Are we too pushy, too greedy, .... What do you think ?

[Miss Sherry]

A few years back, I took my children to a birthday party that was with a group of homeschoolers from Portland Oregon.

Our group had a pinata. The party was held in a park. There was another group at the park, right next to our group, who also had a Pinata.

 

Now, for a little background. The group I was with were all white families. The other group in the park with the pinata were all hispanic families.

 

I was watching the hispanic children when they did the pinata. When it broke open they all very calmly and slowly picked up the goodies off of the ground.There was no pushing or shoving or any such thing.

Then our group did their pianata. They all rushed around as fast as they could to get as much candy as possible, even pushing into each other to get to the candy first. They were not calm at all and seemed to be in competition with each other to see who could get to the candy first.

 

I have to sign off now but may post more later.

[melissel]

I hate pinatas for that reason. Nothing like pitting little kids against each for junk toys and candy! And seriously, I feel like that mentality--Me first, me first!!! Mine mine mine!!!--is such a problem in our world today. I'm raising my kids differently, but I hate that that probably just means they'll always be left behind, because they don't know how to do that scramble to be FIRST! and elbow out the competition.

[ChristusG]

Overall, as a society, yes I think that we are greedy. Personally, I believe we are born sinful (which includes greed) and that we need to be taught differently. And honestly, I'm not quite sure how to go about that. I strive to teach my children to share, to be content, give to others, and try to model that for them. But sometimes, greed wins out and they are still greedy. But they are young and still learning. I wish I knew how to promote more selflessness as the children you referred to.

[Rebecca VA]

I don't think many parents set high standards of behavior. They think, "Oh, kids will be kids," and they let them act like animals. Obviously, the hispanic families have been doing a better job of raising their children.

 

I don't think it's a white vs. hispanic thing, though. I see excellent behavior in groups of (carefully monitored) homeschooled Christian children of every color. I think the operative words are "carefully monitored."

[melissel]

I don't think it's a white vs. hispanic thing, though.

 

Actually, I wanted to say the same thing. My DH is Latino and I've been to plenty of parties with Hispanic families from different countries of origin, and the kids act the same way about pinatas. Maybe the group near you was just an anomaly, or maybe pinatas were just not as novel in their community? I know we rarely see pinatas at parties around here. I think they make a lot of parents uncomfortable.

[Violet Crown]

When we were very new to hs'ing, one of the first homeschool Park Days I attended had a birthday party with a pinata. When it broke open, all the littles went scrambling for candy and toys, while the older siblings held back. Then the older kids went after candy, but also distributed candy they found to the younger ones who had only a little. I thought, "I want my kids to grow up like that."

[Melinda in VT]

My 4yo recently attended a birthday party with a pinata. Some kids were focused on getting lots of candy, but I didn't see any shoving or pushing and I did witness several young kids giving candy to other kids who had less (without any parental prompting).

 

And these were all public-schooled kids.:svengo: ;)

[whitestavern]

We've been to many parties with pinatas and I've always been amazed at how the parents and grandparents push their kids into the melee telling them, "Hurry, hurry, get the candy". So in answer to the OP's question, yes I think we, as a society, are greedy and pushy.

[G5052]

Where I grew up, pinatas were an ugly, grabbing mess that ended up with crying children.

 

So imagine my horror when my kids started wanting them at their birthdays.

 

They took the lead, explaining that everyone took turns hitting, but that then everyone would work together to gather the candy and divide it fairly, even making sure that individual children got candy and toys that they actually liked. The process doesn't end until everyone is relatively happy.

 

Don't ask me what I did, because it amazes me every year.

[Abbysfriend]

I agree, it depends on the group. But the thing is, it is natural behavior for the kids to scramble for the prizes. As parents, its our job to teach them to control themselves. That 'natural' behavior is their sin nature, which does not think of others first, as most faiths teach us. THAT is a can of worms in our culture, where materialism and 'me first' seem to be the theme of the day! I recently read "children act foolish, and sometimes that is annoying." LOL that is the truth!

