to be gutted the school isnt doing a christmas play!!

[morecoffeethanhuman]

I'm probably unreasonably gutted/mad at this, but we had a letter from DD1s schools yesterday saying that basically they aren't doing Christmas plays and her year will do a play in the spring.
I asked them this morning about it and apparently its because of all the work the children have to do makes them ill ......im pretty sure its winter in general that makes kids ill - they aren't physically constructing sets or anything, its not an episode of glee! At best its two songs per glass and a line or two each.
I feel robbed as a parent not to have any more Christmas plays when my DD is at the grand old age of 7!! I've gone every year even when I've called in sick to be able to go
She is gutted as well, she loves learning her Christmas songs, buying a costume and preforming for us all (all the family go) she gets really excited about it & feels she's missing out now!
There's a new head teacher behind this who I'm not fond of for other reasons, but it seems rather harsh to not do it because its better for the children, when it seems most of them are upset to not being doing a Christmas play! So the question is, AIBU to be gutted - and am I right in thinking its not normal to not have a play???

• do wonder as well how they'll be making up for the loss of money raised by the plays too, they raise a good few hundred quid each year with them!

[WildStallions]

YABVU and very PFB.

[futureme]

YANBU - our school stopped xmas plays last year. It's such a shame. They all knew all the songs from each years play, knew that next year they'd be singing "X" and that the little sister would soon sing "y".

I'm gutted. It seems the focus on sats/maths nad english is pushing out all the fun.

[welliesandleaves]

YANBU. Sounds like a daft reason to me.

[maybebabybee]

yabu IMO

but then there are few things I despise more than sitting through those things to be fair

[jeee]

1. You are being a little pfb - but I do have sympathy, as I remember being absolutely gutted when dc1's sports day was cancelled (in my defence, she was a good runner). A few years down the line, I'd love a cancelled sports day.
   

1. Children do get tired and ill at the end of the Christmas term - I've seen more than one play where teachers are running about desperately trying to support children who've only been given their part that morning, as half the class is off with a particularly snotty cold/flu. I suspect this will happen less at the end of the spring term. So the school may well have some logic behind its decision.
   

1. Your child will still have a chance to perform - just a few months late.

[pinkyredrose]

I'd be thanking my lucky stars!

[welliesandleaves]

But it's not a professional production Jeee. It's just a nice tradition for small schoolchildren (and their loving parents). Does it really matter if Joseph has been drafted in that morning and forgets his lines half way through, or if they're one wise man short?

[Topseyt]

I hated the pressure to go to school events such as plays when mine were that age. I would have been totally relieved about it to be honest.

No pressure to provide the perfect costume, no having to sit cramped and sweating in the school hall with a big fake smile on either.

A few more cancellations of things like bloody sports days would have suited me down to the ground too, but alas it rarely happened like that.

When you have several children (I have 3), it can be never ending and you just get fed up of it. It improves at secondary school though. Primary school was very in your face with this sort of stuff, and I wished more than once that they could back off a bit.

[5Foot5]

At best its two songs per glass

Yeah I get to singing after I have had a few but I am not sure whether I average two songs per glass or less than that!

I think it sounds like a daft excuse and I can understand your disappointment but maybe, depending on the size of the school, it is logistically difficult to do something that involves every child.

IIRC DD had a Nativity in pre-school. In KS1 there was something in the church that involved every child, either reading a few lines or singing in the choir. After that nothing until Y6 when they did a really good Christmas play which involved the whole year and ran for two nights.

[wowis]

Hi op, I suppose if my child was gutted I might feel bad for them, but i'm with the other posters saying id be relieved really. The pressure to be there and having to take precious annual leave or unpaid leave if i've run out for both kids at x mas spring summer sports day etc is not welcome really. So id be thinking thank god thats a guilt free thing I don't have to plan.
Maybe suggest your daughter sings for the family over x mas if shes upset.

[GruntledOne]

I suspect they're doing something else that is less pressured, like a carol concert. So your dd will still have a chance to sing Christmas songs.

[Topseyt]

Sports day at our primary school was a fucking nightmare if you had a child in the infants and one in the juniors.


The school did infants in the morning and juniors in the afternoon, thus managing to make a full pain in the arse day of it for many.

I never did get why they did it that way. I went to a much larger primary school and all was done and dusted in a single afternoon.

[morecoffeethanhuman]

Thanks for your replies, I probably am being unreasonable then - I do love all things Christmassy and this is was part of our lead up too it & no, no Carole service - nothing to replace it which is why DD was sad about it.
5foot5 I'd most likely average it over a course of a night if we're talking Christmas songs :)

[LaurieMarlow]

Aw, I feel for you. I'm ridiculously invested in prospect of future Christmas plays (DS only 18 months, so it'll be a while before he gets the opportunity)

[morecoffeethanhuman]

Carol*

[KatharineClifton]

YABU

Most boring part of year. Apart from the 30 secs your own child is on boring all the other parents to death.

[KatharineClifton]

I did like the nursery one though.

[cantgonofurther]

Our school has done them end of school year for ages now. They said it was to stressful and distracting. They do a carol service though.

[noeffingidea]

I can see the sense in this. Not all children enjoy the christmas play, some find it very stressful and it's hard work for the teachers. There's a lot of other stuff going on in the build up to christmas so maybe it is better to put the play off until the spring.

[ShamefulPlaceMarker]

My son's school has always done nativity with the ks1 and spring play with the ks2.
Works well :)

[Enjolrass]

Yabu.

Ds did one last year. He was a donkey. I had to spend 50 minutes in a hall that was too hot so he could stand up and walk 3 feet to the 'stable'.

Dds old school used to do Spring ones instead. Much preferred it.

The reasons sound a bit odd. The reason is probably that it's far too much stress and strain for everyone and they can't be arsed. Also I bet there are some parents moaning every year about what part their child gets.

[morecoffeethanhuman]

noeffingidea you've got a point there, just because the kids I know love it doesn't mean they all do...ill just increase the Christmas song in the house come December any excuse

[donajimena]

I'd have been beyond delighted. My sons primary hit upon doing the whole of the infants as one concert. Reception do their bit, then yr1 then year 2. It took about 2 hrs. So you watch your child do his line.. then have to watch the other 119 children do theirs. Interspersed with plinky plonk piano and dreadful singing.
Thank goodness they are now no longer in infants!

[ThroughThickAndThin01]

Yanbu

I loved my DC's christmas plays. Teens now, but I treasure the photos.

[MumOnTheRunAgain]

I'm a bit sceptical about that excuse!

Christmas is being phased out from under our feet folks..... Think about it! Diversity etc