Um, this sounds really fun! I want to do this! Kids love obstacle courses and as long as they're not screaming at them "Stop crying for your mommy and give me 20!", I see this being a hit.
Post by sawyerthedestroyer on Jul 7, 2013 22:14:03 GMT -5
If it's something the kid is into I don't see why it would be a bad thing.
My kid is gaga about fire fighters right now so I if I went down to the station to get ideas for decorations or whatever and a fireman offered to come to the party and talk about his job I'd definitely let him.
Post by margotmacomber on Jul 7, 2013 22:16:58 GMT -5
I don't think the recruiter was trying to recruit CHILDREN FFS.
They are getting out in the community, doing good works. Jesus people. He/she was there to represent the armed forces and be a good influence and entertain. I don't think we need to jump to recruiting five year olds.
While I think it's a bit of a stretch to say that the recruiter is going to be recruiting 5 year olds, I do side-eye the idea of inviting one to a kid's birthday party for entertainment like he's a clown or magician. I think it's weird she went to the recruitment office at all, honestly. Did she gain any extra information there that would be helpful in planning a kid's party that she couldn't have gotten from watching Renaissance Man, Stripes, In The Army Now, or any other military themed movie?
If it's something the kid is into I don't see why it would be a bad thing.
My kid is gaga about fire fighters right now so I if I went down to the station to get ideas for decorations or whatever and a fireman offered to come to the party and talk about his job I'd definitely let him.
my first gut-level reaction is that firefighters don't kill people...but that's just me
btw, we just did a firefighter birthday today!!
Some kids look up to our military and think of them as heroes.
I'm assuming the pamphlets were for ideas for the obstacle courses? Like, just to look at the pictures.
I highly doubt a recruiter is coming to what I'm assuming is a 7 or 8 year olds birthday and giving them the whole "sign up!" pitch.
i don't think it's too far-fetched to think that he could have referred to them as "recruits" if they were acting out boot camp. i also don't think it's a stretch to think that he was giving them the "you could be a hero when you grow up!" speech. i obviously have issues and i'm very suspicious of military recruiting and stuff. but there is a difference between playing boot camp with an actual recruiter and doing some cool obstacle courses.
Omg- heaven forbid he says "recruits!" and gets the kids really excited in a PRETEND ROLE PLAYING GAME. Jesus Christ! They'll be forging birth certificates to join up by the end of the night!
Post by LeggsBenedict on Jul 7, 2013 22:38:59 GMT -5
One time, I dressed up as Princess Jasmine for my birthday, and my mom made me this awesome cake that looked like the palace and my dad set up this big assed tent in the backyard and called it the cave of wonders and it was filled with little genie lamps that were also bubbles. It was awesome.
Oh, we're talking about murderous child soldiers? Nevermind.
I am uncomfortable with the idea of playing at war, and building the concept of military as entertainment. I don't think they're actively recruiting, or that they have bad intentions.
I am uncomfortable with the idea of playing at war, and building the concept of military as entertainment. I don't think they're actively recruiting, or that they have bad intentions.
I highly doubt that they're handing the kids fake guns and teaching them to aim and shoot.
I am uncomfortable with the idea of playing at war, and building the concept of military as entertainment. I don't think they're actively recruiting, or that they have bad intentions.
I highly doubt that they're handing the kids fake guns and teaching them to aim and shoot.
I don't think the recruiter was trying to recruit CHILDREN FFS.
They are getting out in the community, doing good works. Jesus people. He/she was there to represent the armed forces and be a good influence and entertain. I don't think we need to jump to recruiting five year olds.
ETA for another FFS!!
I was being totally sarcastic about it only because I didn't understand the need for the pamphlets. I do know they do community outreach.
If it's something the kid is into I don't see why it would be a bad thing.
My kid is gaga about fire fighters right now so I if I went down to the station to get ideas for decorations or whatever and a fireman offered to come to the party and talk about his job I'd definitely let him.
my first gut-level reaction is that firefighters don't kill people...but that's just me
btw, we just did a firefighter birthday today!!
So substitute police officer instead of firefighter. It's definitely in their job description to shoot to kill when necessary and crime that would result in that situation is as funny as war, but most people are still okay with police officers coming in to talk to young students, leading exercises, and saying things like "You could grow up to be a hero in the police force too!" People draw a line against soldiers though and for some reason forget that these men and women do a lot of other things that are good for our communities outside of fighting wars. It's disrespectful to our soldiers and their families to jump to the conclusion that because they're within five feet of a kid, they're automatically brainwashing them to do the most terrible thing ever, join the military!
I think it's weird to bring any kind of professional in for entertainment that isn't a musician, clown, magician, etc but I don't think it being a legit recruitment officer is any weirder than any other profession.
Um. This doesn't seem like a big deal to me. Like when kids bring their parents to school for career day or whatever. He was probably just talking about being in the army in a light way, making it fun for kids.
I just think it's beyond weird to go to an armed forces recruitment office for kindergarten bday party ideas. Why not pick up an Oriental Trading catalog, get a few camoflauge hats, some squirt guns, and set up an obstacle course in the yard that includes a slip and slide, a limbo pole and walking across a wood beam. I don't see any reason to have a Marine recruiter (or 'outreach person' or whatever) come to get a bunch of six year olds all het up about the army.
All this.
If I had to come up with an army/bootcamp themed birthday party I'd use greens and set up courses and maybe throw in some camo. And then I'd dole out little green army men as favors and let them play to their hearts content.
I'd also possibly tell them for how long to then microwave their little green army men.
my first gut-level reaction is that firefighters don't kill people...but that's just me
btw, we just did a firefighter birthday today!!
Some kids look up to our military and think of them as heroes.
Which is great.
I already find military recruitment tactics questionable (targeting kids to go out and die, often with hard sell tactics and unrealistic expectations). It isn't that they aren't heroes, it's that they are making the decision at a point in their life when critical reasoning skills haven't fully developed. Glorifying the recruitment process to even younger kids is completely inappropriate.
An obstacle course party? Great. This? Doesn't work for me.