Helicopter Parents on Easter
Today’s editorial cartoon is for all the parents of precious children who have ruined Easter Egg Hunts for the rest of the world. From Georgia to Colorado, Easter Egg Hunts, a tradition for Christian children on Easter, have been cancelled due to helicopter parents.
Seems some parents feel the need to make sure their kids win at any cost including jumping into the fray, knocking down other kids, just to make sure their precious child get an egg. Sure there were probably some over aggressive kids that should have been reigned in by their parents but that shouldn’t result in chaos on what should be a kids event.
Want to make sure your kid walks away with an egg or two. If they start coming back empty handed, drop a few eggs you brought near your feet and exclaim “oh look you missed one” Or better yet, teach your kid how to deal with and overcome disappointment.
When I started this site 5-6 years ago, I expected it to be a hit within a year, have a book deal within 18 months and have Hollywood calling to option my work within three years. Guess what, none of that happened. And if my parents hadn’t taught me how to deal with disappointment, I would be curled up in a fetal position in the corner instead of posting this gem.
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Thanks for saying what society needs to hear!!!!!!!!!!!
I do what I can. Now if I could just get the rest of society to listen to me.
And better yet, to pay you for your opinions, eh? ;`)
That would be asking too much
Hunting Easter Eggs used to get brutal in my family. It was a major competitive event.
But it made you a stronger person (or a whimpering idiot not sure which)
That’s like hunting with a lazer gun. Very effective.
I speak softly and carry a big gun.
This is totally the reason why I stopped coaching those Egg Hunting teams! If the parents would just let me teach kids strategies and positioning, we could have won a District Title! =D
Well that and there is the kid that always pisses himself, the mom that says you can only bring store bought stuff to the game because her kid has peanut allergies…what else.
Nothing to say except absolutely LOVE IT! Sharing now…..
Wait…where did you share it? I like to follow my trail.
FB on my profile, dunno why but FB didn’t grab the thumbnail, and in my neck of the FB universe nobody even reads an update with no picture, it’s partly facebook and partly them.
FB is funny that way. When I post to Stumbleupon I have to actually post it to twitter first and then to FB or the thumbnail doesn’t show up.
I’ve seen it from soccer games, to Easter egg hunts and everything in between! My kids are just about grown and I’m glad I don’t have to deal with people like that much anymore!
What about your kids in college. The parents that actually go to class with/for their kid, the ones that pick up their laundry each week…..
It doesn’t stop.
No it doesn’t. Somehow they get their kids through college and then they go on job interviews with them and they somehow bully the people so their kid gets the job then they bully more so the kid brings work home and they do it for them then the kid gets promoted to a position where they get a secretary to do all their work for them and they get to hire new people and they think it’s normal for parents to attend job interviews with their kids.
I wish my parents were that diligent about finding me a job. The only influence my dad had was “Get your ass out there and put in some resumes today”
My granddaddy told me not to come home without a job. Worked fine for me. I was unemployed on 23AUG83. The only 24 hours since 1978 I was ever without a job. Glad my children all know better.
Red.
1 day…that was quick.
When I’d first read about the one being cancelled in Colorado, I thought, “Holy F’, how can parents be so f’n stupid?”
Boys and girls, its just an Easter Egg hunt. You know, pyschedelic dyed boiled eggs. Nothing fancy.
Then I read about the one in Georgia, my next thought was, “Pathetic.”
So after givin’ some thought, about all I can say is this:
Can you just smell what the Rock is filing a lawsuit over?
Look at you pulling out the Wrestling reference..haha
True…one place it is isolated….once it starts in other areas you have to think
You had good parents Bearman, so did I. These kind of people I call clods. Shame on them because they are teaching their kids to be clods too.
Have a terrific day and a very happy Easter.
Clod. Now there is a word I haven’t heard in a while.
THIS is just another example of why society needs an IQ test before being allowed to procreate! …the stupid and the ignorant should be sterilized! [leave the fact that I've been fixed OUT of this-capiche!!] [smirk]
Before or after procreation? Doesn’t count if they got to you too late.
There are no mini-me’s running around, so I’d say they got to me just in time! [smirk]
That you know of..hehe
Amazing you need a license to drive, but not unleash lunacy on the planet.
Red.
You endanger just your kids when you procreate…you endanger me when you drive.
Wait, What ? I thought you drew all your cartoons from the fetal position.
I had not heard about the cancellations but parents too often try to live through their kids activities and it just turns out bad for everyone.
Oh don’t get me started on sports parents.
I was such an introvert, I cried during Easter Egg Hunts and on Halloween. I didn’t like candy very much and I hated strangers even worse, so these were very harrowing times for me.
