I fear I'm turning into one of Those Parents...

[KittiesInsane]

Oops!

DD is in year 6 of primary. Good girl, hard worker, nice to small children and animals etc, and loves to perform. She's been looking forward for ages to finally having a decent part in the school panto, but has been put down for 'narrator 3', while her best friend got the star part. DD, being a love, has been stoically pleased for the friend (who is a darling -- sings, dances, acts and is still a lovely kid). Her other friends have less shiny roles, but at least get to act.

This week, same best friend is singing the solo for the school carol concert.

Now, DD can't dance for toffee, but sings really rather well possibly better than friend and had apparently been secretly hoping she might get this by way of compensation. Her valiant attempt to be pleased for her friend is slipping.

Last night we had dramatic gulping sobs about how school never seem to pick her for anything and maybe she's just rubbish. (She gets to edit the staff newsletter and be a monitor told you she was a good girl but somehow doesn't see that as a fun reward.)

So, it'd be entirely reasonable of me to storm into school and demand that they recognise DD's superior talents, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it? And announce publicly that they needn't expect any Christmas presents from me this year, the undiscriminating meanies?

Hah, that feels better.

Right flame me. Am spoiling for a fight here.

Don't do it. I still cringe when I think about the time I complained to DS2 sRugby coach that no-one passed to him. Not the done thing

DD was accepting it with good grace... until the same child got the second star role.

Yes, DD does have a good speaking voice. She was a narrator in the infant nativity back in KS1 as well. Sigh.

Just to rub it in, her noisy, disruptive younger brother has 'had his energy channelled' into major, comic acting/singing parts every sodding time. Her older brother (with significant SEN) was given small but significant roles to 'boost his self esteem'. Meanwhile, DD gets... to be plate-scraping monitor, and have extra maths.

Never mind. DD is plotting her comeback having ditched the idea of setting mantraps for the panto stars. She's working privately on a somewhat deadly imitation of her form teacher for the school talent show next term, melded with the evil Miss Hannigan from Annie ('Some day I'll step on their freckles....') sung fortissimo.

That should put paid to any idea they have of her being a good little girl for the rest of her time there.

Well a group of year 5 and 6s went to the Head teacher to complain last year about favouritism. The same grou of "the chosen" getting to do everything. It might help if the children complain themselves.

Of courseyDS was cross in year6 that he didn't get to do the lights, even though he was the first to ask to do them, they choose two sets of twins instead, he had to do a dance (and wasn't very good).

i'd keep my mouth shut in public. discuss it in detail at home, including the unfairness, with your dd. and point out that as they progress through education and into adulthood, dd will far outdo the no-hopers being favoured by the primary school.