We usually celebrate it by trying to find the "tricky" leprechaun who has left green foot prints, green milk, green toilet bowls and messy green grass everywhere (although we don't have green grass yet in Minnesota). By the end of the day the leprechaun feels bad for all the messes and usually leaves a treat or small toy as an apology for all he has done. It's something fun my kids have always really enjoyed doing, even now when they are old enough to know who the tricky leprechaun really is.
This morning I TOTALLY forgot it was St. Patrick's Day until I saw something on Facebook (and crap-e-oh-la we are out of green food coloring). I reminded my son to wear his green today, his response:
Son: Why???
Me: Do you want to get a bunch of nasty tight pinches from your fellow classmates?
Son: No, I don't have to worry about that because if someone pinches me they will get sent to the principals office.
What the What?? How could that be? That's the fun of St. Patrick's Day at school- you either hide the green you are wearing so when someone pinches you, you get to pinch them 10 times because you are indeed wearing green, or looking for that clueless classmate who forgot and pounce on them with your snappers... Times have changed. That is no longer acceptable. Dang, what has happened to the good old childhood fun of pinching unsuspecting classmates??
I was thinking of going on about how deprived our children our by the coddling and things we are so afraid of now (like heaven forbid your child lose and NOT get a trophy anyway). BUT, I decided why jump on that bandwagon- why not accept that this is how life is for them. I remember my parents always saying stuff about how easy we had it as kids, how we were spoiled because we had things like a dishwasher, microwave etc. I hated hearing that as a kid. It wasn't my fault I didn't walk to school both ways up hill in the snow or that I got to take a hot shower whenever I wanted (literally my mom took a luke warm bath once a week- yikes the stench, especially because she lived on a farm). Is it a rite of passage to express (guilt) to your kids about how times have changed? I don't know about rite, but it sure is easy and heck it's my reference point.
But instead of gripping to my kids about it I decided I'd stick with our fun way of celebrating St. Patrick's Day here at home (I tried to pick up green food coloring but interesting enough Target didn't have green- only pastel colors, so I got sprinkles and frosting, I'm not even going to think about the mess)
and let them enjoy the way they know how to celebrate-..... although I'll still sneak in a pinch as soon as my son takes his shoes with the green laces off.