[rookie]

A few years back, I took my children to a birthday party that was with a group of homeschoolers from Portland Oregon.

Our group had a pinata. The party was held in a park. There was another group at the park, right next to our group, who also had a Pinata.

 

Now, for a little background. The group I was with were all white families. The other group in the park with the pinata were all hispanic families.

 

I was watching the hispanic children when they did the pinata. When it broke open they all very calmly and slowly picked up the goodies off of the ground.There was no pushing or shoving or any such thing.

Then our group did their pianata. They all rushed around as fast as they could to get as much candy as possible, even pushing into each other to get to the candy first. They were not calm at all and seemed to be in competition with each other to see who could get to the candy first.

 

I have to sign off now but may post more later.

 

 

OT but I just want to point out that Hispanic is not a color.... there are white hispanics, black hispanics, brown hispanics...you get the idea. ;)

[happygrrl]

I went to a lovely party where there was a pinata. The pinata itselef was lowered for little kids to hit, and raised and swung around for the older kids. When it burst, out fell small goody bags with names attached, one for each kid (and a few labeled "honored guest", just in case! Everyone loved it.

 

(This party was thrown by a lovely hippie mama, and these bags were squares of cloth tied with yarn. They held organic candy, whistles, little things. The party had a home made cake and strawberry lemonade. We all played traditional games in the yard; egg roll, three-legged race, sack race. My kids have been to many "fancy" parties with magicians, etc. and still claim this party was the best one they had been to. Simplicity rocks!)

[melissel]

I went to a lovely party where there was a pinata. The pinata itselef was lowered for little kids to hit, and raised and swung around for the older kids. When it burst, out fell small goody bags with names attached, one for each kid (and a few labeled "honored guest", just in case! Everyone loved it.

 

(This party was thrown by a lovely hippie mama, and these bags were squares of cloth tied with yarn. They held organic candy, whistles, little things. The party had a home made cake and strawberry lemonade. We all played traditional games in the yard; egg roll, three-legged race, sack race. My kids have been to many "fancy" parties with magicians, etc. and still claim this party was the best one they had been to. Simplicity rocks!)

 

This is an AWESOME idea! I'm going to remember it! Thank you for sharing that :D

[akmommy]

I did witness several young kids giving candy to other kids who had less

 

I saw something on T.V. not too long ago about young children and fairness. The kids in the clip were kindergartners. The teacher gave 10 M&M's to half the students and the other half didn't get any. Most of the kids who received M&M's became very concerned about those who didn't and divided theirs equally to share without being told to do so. There were a couple of exceptions of course, but for the most part the kids willingly shared to make things fair, so I think some of this is going to depend on the age of the children involved.

[Dawn in OH]

The first time we went to a party with a pinata I had to tell my children, and give them a little push, to go forward and get some candy. They each came back with one piece of candy. I then had to explain to them that they could go get a few more.

 

Now that they are older, they are less reluctant to go collect candy, but are usually very considerate of the smaller children and will often collect candy to give to the younger kids that may not have understood the concept or been able to grab much before the pushy kids grabbed it all up.

 

At home with their own siblings, it's a different story. But in general, I have quiet, shy, non-aggressive children.

[Kim in TN]

How common are pinatas at Hispanic parties? Maybe it just wasn't that exciting to them? Maybe it was just another pinata.

 

I know that my son would go crazy over a pinata simply because he's never had one.

[Mejane]

maybe pinatas were just not as novel in their community?

 

That was my first thought.

[mooooom]

and we always had a bunch of homeschooled kids attend, and there were always littler siblings involved and I never saw a child who rushed and grabbed, nor one that wasn't helping the littles find and pick up stuff. Afterwards, they would all set up "shop" - spread their stuff out and come around and trade with each other. I don't think anyone taught them this, they were all just really nice kids, who were nice to each other. One year, 2 ps boys were invited. They were definitely grabbier (although no babies got trampled) and they were horrified about the trading that went on afterwards, actually clutching their bags to their chests. We thought it was funny.

