Small-Town Small-Mindedness

While St. Charles, MO, may not technically be a small town, this is an image they like to project, especially when it comes to their yearly, old-fashioned Christmas Traditions festival. The small-mindedness their mayor and city council have shown in regards to the “Sugar Plum Fairy incident” certainly do provide evidence that they are smaller (at least in brain power) than people think.

First of all, the code of conduct is ridiculous. “Christmas characters don’t know naughty words?!?” Everyone knows naughty words. Yes, common sense tells us that there is a time and a place to use them, (if we must–I know I do occasionally), but sometimes, in a moment of frustration, one slips out despite our best intentions. And Laura Coppinger wasn’t even in character when she was at the drug-testing facility, she was just a prospective employee.

Second of all, people who think she’s somehow setting a bad example for children, or reflecting poorly on the city of St. Charles or the Christmas Traditions festival are crazy enough that I think they should be going in for a drug test! They do realize, I assume, that no one would have known that any “naughty words” had been used if they hadn’t made such a big deal out of it? My children certainly wouldn’t have known a profanity had been uttered, and neither would I, (not that I particularly care). But the city had to blow the whole situation out of proportion and make it into something news-worthy, just drawing attention to a momentary lapse in judgement, (on the part of Laura Coppinger), and their own asininity. USA Today even picked up the story–way to make your town look like a bunch of fools!

I had hoped that cooler heads would prevail; that the city would realize that they could accept the actress’s apology, re-hire her, and move on. Apparently, however, they are unable to show the same grace and humility she has shown throughout this ordeal, and instead only defended their dubious decision. While Laura has truly embodied the traits of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the city of St. Charles seems to only take its lessons on Christmas spirit and graciousness from Ebenezer Scrooge! While our family will still support the merchants and the Christmas Traditions festival this year, the experience just won’t be the same for any of us.

Who Fires the Sugar Plum Fairy?

This story is just unbelievable to me. Unless what the “Sugar Plum Fairy” did is wildly different from what was reported in the newspaper, I think it’s a wild overreaction, and gross abuse of power on the part of the city of St. Charles. Laura Coppinger has truly given a voice and a personality to a character in a story who never actually utters a word, and she completely embodies the spirit of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I speak from experience–we’ve been enjoying her performances for many years!

If she was cursing in costume in front of children? Sure, a reprimand is in order. But at a drug-testing facility, off the clock, with no costume? Give me a break. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s a good thing no one’s keeping track of when I use foul language when I’m upset with myself. I’d also really like to know what employee got their panties in a bunch and reported her–again, a gross abuse of power.

I hope the city of St. Charles rethinks this decision. If they don’t, I know two little girls who will be heartbroken if they don’t get to see their favorite Christmas character!

This is a story about how the Sugar Plum Fairy got fired.

Laura Coppinger played the holiday sprite for six years during the Christmas Traditions festival in St. Charles. By all accounts, the 29-year-old was a popular character at the monthlong festival along historic Main Street.

“The spin that I gave to her was that I was a fairy on a sugar high,” she said. “I was really loud and really over the top, and that’s probably why I was the Pied Piper of children,”

Her trouble started with a drug test. Festival hiring came under the control of the city of St. Charles this year, and all city employees are required to take the test. Coppinger was told to report to a local testing facility to give a urine sample.

After she filled the cup she accidentally flushed the toilet, a no-no. Apparently, some people try to dilute their samples with the incoming water.

“I don’t have to take drug tests too often,” she said, ‘so out of habit I flushed the toilet, and as soon as I did it I was like, oh, no.”

Coppinger said the woman working at the facility dumped her sample and told her she would have to go back to the waiting room until she could supply another one.

Coppinger, who also works as a substitute teacher in the St. Louis Public Schools, said that meant she was going to miss a job interview.

“Out of frustration with myself and frustration with the fact that I was going to have to sit another hour, I cursed,” she said.

Coppinger said she didn’t direct her words at anyone, but she was visibly angry, and she stomped back to the waiting room and started slurping down soda and water. A short time later, the woman working the counter told her that she should go home.

“I asked her why and she said, ‘I think you should call St. Charles HR about that,’ ” Coppinger said.

When she called the city, special events coordinator Karen Godfrey told her she had broken the Christmas Traditions code of conduct, specifically a section titled: “Christmas Characters Don’t Know Naughty Words.”

via St. Charles festival clips Sugar Plum Fairy’s wings after she violates anti-cursing rule.

