It was a normal day in carpool and my child came to the car holding the hand of her teacher. My daughter’s teacher, grinning from ear to ear, announced that my daughter has been “chosen” to take care of the class pet for the weekend. She then helped my little one in the car and walked away. Wait, what? I didn’t have time to think (I WAS in carpool and couldn’t hold up the line) so I just drove home, worried about how to fit this into an already busy weekend.
I know you are asking: what kind of pet was it? It was…wait for it…a stuffed chicken named Cluckers! Yep, the “class pet” is a stuffed animal. Our job was to “help” our 3 year old journal her time with Cluckers. Cluckers came in a special bag, along with a binder of pages inserted by parents and kids with pictures and descriptions of what Cluckers had done on his weekend adventures.
Should be easy right? WRONG! What I thought would be a few snap shots quickly became an obsession! We had pictures of Cluckers eating pancakes, Cluckers at the park, and even Cluckers getting a haircut! Now listen, I am an educated, very capable woman and I clearly understood the task at hand. So why did this become a crazy obsession? I realize now, that it was one word: COMPETITION!
Ordinarily, I would not consider myself to be competitive but something happened when I opened that binder and saw what other parents had done. I know: Why should it matter what other parents had done? I really don’t know what to say except that I couldn’t help it! I had to make sure that Cluckers’ experience with my family was better than the other parents…um…I mean fun and rewarding for my 3 year old. Sad right?
You know what else? My obsession became contagious! My older kids and even my husband got in the act, taking their lead from me. It was so wrong! I am ashamed to say it now but I know you aren’t judging me right? I think it is that unspoken pressure that we put on each other to be the best parents we can – to be perfect even though we are imperfect people. And since what we do and say matters to our kids, it impacts them too.
The reality is that at the end of the day, my daughter won’t be thinking about whether we did better than anyone else. What she will remember is that we had fun with that darn chicken! She will remember the laughs at the IHOP when complete strangers started taking pictures of Cluckers. Or when the men at the barbershop started arguing over whether Cluckers was a chicken or a rooster. Listen, time is fleeting and our kids grow up fast. I don’t want to spend my time competing with others or influencing my kids in a negative way. Instead, I want to enjoy the time I have while I have it. So, I am committed to not getting caught up in the hype! I am committed to doing better and being a positive influence on my kids! How about you?
I absolutely loved this story! At the end of day, all we can ask ourselves is…what did I do to make myself better? Great read!!
Thank you Nedra Buckmire! I appreciate you taking the time to read my post.
This is excellent, and so needed in today’s society. there is so much competation, I think a lot of us parents do not even recognize it as competation anymore. Very well written.
Thanks Salinalynn@gmail.com! It really does sneak up on you if you aren’t careful. Thank you for reading!
This is excellent, Belinda! And as a new mom, I am taking this advice to heart!
Thanks for reading Keisha Simmons! Congratulations on the new baby!
Congratulations Belinda on the Blog! Can I just say…reading about Cluckers – made me Chuckle. So thanks because I needed a laugh today! What you described with this story is what most parents experience all the time with their kids’ “special projects” but won’t really admit it. Somehow our competitiveness as parents simply takes control. Here is my confession — I will admit this happened to me with my son’s science fair project!! Of course his solar system project had to be the best in all the land, right? As noted with your baby, to this day my son didn’t care that I helped to make his solar system 3-D and stayed up all night long putting every little detail in place. However, what he does remember is being able to count on me to help him and support him in his time of need. Which is indeed the much greater lesson. Thank you so much for sharing this and allowing me to reminisce about my child through your child and Cluckers’ weekend adventure!!!!
Thanks Sophia M! Glad I am not the only one!