to want my daughters bloody boots back....

[LucilleHendrix]

My daughter went swimming with school today and while she was in the pool somehow another child from a DIFFERENT school in another part of NOTTINGHAM has taken her size 1 suede Clarks boots. She returned to school in a random pair of 12 1/2 black leather boots, they must have really hurt her little feet bless her..I have phoned the school in question and the swimming baths, I have had to come out of work to get her some other shoes. Am I being unreasonable to think she should be able to go swimming and come back in her own boots? opinions very welcome...

[BuzzardBird]

She finished school early?

[Floggingmolly]

Well, did the other child take her boots or did she take the other child's?? Why did she put the boots on knowing they weren't hers?

[ShatnersBassoon]

What do you want an opinion on? Sounds like an innocent mistake by a child.

Ps - couldn't she have put her PE plimsolls on this afternoon?

[however]

I want my daughter's boots back, too. Brand new, hardly worn.

It'll never happen. Kids are stupid.

[BuzzardBird]

Isn't it likely that someone else within her class has the boots and she will know which of her friends wear boots to school (as quite rare in warm/dry weather) or that the other girl's parents will notice and sort it out?

[BuzzardBird]

My kid child isn't "stupid".

[MrsHathaway]

Half a size will not have hurt her feet, unless she's nearly out of the size 1. Sounds like an honest mistake - which could well have been hers in the first place.

How do you know who took them, btw? And how old is DD?

Make sure you teach her to arrange her things properly in the changing rooms, and maybe wear cheaper shoes on swimming day if you're concerned about a repeat.

[BuzzardBird]

If she has just started swimming she is yr3 so 8 or nearly 8 I'm guessing.

[Floggingmolly]

It's Year 4 round here; so 8/9.

[PatriciaHolm]

Oh dear OP. First child? Wait till they get to secondary and are misplacing £50 of gym kit at a time...

Innocent mistake. Give the other party time to return them before you start raging!

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

YANBU to want them back.

Have they got her name in them? You're far more likely to see them again if they have. If not, the other girl might not even have noticed.

Are the same schools swimming on the same day at the same time again? If so and assuming your dd's were named it shouldn't be too hard to organise the swap back.

Have you now taught your dd how to put her belongings in a locker? So that this can't happen again.

[CocktailQueen]

Hmm, when we take Year 3s swimming we pout their stuff in lockers - but don't lock the lockers. There are no other classes/schools in the pool the same time as us, though.

Ask the school to sort; ask how this happened and what they can do to stop it next week. School swimming is confusing and chaotic!

[LucilleHendrix]

My daughter is only 8, her boots were taken from next to her clothes by another child from another school while my daughter was in the pool. She was told to put on the only pair of boots left in the changing room, that's when she protested they weren't hers... I wanted to know if you what you would think if this happened to your child...and no my daughter isn't stupid, she cried her eyes out because the boots clearly weren't hers and someone had taken hers..
and no she didn't have plim soles because they don't have the room to store them in the cloakroom when they swim instead of doing indoor P.E......

[LucilleHendrix]

Yes cocktail queen, I was year 4 teaching assistant last year, so I am fully aware of this, at the same time I would have got some strong words off the head teacher if this had happened to the children I was in charge of..thank you for your reply though....

[AnnieLobeseder]

YANBU to want them back.

But sadly YABU if you think you will ever see them again.

We're still hoping that someday the child who took my DDs red sweatshirt home from holiday camp (it was from abroad, bought by a grandparent so of sentimental value) and left their GAP one behind instead will notice it is NOT THEIRS and take it back to the holiday camp. But since it has been nearly a year, I'm not holding my breath.

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

To answer your question, I'd be annoyed if this happened to my dc.

What about answering mine? That would help to understand your perspective.

Saying that, it's unlikely to happen because my dc's items are all clearly name labelled and they know to put their things in a locker (even if it doesn't get locked).

[TheWitTank]

Bloody annoying, but I doubt you will see then again. I presume the school you phoned couldn't help? My daughter has lost a brand new £20 school jumper, half a pe kit including one trainer and numerous pencil case items. All named. It's painful isn't it.

[LucilleHendrix]

Yes her name was in them
Lockers aren't an option
She did organize them properly
and no it wasn't her fault at all...I do know this because the school have confirmed this
I have a 19 year old at uni, so yes I know the drill...I don't blame the other child, I blame the swimming baths for clearly having a system that doesn't work and have rung and told them so... two schools sharing one cloak room evidently doesn't work....

[nobutreally]

Sounds like an innocent and easily made mistake - clothes presumably all a bit all over the place, as no lockers - Other Child saw boots that looked like hers, and shoved them on in a rush to get going, and didn;t even notice. I'm amazed you (& your dd) are so upset tbh - my two have managed to come home with the wrong clothes a few times in their primary school careers. More hassle and annoyance if it is another school, but just one of those things.

[DayLillie]

No - clearly labelling does not work. Some kids still go off with someone else's gear, even with a great big obvious label in it. They don't seem to have any idea of what is theirs. You can try.....

[LucilleHendrix]

Lockers aren't an option on the school swimming visits...
thank you for others who have posted of similar experiences guess
Yes they have her name in, everything is labelled....
Thank you all for your replies..

[BuzzardBird]

OP, I don't blame you feeling furious, I would too. Not sure you will get them back though. The 'stupid' comment was entirely unnecessary, I know my DD would also have acted like your DD. She would know they weren't hers, but what could she do when they had already gone?
I would try and find out what other schools were using the pool prior to your DD's class and send them an e-mail explaining what has happened in the vain hope that some other parent doesn't think of it as an early Christmas present.

I hope you get them back.

[DarkBlueEyes]

Presumably, the child who took the boots will be back at the pool the same time next week. I would go there myself and go through the changing room to find them. Are the boots your child has labelled? I'm assuming not otherwise you'd have phoned the school/parent. I'd be back there like a shot to find the boots.

[ConferencePear]

Have you asked someone at your daughter's school to get in touch with the other school. It could just be a simple mistake.

[QueenofallIsee]

In my house we refer to 'the vortex'...a black hole type phenomenon that surrounds 2 of my 4DCs and has claimed a complete school uniform, a coat, 1 pair of rugby boots, a football hoodie, numerous single gloves and oddly a dressing gown* , as well as my sanity at times. It is annoying but not worth losing your head over. Pay for a locker maybe?


*2014 statistics only