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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to feel annoyed that my son came out of school with pen all down his top

40 replies

CurlyhairedAssassin · 12/09/2010 21:25

which didn't come out in the wash?

He said that it was the whiteboard marker. Is my washing powder shit? Was he mistaken and it was a permanent/semi permanent marker?

Just feel annoyed cos I spent a fortune on new uniform for the two kids this summer. He wore it ONCE and it looks ruined now.....

I was thinking of speaking to the teacher and asking what types of pens they use in class and explaining what happened. Would the teacher think I was mad?! DS is in Yr 2 by the way - surely an age when the might still be likely to get pen on their clothes???

OP posts:

Serendippy · 12/09/2010 21:30

YANBU to be annoyed, replacing uniform is a pain. What washing powder do you use, maybe it is shit

Do drop a not into the contact book if you want so teacher can keep an eye but yes, in Yr 2 he is very likely to be getting pen on his clothes for many years to come.

Cheery thought, isn't it?

raindroprhyme · 12/09/2010 21:34

stain devil for pens is magic

Tigerdrivesbackin · 12/09/2010 21:34

Buy the cheapest clothes your conscience will allow. Goes for school and mufti (as I think they say).

greentriangle · 12/09/2010 21:34

I'd send him to school in the top with pen on it. My DCs are a little younger, but I have a white polo which has a green stain on it (happened at school) - still going to use it.

ChasingSquirrels · 12/09/2010 21:35

all my son's school tops have whiteboard marker pen marks on them - I thought it was just part of school life.

Habbibu · 12/09/2010 21:36

This thread may help

Serendippy · 12/09/2010 21:36

Oooh, yes, keep the top, but if you can save it for winter when he will be wearing a jumper most of the day.

Spinkle · 12/09/2010 21:36

Erm, kids get dirty at school shock

I doubt very much the teacher will be able to explain the mess, because funnily enough, they're probably up to their eyeballs erm teaching - you know, to hit those targets the parents love and expect.

AnnoyingOrange · 12/09/2010 21:37

boil it in some biological washing powder

been there, done that, got the (stained) polo shirt

emmyloulou · 12/09/2010 21:39

I wouldn't worry ds1 has got 2 of his shirts covered in pen already and won't come out.

I brought 6 shirts dirt cheap in the Debenhams sale, waste of cash otherwise.

Just use them under their jumpers when it gets cold, all kids do this don't they?

greenlotus · 12/09/2010 21:41

Welcome to my world (two consecutive years of Reception) and about 15 permanently marked tops. You still send them to school, if they look shabby it's the school's fault IMO.

They use mini whiteboards and drywipe markers for writing practice. Once DS came home showing signs of obviously spending a lesson just putting dots on his t shirt, then I saw him write and that he'd got a habit of adjusting his grip by putting the tip of the pen on his body while he moved his fingers (try it and you see).

I have just given up but it's so annoying as it means school-embroidered tops aren't fit to pass on at the end of the year.

I did say something to the school last term about sourcing washable drywipe markers (they do exist) but I'm not sure it got anywhere .

Original poster

CurlyhairedAssassin · 12/09/2010 21:43

Spinkle, enough of your sarcasm already!

Of COURSE kids get messy at school! On the same top, he also had raspberry juice all over, a smoothie dribble, a dab of chocolate from his muffin and on the back, just dirty dust marks from where he'd sat down on the floor in the playground. I'm also used to washing out yoghurt from his sweatshirts in winter (EVERY SINGLE BLOODY DAY!), and the odd pen mark when he was in Yr and Reception.

But this is the first time I've washed a top where the pen marks haven't come out. That's what my point was.

Thanks for all the advice. I use Tesco non-bio (DS2 has eczema). Will get some bio and boil it to buggery. Failing that, I will look into the stain removers mentioned on Habbibu's thread.

Good plan to keep that top till the winter, but to be honest, he's only got 3 with the school logo on and he comes home filthy every day so I think I'm going to have to buy a couple of plain white supermarket ones too. Oh well, at least they're not a rip-off unlike the logoed ones.

Thanks again.

OP posts:

emmyloulou · 12/09/2010 21:45

See I don't go in for school embroidered polos anymore, jumpers sure not polos as they a knackered after one wear and v.expensive.

Yet to have either of ds's schools complain.

Original poster

CurlyhairedAssassin · 12/09/2010 21:46

Greenlotus "I did say something to the school last term about sourcing washable drywipe markers (they do exist) but I'm not sure it got anywhere ."

Don't think I'll bother mentioning it then, I'd probably get the same result.

OP posts:

greenlotus · 12/09/2010 21:47

BTW it's allegedly a strategy to save on wasting paper for writing practice!

IIRC the solvent in drywipe markers is alcohol so some isopropyl alcohol might loosen the stain so it will come out with Vanish or something.

Serendippy · 12/09/2010 21:48

For God's sake, don't waste alcohol on a shirt. Drink the alcohol and you will stop caring that the shirt is dirty

Original poster

CurlyhairedAssassin · 12/09/2010 21:49

That's it, you have made up my mind for me. I'm not going to bother with school embroidered polos anymore. Not unless they suddenly decide to change the colour to a dark one.....

Will get plain white ones to replace - at least they'd be nice cotton ones, I bet. The school ones are polycotton rubbish - it's just the logos that make it expensive I assume.

OP posts:

emmyloulou · 12/09/2010 21:51

Yup you can get much better shirts, cheaper, minus the logo in larger quantaties so as in ym ds's case his shirts are £10 a pop from school, that grates when it's white and done in after the first wear, so I refuse to get them!

cazzybabs · 12/09/2010 21:52

YABU ... does it matter? better to learn and come out dirty than not and stay clean.

My year 1s love their WB pens ... motivates them more than anything else (no idea why?)

greenlotus · 12/09/2010 21:55

Er... if I'm so desperate I'm going to drink this I certainly won't be caring about stains. Confusing to call it IPA though.

Serendippy · 12/09/2010 22:01

It was supposed to be a joke, but desperate times... should try anything once!

saintlydamemrsturnip · 12/09/2010 22:04

Hang it up in the sun if you can find any. Gets rid of all stains ime.

reallywoundup · 12/09/2010 22:09

pen!!! is that all? i can beat that yr2 ds came out the other day covered head to toe in emulsion paint they'd been painting the fence of the new class veggy patch! (i know, why emulsion paint ) anyway.... heads rolled and the head is replacing all damaged uniform and shoes! (thanks btw to all mn'ers who helped with the paint clear up via fb!)

mumbar · 12/09/2010 22:10

before you waste your time I tried the boiling in bio then having to re wash in non-bio (ds has urticaria) and he still has the dots At least greenlotus has cleared up why the dots are there in the first place .

Habbibu · 12/09/2010 22:12

Wouldn't boiling in bio defeat the point of it being bio? I thought the enzymes in bio were denatured at about 40-50 degrees.

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