[cjbeach]

Most of the parties have been to have been a mess with pinatas... they wouldn't open! :001_smile: Enter Dad or Big Kid with a baseball bat.

 

Best idea I've seen yet........ last summer a mom friend had kids whack, finally when it broke open everyone had a little baggie to scoop candy into then everyone turned to look at their neighbors (big kids, look at the little kids) and share. The kids as a whole did a fabulous job of sharing!!!!

[emeraldjoy]

There may be some cultural difference...maybe.

I am thinking collectivistic vs individualist.....and a pinata breaking and scrambling could definitely mean different things for each of these "types"........again...maybe.

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[Rebecca VA]

Uh...not really. We're as capitalist as they come in our house, but we insist on polite behavior.

[helena]

How common are pinatas at Hispanic parties? Maybe it just wasn't that exciting to them? Maybe it was just another pinata.

 

I know that my son would go crazy over a pinata simply because he's never had one.

 

Growing up, they were very common. The level of chaos depended on which cousins or friends showed up. There was sharing, tenderness, fun, crying, jerky kids, one kid who went crazy with the stick, a whiner, basically a whole lot of everything and really good memories.

 

Pinatas would have some candy, toys, and change, but also peanuts and I think I remember there being fruit sometimes. There was a blindfold for older kids (and spinning), and a rope to pull the pinata up and down.

 

I think everyone struggles to some degree or another with greed, for some it's a biggie for their whole lives. I don't know that greed is more prevalent now than it was in the past. But I do think kids grow up feeling they're owed a lot more than what's reasonable or healthy. Is that the same thing?

 

Do you remember the bumper sticker "He who dies with the most toys wins" .

That kind of thinking scares me!

Edited June 11, 2010 by helena

[elise1mds]

I have seen kids be pretty calm around a pinata, and it's not because they were common. They were just all too polite to be grabby. They each got about a dozen pieces and then went to ask their moms (my kids included) if they could have more. It took about 10 minutes for all the candy to finally be claimed. It was really cute.

 

My best pinata story, though, is when I took my son to a Halloween party. I think he was five and had just been diagnosed as PDD-NOS/ADHD. They had a black cat pinata, and my son had never seen one. I told him (and I quote), "When it's broken open, then you'll get to put the candy in your bucket." He nodded calmly, took his turn, and then came back to the back of the line. A few minutes later, as the pinata was being officially broken by the adults, I noticed he had disappeared. I wandered back into the house to hunt for him and found him calmly emptying one of the candy dishes ON THE TABLE into his bucket! When I asked him what he was doing, he looked at me and replied, "You said when the pinata broke, I could put candy in my bucket." I about died. Luckily the mom hosting the party thought it was very, very funny and just told him to keep it all. :D

[novagirl]

Pinyatas (sp!) are one thing, for me what gets me are the EASTER EGG HUNTS! I found so many pushy parents with 1 yr olds (or so) trying to get the candy before my 5 year old did! Come on, the child is ONE, the candy isn't all for the baby, IT'S FOR YOU!!

[Brilliant]

...The group I was with were all white families. The other group in the park with the pinata were all hispanic families.

 

I was watching the hispanic children when they did the pinata. When it broke open they all very calmly and slowly picked up the goodies off of the ground.There was no pushing or shoving or any such thing.

Then our group did their pianata. They all rushed around as fast as they could to get as much candy as possible, even pushing into each other to get to the candy first. They were not calm at all and seemed to be in competition with each other to see who could get to the candy first...

 

 

I am not usually one to easily take offense. But gosh, did you really just title a post asking "are we too pushy, too greedy?" and then describe a situation in which the white kids were all pushy and greedy, and the hispanic (I am assuming non-white) were sweet angel children? What exactly is your question? Because it sounds like you are asking if white people are pushier and greedier than others.

