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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think this is frankly ridiculous? (warning, Royal Bloody Wedding related)

178 replies

QueenOfFlippingEverything · 03/04/2011 21:50

DD's school, not content with having the day off for the Royal Bloody Wedding, are staging a mock-up of the event the day beforehand.

We have been asked to donate flowers. They want us to attend in our 'best finery - don't forget your hats'. The local church is hosting this charade Hmm

What a waste of sodding time and money Angry I mean FFS.

OP posts:
exoticfruits · 07/04/2011 20:28

I know that I would prefer my DCs to have a mother who entered into the spirit of the thing and made it fun, than one who begruded the effort and moaned nonstop, or made them have the day off and miss it! Whether you agree with royalty or not doesn't stop you making it a fun occasion, instead of all mealy mouthed and muttering about the curriculum and time wasted.

MrsWitcher · 07/04/2011 20:36

Would you feel the same if they were giving over a day to the wedding of Jordan and her latest Beau? They could make it lots of fun? This is no different IMO.

MrsWitcher · 07/04/2011 20:38

You say 'future king' as if that's suppose to mean something to me. It doesn't.

exoticfruits · 07/04/2011 20:43

It is a silly argument MrsWitcher-they won't be. Why does a fun day have to mean something to you? It is for your DCs and whether you like it or not it is a moment in history. (history is history whether or not people agree with it)The heir to the throne getting married is history and will be in the history books of the future. Jordon getting married will be of no interest to future generations.

MrsWitcher · 07/04/2011 20:51

I am merely agreeing with the OP. This is not my children's school so I am not actually stopping mine having any fun.

Though I'd be more than happy if they had an open discussion about why not everyone cares of wants to fawn over two people they've never met and who are not more significant to me than any other famous person.

It's all this bollocks about how we should all be so happy Hmm and proud Hmm and revert to being subjects.

CurrySpice · 07/04/2011 20:55

"if I were to drag DS out of school to attend the wedding of people we ACTUALLY KNOW, I'm sure the head would be having words"

said marmaladwatkins several pages back

That just about sums it up to me

Potentially, if their parents were getting married, kids would not be "allowed" the day off school

But we are supposed to stop our lives and genuflect, not only for the "national holiday" snort but also to spend days and weeks beforehand in a state of pant-wetting anticipation Hmm for a couple we neither know nor give a flying fuck about

It makes me despair.

And it also makes me think really fondly of the arsey, recalctrant masy teenager who refused to have anything to do with the royal wedding in 1981 and pleased that I have not sold out all of my principles by being equally unimpressed by this fucking fiasco

exoticfruits · 07/04/2011 20:55

Just as well it isn't your DCs! I don't really see what the parent's views on royalty have to do with it. There is nothing to say that your DCs have the same view.

CurrySpice · 07/04/2011 20:56

masy = mardy

MrsWitcher · 07/04/2011 21:01

They can have their own views when they are old enough to understand them! Grin
I just don't understand why school would do this. There is nothing to celebrate. Two people that nobody there knows are getting married. I wish them all the luck but it has absolutely nothing to do with me or my children.

Matsikula · 07/04/2011 21:02

I'm only for it if they make William a Wilhemina and heir to the throne and helicopter pilot, and Catherine a Kevin and currently unemployed. It is a mock Royal wedding after all.

goodbyemrschips · 07/04/2011 21:03

It has even if you dont like it he will be king of your country one day.

You are a misery guts.

Do you allow your children to stop work for comic relief, making a mums day card, going to see a panto, playing at lunch time etc etc?

CurrySpice · 07/04/2011 21:05

And what is your point? He will be king of my country one day? What relevance does that have to me?

exoticfruits · 07/04/2011 21:07

I still don't see the problem. My DCs school are not doing it-neither is yours. If they were, it is merely a bit of fun -much more fun for your DCs if you enter the spirit of it than give a diatribe about your views. I'm sure your DCs couldn't care less about either the royal wedding or your views on it! I don't think that mine have the least idea of my views.

goodbyemrschips · 07/04/2011 21:07

Oh dear, this is really quite sad for the kids.

I have to go now to have a look on ebay for a giant union jack to hang out of my window because I am having open house on the wedding day and the street will be in party mood all day long and prob into the weekend.

Bye Grumps.

