to think that if you were a prefect at school, that "prefect-ness never leaves you?

[champagnesupernova]

At a Toddler Xmas party yesterday.
Paid my money and turned up.
Had NOTHING to do with any of the organisation.
Plenty of helpers, and indeed staff from the venue which hosted.

Yet somehow felt compelled to pick up some of the wrapping paper which others had left on the floor.

I could also never have just left the paper on the floor.
Is this the inner prefect in me coming out?

It's not like I am a naturally tidy person...so there were no "OCD" tendencies on a cleanliness front.

Or is it just me who feels like this?

I think it's a normal response to mess but then I'm totally OCD so I'm not really one to talk

I was a prefect and I am definately not prefect-y now. Although that may be because I stole my prefect badge so I could stand inside during cold weather.

I'd still pick mess up if there was too much of it. It makes my teeth itch when there's wrappers etc lying about everywhere, which is odd as I can quite happily live squalid chaos, just so long as it's clutter and clothes not actual rubbish.

Nope. I was a prefect and I never do this!

Plus prefects basically had no power at our school and 60% of Y11 were one anyway. It was basically pointless. Most of them seemed to spend their time telling year 7s to tuck their shirts in and then laughing at their terrified expressions

I'm like this too. Had never thought that it might go back to my prefect days..... Do you think I should get my goretex jacket trimmed in school braid?

Yup I was a prefect, no prefect tendencies. Picking up rubbish however is just good sense.

I was a prefect and I've been known to get tbe Hoover out half way through a party!

Bertie in my school the prefects ruled.... I ran that dinner queue with a rod of iron. There was no skipping the queue or fighting when I was on duty who knew I was practicing for motherhood all those years ago?

But showy, isn't the thought process of "it's just good sense" (as opposed to the mother who left the paper on the floor, for eg) a prefect thing?!?

You got to manage the dinner queue? [not]

No, the other mother's just rude and untidy.

And if it was a prefect thing you'd tell her to pick it up...

I was sacked as the music prefect when I was at primary school. So I guess at that party, I would have been the mother who picked up the wrapping paper and then screwed it into little balls and threw it at the other mums.

So yes, I guess your theory stands!

I was never a prefect, I went to a 6th form college where we were all "students" not pupils and called teachers by their first names.

I run a toddler group. All the parents help tidy up, some of them might have been prefects but I doubt every parent/childminder/grandparent who comes was. I also pick up rubbish in the local park and so do my dcs. Maye they are prefects in the making.

Tis just manners and basic social niceties isn't it.

I was never a prefect. The prefects were all tossers quite dodgy, David Hameron type characters at my school and best avoided! Although I would be compelled to pick up wrapping paper at a party, because it's helpful and well mannered.