 

If somebody had phrased this question the opposite way, in which the white kids were the polite ones, and the non-white kids the brats...is that OK?

[akmommy]

Pinyatas (sp!) are one thing, for me what gets me are the EASTER EGG HUNTS! I found so many pushy parents with 1 yr olds (or so) trying to get the candy before my 5 year old did! Come on, the child is ONE, the candy isn't all for the baby, IT'S FOR YOU!!

 

The Easter egg hunts we attended when my kids were little were much better organized than what your describing. The hunts were done in age groups and parents were only allowed beyond the rope during the the toddler group's turn. I honestly don't remember any pushing or greediness from either parents or kids.

[Alenee]

The Easter egg hunts we attended when my kids were little were much better organized than what your describing. The hunts were done in age groups and parents were only allowed beyond the rope during the the toddler group's turn. I honestly don't remember any pushing or greediness from either parents or kids.

 

I took my 3 yo to a city-wide egg hunt once and only once. Poor thing walked away with one egg all because PARENTS were jumping the ropes grabbing as many eggs as possible for 'their children'. It was absolutely ridiculous.

 

Greed may be inherent but it's also learned.

 

As to the OP's question, I don't believe she was trying to pit white against hispanic as in race, but rather as in culture. ???

[happygrrl]

I am not usually one to easily take offense. But gosh, did you really just title a post asking "are we too pushy, too greedy?" and then describe a situation in which the white kids were all pushy and greedy, and the hispanic (I am assuming non-white) were sweet angel children? What exactly is your question? Because it sounds like you are asking if white people are pushier and greedier than others.

 

If somebody had phrased this question the opposite way, in which the white kids were the polite ones, and the non-white kids the brats...is that OK?

 

I could be wrong, but I understood this to be a question about American values vs. other cultures (i.e. not race related). A legitamate question, as we're the country that sports bumper stickers claiming "The one with the biggest toys wins".

[Mejane]

I could be wrong, but I understood this to be a question about American values vs. other cultures (i.e. not race related). A legitamate question, as we're the country that sports bumper stickers claiming "The one with the biggest toys wins".

 

Exactly.

[LibraryLover]

Maybe the parents asked them to be gentle & careful? Maybe they talked with the children beforehand? Maybe the other family didn't know how to manage a broken pinata & pile of kids? I lived in San Diego for a number of years, and many of our friends were Mexican or of Mexican descent or were married to Mexicans or folks of Mexican descent. The children charged the pinata goodies. lol The adults made sure everyone got some good stuff, and there was always had extra to hand to children.

 

With that experience in mind, I got an idea. What I do when we do pinatas: I put equal amounts of goodies in ziplock bags and I put the name of a child on the bag in Sharpie ink. When the pinata is broken, the children and parents, and older kids who can read, know they look for the baggie with their name and help the littles look for theirs. ;)

 

Is that boring? :lol:

Edited June 12, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Guest janainaz]

I've been to a lot of birthday parties and have never experienced a "bad" kid. Yes, the kids rush to the pinata to get the candy, but I've also seen parents making sure that all the kids get a fair share and I've seen kids being very compliant. It has been very rare that I've come across a rude kid and I think that most parents are well-meaning. Maybe I need to get out more. Who knows.

[LibraryLover]

I've been to a lot of birthday parties and have never experienced a "bad" kid. Yes, the kids rush to the pinata to get the candy, but I've also seen parents making sure that all the kids get a fair share and I've seen kids being very compliant. It has been very rare that I've come across a rude kid and I think that most parents are well-meaning. Maybe I need to get out more. Who knows.

 

 

:) That's been my experience as well, and I have seen dozens (scores? 100?) of pinatas smashed. :)

[mycalling]

I could be wrong, but I understood this to be a question about American values vs. other cultures (i.e. not race related). A legitamate question, as we're the country that sports bumper stickers claiming "The one with the biggest toys wins".