Ragwort · 07/04/2011 21:12

Well said goodbyemrschips - there are so many threads on Mumsnet about how 'stressed' children are that they can't even do 20 minutes homework and now people are complaining about having a bit of fun for the Royal Wedding - agree with you, am sure no one complains about the endless end of term 'festivities', film afternoons, charity events etc etc. Lighten up. Grin .

CurrySpice · 07/04/2011 21:13

My DDs' brownies / guides have asked them to wear "clothes appropriate for a wedding" on the Tuesday after the wedding

WTF?!? Shock

I'm happy for DDs to watch. Have a fun family party even, a BBQ if the weather's nice. (since we are all being forced to have a holiday when I would rather take it at my convenience thank you very much) But to officially "celebrate" it at school and brownies - too much imho

exoticfruits · 07/04/2011 21:15

If I was a DC I would just be pleased that we were going to have fun-all spoilt by the parent who moans on about relevance to our lives etc. Just lighten up!

MrsWitcher · 07/04/2011 21:17

What are you talking about?
I am more than happy for them to have a party, to have fun.

I will show (slight) deference to my Prime Minister, whomever he or she might be and whichever party they belong to because I recognise their democratically elected status. But some priviledged bloke and his priviledged girlfriend... I just don't get it.

Again, you say 'king' as if that should mean something.

exoticfruits · 07/04/2011 21:25

The answer to OP is not to bother to go herself, but not to spoil it for DC.

CurrySpice · 07/04/2011 21:26

I do World Book Day

I do Harvest Festival

I do Easter egg competition

I do glow-in-the-fucking-dark disco

I do Chrsitams carol concerts

Dancing. Music. Guide camp. Brownie camp. Summer "prom". Red nose day. No shoes day. Quizzes. Plays. Roman Day. Tudor day. Jeans for Genes Day. Library visits. London trips. ad fucking uaseum

I am not "anti fun" Hmm

This, to me, is as political as the DDs' HT quoting Thatcher as his role model Angry

It fucks me right off

hmc · 08/04/2011 00:57

"The heir to the throne getting married is history and will be in the history books of the future"

Lol exoticfruit - have you ever studied history beyond secondary school because believe me, royal weddings are not 'history'! (am a history boffin for the record). Don't confuse the study of history with something that just 'happened'! It is a tad more complex than that

hmc · 08/04/2011 01:03

Sorry - that was pedantic Blush

madhattershouse · 08/04/2011 01:07

Heirs to the throne getting divorced ( or even beheaded) are better historical events.Grin

hmc · 08/04/2011 01:08

Yes - Henry VIII nuptials did indeed matter - but not many since then!

ostracized · 08/04/2011 03:18

Have not read whole thread, but agree that any other celebration at school is better than this one. Our school are organising a special lunch which you can pay for if you are normally packed lunches and have also asked the children to come in dressed as princes and princesses (if they want). In the corridor outside the head's office (he loves any kind of display - you name it, he displays it) there are wedding cake models and a huge cardboard cut-out of Will and Kate which scares the life out of me because it looks like a real person is standing there when seen out of the corner of your eye.
I really don't care about "lost" curriculum time at all as agree that learning happens in all kinds of ways and doesn't always happen when kids are doing numeracy worksheets. I don't bedgrudge my kids any kind of fun, but I do think that as a place of learning my kids' school would do better to yes acknowledge the wedding, but also use it as an opportunity to encourage thought and debate about lots of different things: our celebrity culture which teaches us to value anorexic eternally young looking people instead of ourselves, a class system and old boys' network which prevents a lot of people from making progress in life, our country which is deeply economically divided and where there are areas of huge deprivation..... maybe primary school is too early for this Grin, but I'm sure it could be done with young children in mind.
My dcs are 5, 7 and 9 - my 5 year old dd will have to go in as a princess as she loves getting dressed up, my 7 year old dd hates skirts so can't see that happening, also don't have a "princess" outfit for her and don't see why in addition to funding part of scroungers' wedding I should have to pay for that - not sure what 9 year old ds will want to do.
Anyway, glad about this thread because was feeling slightly depressed that even educational institutions seem to be going for this hook line and sinker without questioning anything. Our school is also very culturally and racially mixed. I feel slightly offended that many of these kids (including mine who are half Indian) who would find it very hard to break into privileged, white, middle class and upwards circles, are being asked to unquestioningly accept the whole thing and mimic it.