Cathy Weeks wrote:

Most recently, we started giving a ride to a little girl who lives a
couple of blocks from us so that she could go to preschool - her
parents run the Chinese restaurant in town, and pre-school came during
the lunch rush - they just couldn't get her to and from school. So my
daughter teacher asked us if we'd give the little girl a ride. Sure.
No problem - they are neighbors, and it adds all of about 2 minutes to
our commute to and from school (the restaurant is on the way). So,
they start giving my daughter candy as a thank-you!! ARGGGG. It might
be a cultural barrier thing - I dunno, but what's wrong with them just
saying thank-you, and me thinking that that's what neighbors are for?
To take care of each other. Neither my daughter nor I need rewards for
being good people.

The candy thing might be partially cultural. We have a lot of friends
who are Chinese nationals and they seem to share food a lot although
it's not usually candy.



My daughter also happens to be a cute kid - dimples, red hair that
curls into ringlets so she looks like a cross between Shirley temple
and Orphan Annie, so people are always thrusting candy at her.
Appreciated are the people who ask me first before offering it.

OMG - you described me as a kid!! I was called "Annie" my entire life.



I don't have a problem with Halloween. I intend to take my daughter
trick-or-treating, and letting her go for as many years as she wants
to. Once a year is really no big deal. But there is just so much
candy around. No matter what *I* want, it isn't just an occasional
treat anymore.

Sigh... I'll quit ranting now.

Oh I totally agree. We came back from a trip today (well, now I guess
it was yesterday, since it's 1AM...) and we were on a plane. DS was
thirsty - normally we would have brought our own juice but we couldn't
because of the FAA rules in place, and he had drunk all of his milk.
He was *really* upset and crying and the lady in front of me tried to
hand us a pack of M&M's. While I thought the gesture was very nice,
who in their right mind would give a 2.5 year old M&Ms...especially on
a plane? Can you say "caffeine and sugar buzz?" LOL...
I hate that "shove candy at them mentality".

(Once DS got some juice he was fine, BTW.

-L.