She didn't say American homeschoolers, she said White ones. It was obvious her intent.

 

As for the OP, I think it was the parents' lack of preparing their children. We just took our 7 to an all White party with a pinata and everyone followed our instructions for once the candy fell. They were polite and only took their share and made sure everyone had similar amounts, even grabbing candy and putting it in the timid younger kids' bags. Then they picked out 2 pieces to eat and handed the named bags to the host.

[AndyJoy]

I attended a party with a pinata when I was 9. The guests were aged 3-12. Beforehand the hostess told us that when the pinata broke we would gather the candy and put it in a big bowl, then split it later. As a first-born, rule-loving, self-appointed fairness police officer, I thought this worked out great! We still had the crazy chaotic fun of running around to get the candy, but nobody got left out. Since no one kept the particular items they gathered, there was no incentive to be obnoxious to the other kids. The hostess split the candy into individual bags before we left and made sure that the candy was age-appropriate for each kid.

 

I think the pre-made individual baggie way is creative but kind of anticlimactic, you know? You watch eagerly to see who will bust through the pinata, then thump, the baggies fall out. I think part of the fun of a pinata is the frenetic candy collection, but maybe that's just me.

[Miss Sherry]

I had to get off of the computer before I had a chance to include any more details.

Not all of the children in our group were pushy and selfish. But as a whole, when you looked at the group, they were a lot more aggressive and grabby than the other group. I know that my two children that attended were handing candy to some of the little children.

The other group was very calm and slow moving overall. Of course that does not mean that there may not have been one or two grabbier children in the group.

I do think that for some of the children in our group, this may have been their first experience with a pinata.

My guess would be that the hispanic group ( if I remember right I think they were Mexican) probably had a lot more experience with pinatas and so the parents had likely already had more opportunity to instruct their children in pinata etiquette.

Something else I noticed was that when our group of children were scrambling for the candy that some of the parents from the other group were looking at them and pointing and laughing and so I must admit I was a little embarrassed by the groups behavior, although my own children were not as aggressive as the group overall. I was under the impression, due to the pointing and laughing, that the contrast in behavior between the two groups had also been noticed by them, not just by me. But I didn't ask them what they were pointing and laughing at. LOL

Edited June 12, 2010 by Miss Sherry

[Miss Sherry]

I am not usually one to easily take offense. But gosh, did you really just title a post asking "are we too pushy, too greedy?" and then describe a situation in which the white kids were all pushy and greedy, and the hispanic (I am assuming non-white) were sweet angel children? What exactly is your question? Because it sounds like you are asking if white people are pushier and greedier than others.

 

If somebody had phrased this question the opposite way, in which the white kids were the polite ones, and the non-white kids the brats...is that OK?

I was describing a situation which I witnessed. Now if you have a situation in which you witnessed something else go ahead and share it if you would like. If I had described this situation saying the opposite it would have been a fabricated story rather than the one I actually witnessed.

I am asking if whites are pushier and greedier, not because of skin color, but are we in our culture as white parents , teaching them to be that way, perhaps unknowingly ? I think it's a valid question and something worth thinking about.

 

Yes, I think there is value in being a hard worker, in being competitive, taking pride in one's accomplishments, but sometimes the other side of that coin can be to selfishly grab everything for oneself without remembering to think of others around you.Any of these traits can be taken to an extreme. In some cultures I think cooperation is more emphasized than being competitive.

Edited June 12, 2010 by Miss Sherry

[gandpsmommy]

Maybe the parents asked them to be gentle & careful? Maybe they talked with the children beforehand? Maybe the other family didn't know how to manage a broken pinata & pile of kids? I lived in San Diego for a number of years, and many of our friends were Mexican or of Mexican descent or were married to Mexicans or folks of Mexican descent. The children charged the pinata goodies. lol The adults made sure everyone got some good stuff, and there was always had extra to hand to children.