My parents didn’t push me to do anything (they knew I wouldn’t do it anyway). I’m glad in a way, because that would have made a bad situation even worse.
I do see that “helicopter parents” exist. I see them all the time trying to strongarm their kids to bully others and win no matter what the event is.
I could make some crack about missing out on all that Easter and Halloween candy but I won’t hehe
This might just be one of your best posts yet. Personally I think all organized activites and sports should be cancelled one summer so kids can have fun and learn how to play without the adults present.
I never played organized sports. My parents rule was that I wasn’t allowed to watch TV until my homework was done and at least not until after 5PM. So I went outside and played.
You played? Outside? Without guards or supervision? That’d be child abuse these days.
We played outside if it wasn’t rainin’ and then we would play in the barn. Kids just did not hang around inside the house. We tried to stay out of sight so the grownups wouldn’t find us some chores to do.
My grandmother would kick us kids outta the house during the summer. We weren’t supposed to show our faces until the sun went down. If you were thirsty? Drink for the outdoor water hose. Need a restroom? Find a tree, and make it your friend.
I got in trouble with the neighbors b/c they saw me peeing behind a bush in front of my house instead of going inside to the bathroom 10 feet away.
You’re lucky there was no YouTube!
You knew when to come home because the street lights went on. That or you could hear my mom scream your name 3 streets over.
I loved those good ol’ days
You could hear my mom too?? haha
All three names.
Red.
true.
you couldn’t be more correct. I really hate how parents don’t’ really seem to teach there kids anything these days but how to be little brats. My niece and Nephew are no exception. Life isn’t fair and people need to work hard to get what they want, and failure is something that should be learned sooner rather than later.
Please make sure you send your brother/sister over to this site so they can see how much of a hellion you think your kin is. haha
I was wonderin’ what would happen with that too.
I totally agree with you, Beaman. Kids need to learn to deal with disappointment. If they are not taught this at an early age, well…you know as well as I do what the result would be in once they get older. I was going to say grown up, but without the proper lesson, they would hardly deserve to be called that.
Hope you had a nice, Easter Bearman!
Hugs, xx
Plus they will rely on extrinsic motivators only instead of understanding the intrinsic rewards that are out there.
Like free chocolate eggs, if you can find them first.
Don’t know if you’re interested, but I passed a Commenter Award to you the other day. You were my special 7th. At least go have look…http://adamsart.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/commenter-award-2/
xo
I learned disappointment years ago. I also learned how to embrace Honorable Mentions as like a second chance sweepstakes. Hey, a ribbon’s still a ribbon.
At least you got mentioned.
I don’t care about other bloggers, cartoon boy!
This is my corner!
MY CORNER!
*sobbing/wailing and pounding fists on floor*
Cartoons? You haven’t done one of those in a while. Get to it? Or doesn’t the computer reach the corner?
I want Spilled Ink and I want it now!!!!!!
I agree. We want Spilled Ink Comics!!!
Spilled Spilled Spilled
I will bring the extension cord.
Red.
I think that it’s probably to everyone’s benefit if those sort of parents do their Easter Egg hunts at home!
They would probably end up killing their relatives.
…Which would raise the Darwin Quotient a few notches.
Or garner some Darwin Awards.
I thought Easter egg hunts had ended for the very opposite reason: parents who DON’T want to get too involved with all of the trouble of hiding eggs and supervising the kids’ hunt (and you kinda’, sorta’ have to, lest the more aggressive tykes start scooping everything before the meeker kids do).
Most parents tend to treat Easter like a slightly lower-budget form of Christmas: just give them presents in the morning, maybe go to church, then leave them alone for the rest of the day. Or at least I think that’s how my childhood Easters went (I don’t remember much).
Presents? You got presents? Most just get a crappy box of Peeps or a basket with a chocolate bunny that looks cool but tastes like crap.
Great post and great comic. Hollywood is missing out.
Can you have your people contact my people?
What’s with these psycho parents. Just let the kids have fun people & if they don’t find an egg on their own then it’s a case of “Tough Luck kid & get over it”. Too much molly coddling & now we have a generation of spoilt brats who think the world owes them. Love the strangle hold on the wabbit
I’m still waiting for Spielberg to call for permission to make 2011 A Rat Odyssey into Hollywoods latest block buster. He said “Don’t call me, I’ll call you” He’s gunna call me!!! Can you believe that???
Stay by the phone. I heard he doesn’t leave messages and will only call once.
I have seen how you are with those dogs. I think you are a helicopter parent yourself.
A helicopter dog owner, cool. Wocka, wocka wocka, wocka…
OK gotta go hover over them to make sure they are getting the toys evenly distributed between themselves.
Can I get that to work on food with cats. I got a real skinny one and a real fat one but I am too lazy to separate them to eat.
