Dillards 29 - Teaching Them to Make Piñatas

[choralcrusader8613]

Last thread here:

Title is an homage to the idea that Jill and Derick felt the need to teach grown people in Central America how to make piñatas. Why. We also discussed Jill's writing style, Derick's short hair, and birth control.

We're still waiting on the Dillards' return to Arkansas. Will they get a clue about actually useful skills for mission work in the meantime? Probably not.

[Stormy]

Did they really include adults in the piñata-making? I got the impression it was just for the kids.

[Carm_88]

Me waiting, minus the cigarette but insert a glass of wine and a bowl of skittles, for the Dullards to do something interesting and/or useful.  

[Four is Enough]

@bal maiden said: . Anyway, it's the comments and the way they're phrased that skeeves me out, more than anything. You don't often hear parents threatening to put their sons in a cloister, for example, in the same way we joke about putting our daughters in a nunnery. 

 

Actually, I did. Thank you for your insights. And like another poster said, My stance on "no sex in MY house" is to try to steer them to get OUT on their own!

[choralcrusader8613]

15 minutes ago, Stormy said:

Did they really include adults in the piñata-making? I got the impression it was just for the kids.

It doesn't say the ages, but I feel like something such as skills training would be for a wide age range. And, maybe this is just me, but even with a young teenager as they talked about in the letter, what is the purpose of teaching her to make a piñata? I've got nothing against teaching "fun" skills, but I'm genuinely curious if they're doing this for the local economy, or just as a fun exercise, or what.

[2manyKidzzz]

I will go on the record as saying I have never cared for piñatas and the ensuing battering of said object with a bat. Jus me. 

[actuallyjessica]

I will go on the record as saying I have never cared for piñatas and the ensuing battering of said object with a bat. Jus me. 

How 'bout a Trump piñata? Will that change your mind?

[HereticHick]

All I remember from Girl Scouts piñata making is that it was a super messy process and the whole goopy thing took about 10X longer to dry than expected.

 

But, yeah, if it had been a Trumpiñata, that would have been more fun: https://www.pinatas.com/products/medium-donald-trump-political-pinata

[HarleyQuinn]

I'd rather just hand people candy than make them beat something to death for it. #lazy

[2manyKidzzz]

26 minutes ago, HarleyQuinn said:

I'd rather just hand people candy than make them beat something to death for it. #lazy

I felt that it made for a violent party event. Especially with boys. Yes to just giving out candy in a non-violent fashion!!

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

The last two piñatas I saw at kids' birthday parties used a different method of getting the candy out instead of beating it senseless. Each kid grabbed a ribbon or a string attached to the piñata and when they all pulled, it yanked off a part and all the candy came out at once. One was store bought and one was homemade. The kids had fun and no one got hurt in the process.

[TuringMachine]

I didn't read that update until now. I love it when the Duggars try to address the criticisms about them. "We're not on a vacation! Look! We're teaching the locals how to make piñatas!" 

Also, Jill seems to have no idea what commas are for.

[KnittingOwl]

16 minutes ago, TuringMachine said:

I didn't read that update until now. I love it when the Duggars try to address the criticisms about them. "We're not on a vacation! Look! We're teaching the locals how to make piñatas!" 

Also, Jill seems to have no idea what commas are for.

It's like mansplaining, only with ethnicity! Whitesplaining? Is there a better word for it?

[nastyhobbitses]

Jill. Honey.

1. Teaching people in El Salvador how to make piñatas is a little like going to India and telling them how to make saris. Which the British kind of did. Cut the white savior crap.

2. Do you not see the irony of an extremely sheltered girl-woman whose education doesn't extend far beyond whatever her parents deigned to teach her and shadowing a quack who calls herself a midwife teaching "life skills" to people who experience and deal with more in a day than you've ever had to?

[clueliss]

12 hours ago, HarleyQuinn said:

I'd rather just hand people candy than make them beat something to death for it. #lazy

I was a factor in getting the older elementary students at church out of the annual Sunday morning Easter egg hunt.  The kids protested right until they realized we were still giving them an equivalent bag of candy.  And it happened because I hate supervising and policing the hunt and counting eggs.  (And I never understood why this wasn't a parental responsibility)

[purjolok84]

Shouldn't it be the other way round? Oh, and while you're there, have someone teach you how to cook something delicious and to properly measure rice Jill and/or Derrick! Or can only white privileged people from certain religious backgrounds teach others?

[ViolaSebastian]

My experience with piñatas is that any activity which gives a group of kids a stick and gives them permission to whack things with said stick is a bad idea. Also the free for all candy grab at the end inevitably ends in tears, if not tears and an injury. 

No bueno. 

[2manyKidzzz]

13 minutes ago, ViolaSebastian said:

My experience with piñatas is that any activity which gives a group of kids a stick and gives them permission to whack things with said stick is a bad idea. Also the free for all candy grab at the end inevitably ends in tears, if not tears and an injury. 

No bueno. 

I cannot upvote this enough. Just give them the candy. And have a short party already for little kids!!! For big kids!! A lesson I learned a bit late!!

[JMO]

I have to admit that I am not anti-pinata.  Maybe it's because I liked them as a kid and my son has only attended one party with them.  I do think the string version is better, someone I know used that one at a party.  

Also, do they really have no other skills than arts and crafts?  We've seen them handing out a crayon to kids in the orphanage, now making pinatas.  Do they really think this counts as ministry?  I know he attempts to preach and she has her little home mommy's group but is there nothing else useful??? 

[singsingsing]

I have to admit I'm surprised by all the piñata hate! We always had a lot of fun with piñatas when we were kids and I don't recall anyone ever getting hurt. I don't have kids of my own, though, so maybe the perspective is a little different.

[Audrey2]

I'll admit- I'm feeling kind of snarky.

 

I think God should lay it on the heart of some folks in El Salvador to go to scary Northwest Arkansas to convert the Duggars into real (read their type) Christianity. Then, they need to teach the Duggars to color Easter eggs, as they don't know how to do that in scary, heathen Northwest Arkansas! 

 

Turnabout is fair play. That's for the pinata lesson.

[rainbowbabycakes]

we love pinatas! and the last time I had one for my son, all I could find was the pull string one, and we still beat it... It's more fun that way, lol. Maybe it's because I grew up (and still live) in Texas. I had a pinata and nearly every birthday party I had as a child.

[FeministShrew]

We had a skull piñata at our mostly-adult wedding (we were't trying to be kid-free; only one of our friends has a young child). I saw it at Party City and said "We must have this." We had it mainly for decoration, but filled it up with "good" candy (Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Reese's, etc.) for party favors.
It was surprisingly hard to knock a hole in.

[Pukingpearl]

I'm all for making kids burn off some extra energy for their sugary treats. I do remember one violent piñata episode from childhood, but such is life. My children would love the opportunity to beat something with a bat and not get in trouble. 

[Dandruff]

1 hour ago, JMO said:

Also, do they really have no other skills than arts and crafts?  We've seen them handing out a crayon to kids in the orphanage, now making pinatas.  Do they really think this counts as ministry?  I know he attempts to preach and she has her little home mommy's group but is there nothing else useful??? 

I believe they occasionally hand out toiletries to the needy.