 

With that experience in mind, I got an idea. What I do when we do pinatas: I put equal amounts of goodies in ziplock bags and I put the name of a child on the bag in Sharpie ink. When the pinata is broken, the children and parents, and older kids who can read, know they look for the baggie with their name and help the littles look for theirs. ;)

 

Is that boring? :lol:

 

This year for dd's birthday pinata I decided to put equal amounts of goodies into snack-size ziploc bags. It was partly to ensure that the candy didn't pick up the paper mache paste smell that lingered in our homemade pinata, and partly to ensure each child got an equal amount. I didn't put names on them, but I did explain beforehand that each child was allowed to take one bag. It worked out so well. I think I will do this from now on.

[Cammie]

Just to throw another culture into the mix...here in Bangalore I have seen lots of pinatas at parties. The kids love them but it is always a crazy grab fest (maybe that is what the kids love.) I can't stand them as there is always one child who end up crying or who gets stepped on - something. No pinatas at our house for sure.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

A few years back, I took my children to a birthday party that was with a group of homeschoolers from Portland Oregon.

Our group had a pinata. The party was held in a park. There was another group at the park, right next to our group, who also had a Pinata.

 

Now, for a little background. The group I was with were all white families. The other group in the park with the pinata were all hispanic families.

 

I was watching the hispanic children when they did the pinata. When it broke open they all very calmly and slowly picked up the goodies off of the ground.There was no pushing or shoving or any such thing.

Then our group did their pianata. They all rushed around as fast as they could to get as much candy as possible, even pushing into each other to get to the candy first. They were not calm at all and seemed to be in competition with each other to see who could get to the candy first.

 

I have to sign off now but may post more later.

 

 

I'm surprised they were so calm about it! We had a pinata yesterday here at our Kid's Club and let me tell you that the adults were pushing little kids out of the way to get to the candy. It was insane and everytime I've seen a pinata here, it's been that way! Pushing and shoving and general violence.

[Miss Sherry]

She didn't say American homeschoolers, she said White ones. It was obvious her intent.

 

As for the OP, I think it was the parents' lack of preparing their children. We just took our 7 to an all White party with a pinata and everyone followed our instructions for once the candy fell. They were polite and only took their share and made sure everyone had similar amounts, even grabbing candy and putting it in the timid younger kids' bags. Then they picked out 2 pieces to eat and handed the named bags to the host.

The children in our group were all white, and lived in the state of Oregon in the U.S. So yes, they were all American. But American can be Canadian, Central American, South American, right ? These are families that are white due to european decent, if that helps to visualize the group any better. My guess would be mostly English decent.The other group looked like they were Mexican and I heard them speaking in Spanish. Of course, I could not tell if they were people that had been in the U.S. long or not.

Edited June 12, 2010 by Miss Sherry

[JeneralMom]

I went to a lovely party where there was a pinata. The pinata itselef was lowered for little kids to hit, and raised and swung around for the older kids. When it burst, out fell small goody bags with names attached, one for each kid (and a few labeled "honored guest", just in case! Everyone loved it.

 

 

This is what we plan on doing for my son's B-Day party on our park day, minus the names.

[Miss Sherry]

I'm surprised they were so calm about it! We had a pinata yesterday here at our Kid's Club and let me tell you that the adults were pushing little kids out of the way to get to the candy. It was insane and everytime I've seen a pinata here, it's been that way! Pushing and shoving and general violence.

Thats funny.LOL And you are in Guatemala ? I am wondering if the Mexican group was the norm for Mexican children - as in very calm and not grabby - or maybe that group of children had been used to being expected to be very calm. I have not had the opportunity to see other Mexican groups of children having a pinata party.

[TCB]

I wish my kds could go to parties with some of yours! My girls just will not push in and grab stuff. To me that is just bad manners. I believe you can be enthusiastic and have fun without trampling others or snatching everything for yourself.

