Things I've learnt about being a school mummy

[KatieTulip]

My DS started infant school a couple of weeks ago. He's taking it all in his stride. Meanwhile I am on a whole new learning curve of how to be a mummy of a school-age-child. Things I've learnt so far...

1. It is possible, in fact mandatory, to label an apple or banana with your child's name
   

1. His book bag is advertising space - it comes home on Friday full of junk mail/flyers. Bit depressing how commercial it all is
   

1. Nevermind lunch box police (school), there's a whole politik/sport between mummies of who packs the most wholesome, home-prepared lunch bag fodder
   

What else have you found?!!!

[PoppyWearer]

1. definitely!
   

1. That book bags are everything-bags and therefore woefully inadequate in size/shape for their true purpose.
   

1. I thought I was organised. Wrong! A complete rethink was needed!
   

1. Tesco cardigans were a false economy. The embroidered school ones wash/wear much better and don't need ironing.
   

1. They should run a course for parents on "doing hair for school". I am useless at doing DD's hair!
   

1. I have a new-found admiration for anyone with a child at school who holds down a full-time job. At the moment, getting DD to/from school, cleaning her uniform, buying her fruit snacks, reading school letters, etc seems to take up ALL of my time!

[steppemum]

labelling bananas??????
why?

have 3 dcs, never yet labelled a piece of fruit. (label everything else that moves mind you)

And fruit snacks are provided free to under 5s by the government, so we don't send any in.

Lunch bag competition - how do you or the other mums know what is in the kids lunch boxes?

[PelvicFloorClenchReminder]

Are the fruit labels iron on or sew in?

[DeeLinquent]

Iv learned that the best place for the village gossip is at the school gates in the mornings.

[SandStorm]

I complained about the advertising thing via a governors' meeting and the amount of crap has reduced dramatically.

[boredandrestless]

They label the fruit!?!? Bonkers!

[stealthsquiggle]

You can write on bananas with biro. It is strangely satisfying. (not that I do - DC have school lunches)

[PoppyWearer]

DD's school does have the free fruit/milk for the afternoon, but insist we send something for the morning.

Really wish they would just ask for contributions to buy some themselves...DD not eating what I send in, so wasteful! And having to slap DH's wrists to remind him not to scoff it. I do appreciate not all parents could afford it, but £1 a week and they could bulk-buy a load, surely?

Ditto the water bottles, wish they had the same system as nursery, they bought the same plain water bottles (funded by parents) for all kids and kept them there. Lugging water bottles back and forth in book bags, soaking books and cardigans in the process, is just plain daft!

[sittinginthesun]

I write on bananas and always draw a little smiley face.

[CurlyhairedAssassin]

That it's only a matter of time before they start referring to you as "mum" instead of "mummy" and that characters in popular culture they loved 2 weeks ago eg Thomas the tank engine become "babyish" and embarrassing (yet secretly they still play with the stuff at home)

[KatieTulip]

Yup bizarre i know but it seems the protocol is biro the name on bananas and stick a name label around the stalk of an apple - then they get chucked in a bucket with all the other children's snacks...

Only discovered the lunch bag competitiveness when a slightly neurotic friend confessed to spending most of yesterday baking and freezing lunchtime treats, in response to her DS saying "but mummy Lordypants has superman flapjacks in his lunch bag every day". I'm rather more laissez-faire - DS gets whatever I can conjure up from fridge/cupboard.

Also another thing I've learnt - I will never really know what DS has done at school - "I can't remember", "I'll tell you later".

[Meglet]

That you will find it weird learning teachers first names. I was when DS's teacher had to call me one day and said "hello it's 'Sarah'". Some of the mums call the head by her first name, I can't quite do it yet.

[boredandrestless]

Ah yes the secretive replies to enquiries about their school day as if they are at secret agent school.

I realised my DS was overwhelmed by the question. I have now rephrased it to "tell me one thing that happened at school today" or something else specific such as "It was a PE day today DS, what sport did you do?" I actually get a non-evasive reply now!

[ReshapeWhileDamp]

Ha, Bored, I do that too - 'can you tell me two things I don't know about what happend at school today?', or otherwise try to make a game of it.

The book bag thing is pissing me off. I can see that they needed something essentially document-file-shaped so letters and books don't get all bent, but then they cram in the school water bottle, their sweatshirts, cuddly friend brought in for show'n'tell...

We don't have to label bananas, thank god.

What's doing my head in is learning that we are expected to accompany our child all the way down the corridor to the reception cloakrooms (to change shoes, remove coat, stash lunchbox, etc) and into the classroom...all year! Hardly fostering independence.

[TheDoctrineOfSnatch]

Wow reshape that is surprising!

Poppy if the school had the water bottles the school would have to wash them every day!

[CouthyMowWearingOrange]

Bag thing - buy a plastic folder for anything A4 shaped and get a rucksack to put it in so that teddies/books/collector cards of the moment/random Lego men heads etc can be stuffed in there too. Water bottles - buy one's that don't leak, and regularly replace. Smashbox ones seem to last my chewer the longest.

[CouthyMowWearingOrange]

Reshape - we are expected to do that until the juniors, and tbh, a lot of parents are still doing it until the second half of Y5.

I rarely go into the playground even now they are Y4 and Y6. Getting lazy after 10 full years of Primary school runs. Doesn't bode well for 20mo DS3 with me being seen as 'slatternly mum' for not accompanying my 9yo-in-2 weeks DS2 into the classroom OR playground...

[BigFatLegsInWoolyTIghts]

Meglet I can't get my head around calling teachers by their first name either! And the HT! Never! A woman said to me "Oh just ask Anne, she'll know." and I thought SHE MEANS MRS X!!!!

[rabbitstew]

Competition between mummies on who packs the most wholesome food?! I've never noticed that and, anyway, I don't want my children to be the wimpy type who bow to peer pressure, so why should I?

[GoldPlatedNineDoors]

Couldnt they just ask one child to fill the fruit bowl each week? One week of fruit buying then the rest of the year not worry about sending stuff in. And free reign for the kids to help themselves to somethig from the bowl.each day?

[BlueberryHill]

Yes to the banana thing, I draw castles, star destroyers or Jedi knights on it. I know I need a life.

[sittinginthesun]

Re: the name thing. If you become a governor, it gets really complicated. First names, surnames, thrown all over the place at meetings, in the playground etc.

[BigFatLegsInWoolyTIghts]

gold I doubt it....that would be prohibitive for some parents....but I thought that schools had to provide a snack by law until they are out of early years.

[Sparklingbrook]

There is no such thing as a non leaky water bottle.

[KTK9]

Label fruit!!! I have enough problems remembering the fruit in the bag.

Our school have the best bags ever ( they must have a rucksack type to prevent injury!)

They have two parts, one for books one for -junk- coats/bottles/sneaked in toys! There is a front pocket for pens and snacks. Not sure you can buy them individually as we get logo ones from school, but found this photo on line.

www.unicol-schoolwear.co.uk/showproduct.asp?catid=220

One thing I did learn was how much help you were expected to do re. homework, research on line. I thought the teachers did the teaching!