Ugh, don’t get me started. I was at an Easter egg hunt a few years back and after the snowflakes had found their eggs, a friggin Chopper mom demanded that all the eggs be given back so they could be handed out evenly . Tears I say, tears!!!
Maybe then set up those expectations in the beginning. Here is a BIG Basket. Your goal is to fill the basket as fast as possible. The reward is doing the job not getting all the eggs. Chopper Mom should have foresight…
Just get out of my way, there’s chocolate eggs to be found!
I think those are REAL eggs.
What?? What psycho would do that to kids?
Dear god, Helicopter marsupials!!!!
Helicopter Marshmallows?
Instead of eggs, they should start hiding the parents.
No one would go looking
EGGsackly!
Parent warning! Ha folks that refuse to stay on the sidelines are amusing.
Only to an extent.
Going to hell in a hand basket. Or an Easter basket.
Aren’t most baskets….hand baskets?
A better idea is to make kids go out into the big wide world a month before Easter & earn themselves enough money to buy their own chocolate eggs. Then they may not be so darn ungrateful for what they get. They could call it Lent Labour or something…
Mum: “Johnny what are you planning on doing for Lent Labour Month?”
Little Johnny: “Oh I have applied for a job in a coal mine, it’s gunna be so much fun!!!”
Better still instead of earning money they get paid in Easter eggs. 1 week’s work per egg. Don’t wanna make things too easy for them. That’s the problem these days they get it too easy, too easy I say!!!
My mom was that way. I remember being 10 or 11 and coming home to ask my mom if I could go to the movies with some friends. Her response was “You got money?”
And it made you a better person right?
Or bitter & resentful because you missed out on some great movies???
Both.
Hmm I think I’ve missed something. Did something happen in Colorado? I’ll come back after I’ve done a little research. If you’re not curled up in a fetal position in the corner then perhaps we’re doing somehting wrong?
I prefer round rubber rooms.
I say just combine Easter egg hunting with some sort of Death Match, and let those nasty parents duke it out.
Hunger Easter Games.
Well I’ll be flummoxed and gob-stopped! Since when did some idiots turn a nice normal little game of Easter-Egg-Hunt from the family dwelling into the Little League Super-Basket(-case)Games?! The more out of touch I find myself, the more happy I am that I am out of touch. Sheesh!
Really great cartoon, Bearman. Love it!
The more out of touch you get the more I drag you back in.
Isn’t THAT the truth! ;`)
Princess needs her eggs. Hand em over.
Anything for princess
That’s one good thing about my mom. She always did her own hunt, and made sure my sister and I always ended up with the same amount of eggs.
To this day, she still hides eggs around her house and makes us look for them.
But because her memory is so bad she forgets where she hides them and eventually my sister and I get bored and give up.
Six months later, she’ll find them rotting behind the television stand…
She needs to start writing it down. Or just skip the hunt and give you each a carton of eggs.
You have almost reached 100 comments. You should make it before the day is over. If not you could call your family and have them comment. Oh I forgot, you are like me, most of my family don’t even know I do a comic even though I tell them every time I see them.
Isn’t that the worst. My brother in law informed me recently that he is a lurker.
One place I know had a fair way of dealing with the whole process. They set eggs out in the field that were empty, then after the children gathered eggs, they got in line, and everyone got a single bag full of chocolate, that were all the same size.
Great solution.
Well put, sir, well put. Now where’s my candy?
I ate it.
And a gem it is, Bearman! This topic is near & dear to my heart at the moment. Don’t even get me started on youth sports. I’m convinced youth sports will be the death of my husband. You can’t believe the number of parents that actually believe their child is the next NBA of NFL player. Lord help us, we are raising a generation of overpriviledged entitled brats. If I have to read one more obnoxious facebook post about how perfect someone’s kid is, I’m going to lose my mind…nevermind, it’s already gone.
Dammit…now I’m all fired up!
I am confused. Is hubby one of those sports parents or is he frustrated by them?
He’s really involved in youth sports and believes sports can help teach kids valuable life lessons, but too many parents are overly competive with each other and ruin it for the kids. It’s become way too serious, way too young. It’s sad because it was a positive experience for him as a kid, but todays kids are not learning the value of team work, how to set goals, how to win with grace and how to lose with dignity.
Somehow we think a bruised ego is worse than a bruised knee and take precautions against both.
I love the intense look between these two the mother and the rabit. Great cartoon!
Thanks Starla
We all want the best for our kids
The world was better before this generation.
Aren’t you part of THIS generation? haha
So many crazy parents trying to live through their kids. I’m glad my folks weren’t like that!
Let’s ask the people around you at that time..haha j/k