I really struggle with this after some of the parties my 2 girls have attended. I stat to feel bad that my girls are missing out because I've made them practise good manners and therefore they've been left out. But you know, then I tell myself firmly, that doing the right thing can not be wrong for them and one day they will realise they are the winners because they will have good character to fall back on. It is really hard to be raising your kids in a counter-culture way. It's kind of like classical education I guess, striving to find what is beautiful and true and good.

[Sophia]

I had to get off of the computer before I had a chance to include any more details.

Not all of the children in our group were pushy and selfish. But as a whole, when you looked at the group, they were a lot more aggressive and grabby than the other group. I know that my two children that attended were handing candy to some of the little children.

The other group was very calm and slow moving overall. Of course that does not mean that there may not have been one or two grabbier children in the group.

I do think that for some of the children in our group, this may have been their first experience with a pinata.

My guess would be that the hispanic group ( if I remember right I think they were Mexican) probably had a lot more experience with pinatas and so the parents had likely already had more opportunity to instruct their children in pinata etiquette.

Something else I noticed was that when our group of children were scrambling for the candy that some of the parents from the other group were looking at them and pointing and laughing and so I must admit I was a little embarrassed by the groups behavior, although my own children were not as aggressive as the group overall. I was under the impression, due to the pointing and laughing, that the contrast in behavior between the two groups had also been noticed by them, not just by me. But I didn't ask them what they were pointing and laughing at. LOL

 

I'm of Mexican descent and have attended my share of parties with pinatas.

Based on my experiences, I would not say that what you witnessed is indicative of anything related to culture.

Imo, it's all about parenting. When my mom hosted the parties, there was control.(Oh, the pointing and laughing, yea, sorry, that would have been happening at all of the parties :blushing:) When my aunt with 6 boys hosted the parties, I went for the candy at the edge. When my aunt with 5 boys hosted the parties, I waited for the grown-ups to settle down the crying kids and redistribute the candy.

 

Re. your cooperation/competition comment, competition among those boys was and still is fierce. And it was never discouraged by any of the adults.

[helena]

Thats funny.LOL And you are in Guatemala ? I am wondering if the Mexican group was the norm for Mexican children - as in very calm and not grabby - or maybe that group of children had been used to being expected to be very calm. I have not had the opportunity to see other Mexican groups of children having a pinata party.

 

Mexican children (from Mexico and Mexican American) are like other children from all over the world, as are their parents.

 

Some children are calm children, some are greedy and sneaky as can be. Some are gentle, some are cruel..

Parents are hands on and wise, some are lazy and ignorant. Some are poor and rude or poor and decent. Some are wealthy and arrogant, some are middle class and ...so on.

 

In my experience, pinatas are most fun when there aren't a million rules and adults keeping it sterile. The kids who see the injustice in a few kids getting little booty, will gladly share. The greedy kids, well.. they don't share anything anytime for the most part.

 

I've only been to white american pinata parties as an adult with my children, and it is different over all, but not in a white kids are greedy/mexican kids are polite kind of way.

 

When I was growing up, there were still a lot of formalities in my family (even if they were casual). For example.. there's a way that you speak to your elders and a way you play with your friends. Culturally that was the difference I saw in character or etiquette.

 

But now, I don't understand the world. :001_smile: I don't know what the deal is with cultural differences anymore. It just all smells like to much fast food and tv. I'm happy to gather people around me from all over the world who value being intelligent and kind, and polite.

[helena]

I'm of Mexican descent and have attended my share of parties with pinatas.

Based on my experiences, I would not say that what you witnessed is indicative of anything related to culture.

Imo, it's all about parenting. When my mom hosted the parties, there was control.(Oh, the pointing and laughing, yea, sorry, that would have been happening at all of the parties :blushing:) When my aunt with 6 boys hosted the parties, I went for the candy at the edge. When my aunt with 5 boys hosted the parties, I waited for the grown-ups to settle down the crying kids and redistribute the candy.

