It's that time of year again... The Elf on the Shelf has taken my social media feeds hostage. :p
I expressed my loathing of the Elf in a post four Decembers ago ("Elf Yourself") -- and the passage of time has not softened my opinion. (With the possible exception of some of the more, shall we say, "adult" variations on the theme that I've seen & heard about that cracked me up, lol.)
If you have kids, do you also have an Elf on the Shelf? And if you're childless like me, are you as relieved as I am that you're not under pressure to take part and add one more thing to your daily to-do list, at an already-stressful and hectic time of year??
(Maybe this should have been my #MicroblogMondays post this week?? lol)
I’m very mixed about the Elf on the Shelf craze. On the one hand, I can understand it can be a useful tool for getting children to behave and it can become a tradition. But given we live in a world where people are being spied on through the cameras on their phones, laptops and even TVs, I’m also not okay with teaching children that survilence is okay. Nor am I a fan that good behavior depends on being observed and is rewarded with presents.
ReplyDeleteSo mixed. Hence it’s something I chose. Or to partake in. But, again, I can see other people’s arguments. It’s just not my cup of tea.
Fortunately, so far the Elf hasn't appeared on my social media feeds. I can understand doing this with children perhaps, but why would they feel the need to share this with all their adult friends?
ReplyDeleteI know, I can hear people responding, "clearly, she doesn't fully get social media!" lol
Oh I hate hate hate the Elf. I wrote a whole post about it for a parenting blog once. The humble brag on social media (hee hee, look what crazy elaborate ridiculously creative thing my Elf did today!), the unnecessary adding to the already massive to-do list, but most of all the idea that Santa has put a miniature spy in the house.
ReplyDeleteWe do Santa here, but there are no threats about naughty lists. It's surely an empty threat for most parents- who's going to not give their kid a present from Santa because the kid had a rough day or two?
Ugh. Drives me crazy.
Strangely, this year has been elf-free so far. Which is odd because it's normally elf-full. I wonder if people just aren't posting pictures anymore.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine making messes that I need to clean up. But more than that, I don't see how it teaches a sustainable lesson; how it teaches a life skill that can be reinforced throughout the year.
My daughter has asked why we don't have an elf. I told her "because it's stupid." Somehow, despite my parenting, the kid still believes in Santa (she's 11 - she's gotta know, right?), but totally accepts that the elf thing is contrived.
ReplyDeleteWe have an elf, but he just moves around the house at night. For our kids, it's a game to see who can find him first in the morning. He carries their letters and messages to Santa, and leaves them gift cards to the bookstore as presents on Christmas morning. But the messes and tricks? Ain't nobody got time for that.
ReplyDelete