beer steinWould you be upset if your kid came home from preschool with a beer stein? Right now you're probably thinking something along the lines of, "What, a real beer stein? I don't think a big heavy beer stein would even fit in his Thomas the Tank Engine backpack. What with the crayons and the extra pair of socks and the take-home folder and all. Oh, you must mean like an art project type of thing! Like a little clay beer stein, maybe for Father's Day. Cute. Wait, what was the question?"

Exactly. Of course you wouldn't be upset. It wouldn't even occur to you to be upset, especially if the beer stein your kid brought home was a tiny little plastic one. And it just happened to be Learning About Other Countries month at preschool, and that particular day's lesson -- Germany -- included a lederhosen-clad accordion player and drinking apple juice out of tiny plastic beer steins.

No, you wouldn't be upset! Unless you were Elyse Bulla of Cincinnati ...

In which case you would be absolutely outraged. When Bulla's 4-year-old son Braden came home from Germany day at his preschool with that little plastic beer stein, his mom was not amused. The stein was "entirely inappropriate," she said -- inappropriate enough, apparently, for her to get into a heated discussion with the preschool's principal.

Which ended with the principal asking Bulla to leave the premises.

Bulla has no idea why she's being treated like an irrationally overprotective mom:

“He’s my son, and yes I am protective ... I know I cannot be the only person who thinks this is wrong.”

Here's the thing, though -- she can be the only person who thinks this is wrong! I wouldn't be at all surprised if she is the only person who thinks this is wrong!

Look, I would understand her concern if the preschool poured actual beer in those little beer steins. Or if they served hash brownies on Amsterdam day. Come on, lady. Are you serious? The next 18 years are going to be damn long if you let yourself get this upset over every little thing that isn't any little thing in the first place.

Would you be upset if your preschooler brought home a little plastic beer stein?


Image via Michael_Spencer/Flickr