AIBU to feel totally bemused and think 'you smug twatters'

[hobbgoblin]

of the family who, when given the homework as set out below, came back to school after half term with properly packaged; foil wrapped; paper sleeved; fully printed complete with allergies and ingredients; home bloody made frikkin chocolate bars for the whole class?

This was the homework:

Design a chocolate bar wrapper, draw its net, colour it in and stuff.

They took 'stuff' waaaaaaaaaaaaay too far imho.

Thumbwheel has it spot on.

You can tell the projects that have been done by the child alone cos- they are shite-- and the ones done by the child with help from parent by the quality alone.

Me, I'd rather lump DS at the table and tell him to get on with it cos I'm a crap mum-- because it encourages him to use his own imagination and work on his own.

well that worked well.

They were asked to make wigs for the follicley challenged

blinks rofl, I agree!

There's worse from me:

I gave DS a 'deliberately loud enough for other parents to hear' ticking off about not trying harder and at least maybe having tried to colour in and make the lines straight. And then I said "but you can go too far DS and become smug. Do you know what smug is DS?"

What posesses me at ten past 3 in the afternoon I do not know.

lolol at thigh's crap strikeout

Rats nads!!

given the choice between slitting your wrists in despair at your clear failure as a parent and the 'smug twatters' option you clearly made the right choice.

at hobb discussing smuggery in loud voice with DS!

Lets be honest we all want to see our kids do well. Many years ago my Son scored the winning goal in the District Cup Final it made me feel great and a bit smug.

but newwave what shall we do if even though we want them to win the best easter bonnet/craggy castle/chocolate bar wrapper competition we just don't seem to be able to rise to the challenge? Do you think I should have said no to the wine? You do, don't you, I can tell. Darn it. Are you saying tidying the playroom didn't matter? You are aren't you? I guess I could have not got my eyebrows threaded in town too, or had that half day hour on mumsnet...

oopsie

yes but newwave - you are entitled to feel a bit smug about that because your SON kicked the goal. To use your own example in comparison with hobb's, YOU would have had to run out in full strip and do a Beckham-esque goal FOR him.

hob, you are way off the mark, every kids effort are to applauded and some parents are to competetive but surely we all feel a little bit of warmth inside when our own child excels at something and others see it, if you dont you are a better person then me. In my case my Son was great at football but poor at swimming and never chosen for the school swimming team.

Thumbwell, excellent point and you are right (putting on boots and warmimg up now) :)

With you on that hobbgoblin, what is the point of the project if the parent does it rather than the child? Where is the fun and learning in that?
re:joolyjoolyjoo - DS made very haphazard bonnet for Easter Parade loosly interpreting Easter as encompassing dinosaurs and their eggs. Hurrah for the nice judge who awarded prizes based upon lack of parental involvement with the wobbliest ones winning

i think losing isn't an option for some parents.

but that's not a good attitude to bring DC up with, IMO, blinks. Learning that effort is worth it just because you are satisfied you have tried your hardest, and that sometimes you win and sometimes you don't, is a great life lesson. Winning at all costs (including loss of honesty and integrity) isn't.

emmm i know thumbwheel.

sorry, wasn't suggesting that you thought it was a good idea yourself there blinks.

fank god. i'm no stranger to being a loser

Lol

I think I'm going to be one of those parents once DC's are in school because I was one of those kids; for all the holidays I did up little foody things for my class and over did any project. (The only time I had my Dad help was in Grade 8 (12 years old) I was making a weather vane but I desperately wanted it made from metal but wasn't allowed to use the welder.) But only because I was enthusiastic about making things. I was never very scholastic or athletic. I am an artist now though. lol

Ahh bless. My DD has only ever won 1 prize and that was the easter 'so bad she had bugger all help' bonnet too.

Parents who did choc bars for 30 odd kids - mine would have been made up with getting free choc,no harm in it.

Teachers aren't daft - they know who does what and if the kid is smug will judge accordingly, otherwise it is a quite sweet albeit sucky up gesture.

All swings and roundabouts - my kid did a talk on shells last year so i gave her enough for all the kids to have one and a plastic playmobil crustacean and a colour-in sheet printout. OTT? you bet...but it wasn't for the teacher, it was for my 8 year old to feel good about herself and give her a chance to do sthg nice for the others...plus she knew she could switch to generous handout mode if she forgot half her speech

There are companies (home working type thing) where you can buy in the pre foil wrapped choc bar and then have the outer cover designed to your spec so they may have just "bought" his homework not made the chocolate themselves.

Google eat your words - can't do link on phone sorry!

Also not defending them as still think it is OTT but may be a case of too much money and working parent guilt!

deff are twatters IMHO

All offers to help my (bolshie) DS with homework projects have so far been met with a withering look, shut bedroom door and 'this is my homework.. go away... I'm doing it myself ' Being relegated to fetcher of glue, scissors and biscuits suits me just fine.