Angry at papers baby competition

[pyjamasinbananas]

Local paper runs a baby of the year comp and I entered DD and DS. DS is in but has been put in the wrong age group and DD hasn't been put in at all! Whilst I didn't expect them to win it or anything I quite liked seeing them in it last year and kept the pull out to show them when they're older. AIBU to feel completely shit that for some reason DDs been completely excluded or is this my punishment for refusing to pay £140 for 6 photos?

[AKMD]

YABU for putting them in in the first place! It makes me so sad to see parents queueing up to show how their baby is the cutest, best baby ever. Everyone thinks that about their babies but it isn't done to say so

[pyjamasinbananas]

There were cuter babies tbh I just put them in as we were there at the time and their cousin was going in. Emailed the paper asking but they have cocked up a lot. Some babies are in with the wrong name and others are covered up by adverts!

[TandB]

YABU to think that their reaction to you showing a newspaper page with them in a baby competition is going to be anything other than "Yuck, mum, what were you thinking?"

But then I hate baby competitions with a passion. They will spend the rest of their lives being judged, to a greater or lesser extent, on their personal appearances - why on earth start now?

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

These is your punishments both for refusing to stump up the cash and for entering your children into this type of competition in the first place

[Maisiethemorningsidecat]

These are

[worraliberty]

YABU I can't understand people touting their babies in newspapers

Just what is the point?

It can't be 'keepsakes' because that's what photo albums are for.

[DrunkenDaisy]

And don't people just look at those and try not to laugh at the munter babies.

[pyjamasinbananas]

Tbh it made me feel a bit more of a proper mum for putting them in like everyone else around me was. And I liked the pictures they took I wanted people I know who see them on their slightly scruffy days that they could scrub up nicely occasionally

[worraliberty]

Tbh it made me feel a bit more of a proper mum for putting them in like everyone else around me was.

Oh try to be a bit less obvious...you could have slipped that in once the thread had taken off.

Wind up = Fail

[pyjamasinbananas]

Actually not a wind up. As I've stated before on the bonding thread it took me a while to deal with the fact that I was a mum and accept that they were mine.

[DeWe]

My dc are so much cuter than anyone elses so it would have been unfair to enter them because they would have won them all.

Actually I don't understand the point. They're usually done by public vote, so it's won by the people who have hassled/bribed/shouted loudest at people they often hardly know. How many times do you see "please vote for my child in XXX" competition? on facebook/internet forums etc. Really irritates me.

[pyjamasinbananas]

I wouldnt do the whole please vote thing as I didn't put them in to win a box of chicken nuggets or whatever the prize was. It was really just to see them in there I guess.

[worraliberty]

Same here DeWe and then the same people have a shit fit if they find someone has a pic of their child on Facebook

[booyhoo]

newspapers cock up all the time. they make spelling mistakes in reports, put the wrong date on birthday announcements, wrong picture of someone who received an award etc. do not for one second believe that your child's picture is anything more to the paper than a 'to do' item on their list. it isn't a keepsake, or a lovely photo. it is 1 of hundreds of the same thing that they have to put together with the right, name, sex, age into the right section on teh right date etc etc. dont take this personally.

and there is far far more that you should be doing to be a proper mum than getting pissed off about a silly, money making 'competition' in a local paper that your children wont thank you for.

[Yummygummybear]

Agree with DeWe.

It has nothing to do with your child being cute & all to do with who knows the most people who are willing to spend 50p per call to vote!

[KnockKnockWhosThereIDidAp]

Well obviously none of you have ever won baby of the year

Unlike me! :o

YANBU I entered my baby this year and I was a bit annoyed too. They put his photo in but they didn't get him from his best side. I mean, sort it out! No but seriously I would be pretty cross if they didn't bother putting him in the paper at all.

[booyhoo]

OP get your DC's all wrapped up and put their wellies on, take them out to the beach or a local park and let them get as messay and dirty as they like, bring a big picnic and warm drinks. take lots of pictures and when you get home make a big collage of your great day. the kids will thank you far more for that than for scrubbing them clean and making them sit for a picture so that people they wont even remember could see them looking a bit nicer than they usually do. trust me...i used to be a kid

[duckdodgers]

I hate these things to! It was bad enough when our local paper started one when it was just them judging it but now its a public vote type of thing I think its totally wrong. The baby who wins will always have the family who canvass votes and know loads people, not really in the "spirit" of the competetion eh. Plus its not the X factor.

[Chipsycheese]

The baby competition in our local paper looks like someone has photographed various potatoes and written the chavviest names underneath and asked people to vote for who is the cutest.

[limitedperiodonly]

"And don't people just look at those and try not to laugh at the munter babies."

This never happened at the local paper where I worked.

We didn't run a bonny baby competition. Our closest rivals, however...

[pyjamasinbananas]

We do all the jumping in puddles, painting etc. I don't just dress them pretty and make strangers judge them
Thank you for the honest responses I completely over reacted after being told I couldn't take them to a family gathering if they might run riot (fgs they are 1 and 2!!) and this just felt like another thing I was doing wrong
Oh well tomorrow is another day and all that!

[wineoclocktimeyet]

Chipsycheese - just cleaning the tea off my keyboard that I spat out laughing