"What do you mean, Sweetie? Did you leave some at school?" I asked.
"No, Mom. We were allowed to have them, but just trade them at recess only, but people couldn't handle it, and they kept on messing with them in class. And the same people still kept trading them when they weren't supposed to. And we got three chances and then they got BANNED."
We're no stranger to the banning of the bands. In Swedish Museum camp this summer, silly bands were no laughing matter. The staff began the camp lenient about them, but found them far too distracting.
The final straw came as they were trying to teach the campers dances from around the world, but the kids were consumed with trading bands and wouldn't pay attention. That, coupled with the annoyance of finding the bands all over the floor, day after day, culminated in a silly band ban.
Du-Jay's 4th-6th grade class is still permitted to wear them and trade at recess only. Sagezilla's has gone to an all out ban, where kids so much as entering class wearing them forfeit the bands.
We happen to like the bands ourselves, but everything has a time and a space. They do encourage generosity, and creativity, and make a fun sorting work. The kids have alternately arranged theirs by color and theme.
Our friend, Tucker, also said one of the funniest things I've heard recently in response to a silly band. He showed me one, like the white band on Zilla's shirt pictured above, and said, "I think this one is supposed to be a high heeled shoe, but look, if you turn it sideways, it's a pileated woodpecker!" I love how that kid thinks. But we'll limit our trading and sharing with friends to after school and weekends.
Abandon bands all ye who enter here. Before you enter the hallowed halls of learning at your school, find out what the official word is on those infernal, addictive little latex bands. They're cheap, colorful and fun to collect, but in the interest of peace, there may be many classrooms this fall that decide to ban the bands.
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