I've been invited to tea at ds's school with all the new parents. Should I make an effort and look like a lady or wear the jeans and top I dropped him off in this morning?

[AvenaLife]

I have half an hour. Jeans and stripy pink top, hair in a ponytail and no make up or a bit more of an effort?

[AbbeyA]

I would say that you sound fine as you are.

[AvenaLife]

Ok. Thanks. It's a posh school and I don't want to stick out. (I only look 21 (apart from the grey hairs) so that's blown out of the window anyway).

[jamescagney]

nah, don't make an effort. as a teacher, I can tell you we scoffed at the mums who primped all morning and piled on the makeup... go as you are, plus in casual dress you look younger

[AvenaLife]

I don't wanto look younger, ds is 9, I only look 21 on the best of days. People always make assumptions.

[Cammelia]

Oh that's nice jamescagney

Didn't you have something better to do than scoffing at parents who want to look nice?

Avenalife, go as you feel comfortable. for some, that would mean the full makeup etc for others, not.

[Katw3kitts]

As long as the clothes are clean and hair is brushed ...

Just be comfortable. If that means no make up then so be it.

[AvenaLife]

img.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/01_02/sick090108DM_228x425.jpg

At the moment, I feel like this.

[AvenaLife]

I want to look like this

img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2007/specials/beauties07/everyage/liz_hurley.jpg

[Katw3kitts]

Hmmmmm.....

That transformation may take a bit longer than half an hour.

Get yourself into the shower right now ... the clock is ticking !

[AvenaLife]

Lol! Thanks.

[Twiga]

Go comfy and don't worry about it, you sound fine as you are.

[AvenaLife]

I don't really look like waynetta slob though, as beautiful as she is.

[AvenaLife]

I'm off to do my hair.

Thankyou! xx

[jamescagney]

I don't have a problem with parents looking nice, just that mums (and only mums) came to parent - teacher meetings, or information meetings, looking like dogs dinners (high heels, plunging necklines,lots of jewellery, saturated in perfume and were more interested in chatting to each other or to the male teachers than reviewing their daughters' progress. Phew! And our p-t meetings took place early afternoon!
Obviously, some people had come straight from work and were in suits etc but most people were casually dressed ...

[jamescagney]

One of our dads is a transvestite and he never succumbed to the "more is more" school of thought with regard to jewellery, cleavage or skin exposure. So no, no dads to date have attended wearing high heels and what have you.
If "these women had made an effort to dress well", not a problem - but they didn't even dress appropriately, more like for clubbing. As the women were mature, this looked doubly strange and was unflattering to them...
I'm at a loss to know why a middle aged woman with a teenage daughter would think it appropriate to wear a midriff exposing top and lycra mini that barely covered the essentials to a meeting with her teachers.
God help them at a job interview or meeting with the Bank Manager! Maybe they expected the teachers to be similarly dressed...

[TsarChasm]

Matching bag, hat and shoes. Oh and gloves..white ones

[jamescagney]

and a teadress. And a double string of pearls.

[TsarChasm]

The trick is not to be too ambitious. If you set yourself a high standard it's hard to maintain the rest of the term.

Fleece n scrunchie...then the only way is up, I say

[jamescagney]

That's it. That's the key. Don't try too hard, don't make a special effort (cos all the teachers will feel dowdy and old if you do )

[AvenaLife]

Thanks ladies, I just tidied myself up a bit and changed my top. It went ok apart from ds being injured by an over enthusiastic boy. He cried, I took him to the loo to check him over and he told his teacher all about it. Poor thing.