help your kids?

Image:SagerScenes

Bucket Head or Genius: Which is Your Kid?

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:36:00 GMT

Parenting advice can sometimes be laughably simplistic and reductionist. Nevertheless, obvious instructions like "don't leave your 7 month old unattended in the bathtub" serve to reassure us that all is orderly and well in the universe.

Furthermore, with all the competi-mommy confessions and helicopter parenting going on these days, the elegant simplicity of statements like "each child has different needs" and "children learn at their own pace" should be repeated like a peaceful mantra -- an antidote to Type A overkill.

People judge other people. And parents judge other parents. If we sometimes feel a little embarrassed of our ragamuffin bucket-head kids, it's really no wonder.

It may not be easy having kids who aren't stars of the gifted program, who lag behind other kids development. On the other hand, there is a sort of Beta Mom pride in the unwillingness to thrust our beloved progeny into the Fast Lane. Just yet.

Slacker Moms Urge Other Mothers to Chill

Rachael Brownell (Redsy) — Thu, 10 May 2007 17:30:00 GMT

USA Today's piece on slacker moms is a nice counterpoint to the alpha mom, helicopter parenting, competi-mommy impression many of today's parents give. According to the women interviewed for the piece, "Motherhood is not a contest" and "Kids are people not projects."

How refreshing to read tales of laid back parenting! A few signs that you might be more slacker than ultra-hyper, include fewer activities involving flash cards, and more confidence that raising good kids is less science and more art.

However you slice it our generation of mothers are extremely hard on themselves, and equally critical of their sister-mothers. Let's hope this article sheds some light on the need for more Beta Mommies out there!

[Photo Credit: USA Today]

Preschool Search: Uber-Competitive Parents Stop at Nothing to Achieve Admission

Stefania Pomponi Butler (CityMama) — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 17:02:00 GMT

Preschool admissions. It's where the parenting strong are separated from the parenting weak. It's where you dig deep, way down deep inside, and see just what kind of parenting stuff you're made of.

Would you schedule a C-section in order to ensure your child will get one of 5 slots a school offers newborns each month? Would you fill out preschool application forms with an epidural stuck in your back? Would you start calling preschools at 5 weeks pregnant (essentially, as soon as the stick turns blue)? Or phone your desired school twice a day, everyday, for six months? How about sending flowers each week until your child is accepted? Or refusing to leave the preschool building until your child is secured a spot?

You wouldn't do that? Pfffffft. *cough* wusses *cough* Good luck getting your kids into Oxford, say these London parents.

Strollerderby : competitive parents

Why Do Parents Cheat at the Easter Egg Hunt?

Roll Your Kids Over to the White House for Easter

Who's Eating Kid Cereals? Us

The Newest Form of Discipline: Licking

Ready for Easter? Peter Rabbit's Gone Green

Bucket Head or Genius: Which is Your Kid?

Slacker Moms Urge Other Mothers to Chill

Preschool Search: Uber-Competitive Parents Stop at Nothing to Achieve Admission