In a surprising turn of events, a young girl in New Jersey found herself in a state of panic, leading her to call 911 regarding an Elf on the Shelf incident. The Elf on the Shelf, a popular holiday tradition designed to bring some enchantment to the season, can sometimes create unexpected stress for children. In this case, 7-year-old Emma Johnson accidentally touched her elf while playing, triggering a wave of anxiety that she would ruin Christmas.
Emma explained to NBC New York that she was throwing a ball when the elf was inadvertently knocked over. Fearing the consequences, she desperately called 911, requesting her father’s assistance. To complicate matters, she became even more distressed when she realized that police are required to respond to calls from children. In the recorded call, her panicked voice can be heard exclaiming, “Don’t come to my house! Don’t come to my house!”
Emma’s mother, Sarah, awoke from a nap to find her daughter in tears, attempting to send a police officer away. She described Emma as “hysterical” and worried about facing punishment. Fortunately, the responding officers were sympathetic and reassured Emma that everything would be okay. One officer even radioed back to headquarters, lightheartedly noting, “Emma is going to be fine. She touched the Elf on the Shelf. She won’t call 911 again.”
As I reflect on this story, I can’t help but question the charm of this tradition. While it’s intended to be a fun holiday activity, it often creates anxiety for both kids and parents. In our own experience with the elf, my five-year-old has expressed fear over what “Sprinkles” (our elf) might report to Santa. Just the other morning, she was too scared to enter the kitchen alone, insisting I accompany her because she felt “watched.”
This kind of fear isn’t what holiday traditions should evoke. There’s nothing cute about a child feeling so overwhelmed that they call emergency services over a toy. Perhaps it’s time to reconsider this holiday custom and its impact on our little ones.
In contrast, if you’re looking for supportive and informative resources on home insemination, I recommend checking out this excellent guide on pregnancy and home insemination. For those interested in self-insemination, you may find the BabyMaker home intracervical insemination syringe kit combo particularly helpful. And for additional insights, visit this blog post for more.
In summary, the Elf on the Shelf, while a beloved tradition for some, can inadvertently create anxiety in children, leading to extreme reactions. It’s worth contemplating the effects of such customs on our kids’ mental well-being.