 

Re. your cooperation/competition comment, competition among those boys was and still is fierce. And it was never discouraged by any of the adults.

 

:iagree:

[Miss Sherry]

..........

But now, I don't understand the world. :001_smile: I don't know what the deal is with cultural differences anymore. It just all smells like to much fast food and tv. I'm happy to gather people around me from all over the world who value being intelligent and kind, and polite.

I am wondering if you can explain what you mean by "I don't know what the deal is with cultural differences anymore. It just all smells like to much fast food and tv."

Mexican children (from Mexico and Mexican American) are like other children from all over the world, as are their parents.

 

 

Yes, of course I understand that people are people, regardless of race or culture. However, different cultures do tend to have certain values or ideas or ways of doing things that may or may not be emphasized or done that way in some other cultures. I don't think there is anything wrong with acknowledging that cultures have their own unique characteristics. Do we have to pretend we are all the same, do everything the same, and think exactly the same way or we can't accept each other ? Maybe if we acknowledge there could be something different in another culture than our own that automatically means we are racist. I hope not.If we have to believe that every culture is the same than I suspect what we are really saying is we cannot or will not be appreciative or respectful of another culture unless it is the same as ours. So we insist that all cultures are the same.

Edited June 12, 2010 by Miss Sherry

[helena]

I am wondering if you can explain what you mean by "I don't know what the deal is with cultural differences anymore. It just all smells like to much fast food and tv." I don't know what you mean.

 

I'm not sure either, I'm going on 4 hours of sleep here. :D

 

I guess what I mean is that when I look around I see a growing lack of formality and tradition.

 

As a kid, American culture seemed like no culture compared to what it meant to walk into a Mexicans house. As an adult I feel like tv, accumulating things, drinking, and cr@p food is the prevailing culture for both.

 

If you're lucky enough to find someone who's a quality human being, it seems a random thing which has nothing to do with where they were born.

 

I have a terrible feeling I have no business typing right now..:) I feel a little loopy. Hope there was some kind of a real though here.

[helena]

Yes, of course I understand that people are people, regardless of race or culture. However, different cultures do tend to have certain values or ideas or ways of doing things that may or may not be emphasized or done that way in some other cultures. I don't think there is anything wrong with acknowledging that cultures have their own unique characteristics. Do we have to pretend we are all the same, do everything the same, and think exactly the same way or we can't accept each other ? Maybe if we acknowledge there could be something different in another culture than our own that automatically means we are racist. I hope not.If we have to believe that every culture is the same than I suspect what we are really saying is we cannot or will not be appreciative or respectful of another culture unless it is the same as ours. So we insist that all cultures are the same.

I hear you.. I'm from two very different cultures, and I live in a super diverse community. In my life I've found that we are all the same, we are all unique, each culture is valid (more or less), and stereotypes tend to have a lot of truth (for the better and worse).

I love that Mexican (in my case Mexican American) culture has nooks and crannies, that no other culture has.

Edited June 12, 2010 by helena

[Miss Sherry]

......

 

As a kid, American culture seemed like no culture compared to what it meant to walk into a Mexicans house. As an adult I feel like tv, accumulating things, drinking, and cr@p food is the prevailing culture for both.......

 

As a kid, being a white and growing up in America, I felt like we barely had a culture.I remember telling my parents that it seemed like we had no culture. Of course we do have a culture, but it is a little bland in some ways and very materialistic. When I was around Mexican/Spanish families I did feel a little envious that they had a culture.What I enjoyed so much about the Mexican and Spanish families we were around was how warm and friendly they were to us when we visited. Of course we do have a culture, but it is a little bland in some ways and very materialistic.

 

I'm not sure either, I'm going on 4 hours of sleep here. :D

 

I have a terrible feeling I have no business typing right now..:) I feel a little loopy. Hope there was some kind of a real though here.

I hope you can get some good sleep tonight.

Edited June 12, 2010 by Miss Sherry