State Bureaucracy at Its Asinine Finest

The government of the state of Illinois really needs to find a better, more constructive use of its time. Seriously. Can’t balance the budget; can’t even make a budget; certainly can’t save the state from bankruptcy. But finding new ways to inundate parents and schools with even more paperwork? That they can do.

I got a call from the nurse at Moose’s school today. She had been going over his health history form, and had noticed that I had mentioned a likely peanut/walnut allergy. Now, we haven’t officially had him allergy tested yet. But, I’ve noticed reactions when he’s eaten those things, and I’ve spoken to his pediatrician about it, and she agreed that he probably does have an allergy. She also said that she didn’t see an urgent need to get him tested if we were planning on keeping him away from nuts, and that we could do the testing at our leisure. Great. So, I was planning on having him tested this fall, just so we could find out how severe the allergy is, and know if there are any extra precautions we should take, but I was in no hurry.

The school, however, is not a fan of this plan. Why not? Because our wonderful state instituted a new law this year that any student with an allergy must have a letter signed by their doctor confirming said allergy. Even if the school has known about a child’s allergy for the last five years, they now need new, lengthy paperwork from parents and doctors, testifying to the aforementioned allergy. The nurse was almost as frustrated as I was, because she’s the one who has to track down and file all of this frivolous paperwork.

This is just another example of the government stepping in and taken away my parental rights. It’s not good enough that I, as a responsible parent, have noticed his symptoms, realized he has an allergy, and taken the proper steps both to protect him, (by not serving him the allergen), and to notify the school. Now I have to go get a letter from someone clearly more intelligent than I am, stating the exact same thing. Sure, I was going to have tested, but now I’m being told to do it. Maddening!

I thought it was bad enough that in addition to the necessary doctor visit prior to Kindergarten, I am also now required to take my child to the dentist. Because I can’t figure out to do that on my own, right? Surely I never would have taken him to the dentist if I wasn’t told to. No, instead I probably would have just neglected his dental health, because parents are clearly too stupid to know to do this without the state government telling them to.

Oh, and the mandatory visit to the eye doctor prior to Kindergarten. Completely necessary for a child exhibiting no vision problems, right? I mean, I couldn’t figure out to take Turkey and Ladybug, who were homeschooled and not even of school age, to the eye doctor without someone telling me. I’m not observant enough to realize when my children might be having vision problems. No, I need the government to order me to do it, and require proof that it has been done before my child can go to school.

And now, to top it all off, I also need a signed letter informing the school of my child’s allergy, even though I, as the parent, have already informed them. If I don’t do this, however, they may not take proper precautions to make sure he is not given nuts while at school, (which doesn’t involve much for them as I pack his lunch every day), and they won’t help him in any way other than calling 911 if he does have a reaction. Yep, I definitely needed more intervention from the government in this wonderful public school process.

And people wonder why homeschooling is becoming so so popular!

It was a Good Idea, Anyway

I was all excited, because I found out that a local church puts on a Boar’s Head Christmas Festival (every year, I’m assuming).  I’ve only ever been to a Boar’s Head festival once, probably eight or nine years ago, but it was the coolest thing, and every Christmas, I’ve remembered it, and wanted to go again.  So, you can imagine my excitement upon finding one, and the idea of taking the children to see it!  All the costumes, the singing, the music–I know they would love it…

The excitement was short-lived.  I was basically told that children aren’t welcome, unless they can be “completely silent” for the entire time.  Maybe the five year old would be OK, *if* he could follow this mandate but the rest…now, the older children especially are pretty well-behaved in church, but I don’t think they’ve ever been “completely silent” unless they were sleeping.

I get that people go to see the pageantry and don’t want to be interrupted.  But I would think that given that my children are used to going to church, and know basically how to behave there, that they could overlook some whispered questions about what’s going on.  I guess maybe I’m just being selfish about wanting them to have that experience.  But I can’t be the only person who wants to take small children to see something so cool–can I?  You’d think with seven or so performances, they could designate one “appropriate” for families with children.

It would have been a good history lesson, not to mention getting to see the telling of Jesus’ birth in a way they never have before.  It’s just another example of a place in church where my children are not wanted. There are entirely too many places in *most* churches where children are not welcome, where they are shuttled off away from the adults, to do their own thing.  And that’s supposed to be a good idea why?  I’m pretty sure people of all ages went to see Jesus (actually I’m certain–suffer the little children unto me, anyone?).  I could easily get despondent about this, but instead, I’m going to comfort myself with the fact that at least they are welcome, and wanted, in our home congregation, which is the best church I have ever attended!

Maybe I can get a DVD version of the Boar’s Head Festival to watch at home?  It’s either that, or wait another four years or so, until they’re all “old enough” to go…