There are certain family products that seem to irrationally irritate people. In fact, some of them have incited rage. What can these highly offensive items be?
The top three family products that bring out the haters are:
Family decals on cars.
The first offender seems innocent enough. A family puts these little stick figures on the rear window of their minivan, each representing a member of the family. You may see dad with a fishing pole, mom with a coffee, and various children partaking in activities reflecting the interests of the children in the family. Perhaps there is a family pet also represented on the window. What kind of lunatic would think of putting this on their rear window? *Raises hand* My kids are so proud of our family and took great pleasure in picking out little characters to represent the different family members.
Clearly, you can see how highly offensive this is. Reaction to these family decals has been as simple as people sharing on social media how much they HATE family decals, to people creating counter decals that say “I don’t give a F*CK about your stick figure family.”
“Baby on Board” or “Mom’s Taxi” signs.
The next offender also involves the family car. I have to admit—before I had children, I’d see those “Baby on Board” signs and think to myself: “Who do these people think they are? Do they think I’m actually going to drive more carefully because of their sign?” The thing is, I think I did drive better when I saw them. I’d be sure not to get to close and I’d take my foot off the gas a bit. As for the “Mom’s Taxi” sign, well, you wouldn’t catch one on my mini-van. But does it make me feel enraged? Um… no. I spend enough time driving around my kids, so I know exactly how that fellow mom feels. So why would I rage on her? If that makes her somehow feel validated or she thinks it’s funny, who cares?
The Elf on the Shelf.
This is the little elf that spends the month of December spying on children, flying back and forth to the North Pole each night, reporting behavior observed during the day. I’ve spoken before about this bad-parenting enabler. Sure, it’s a pain for the parents. We’ve all forgotten to move the stinkin’ elf and had to deal with upset children. We do the elf thing, but for all the elf haters, here’s an idea: don’t do it. There’s no new rule saying every family has to participate. Does a little elf really deserve so much controversy and attention?
I have to admit, I like to have a bit of fun with snark as much as the next guy. But next time you feel yourself starting to get worked up over something that doesn’t matter and doesn’t impact you, take a few deep breaths and maybe think to yourself:
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