To speak to the school?

[Orchwoid]

I've just been to collect my son from his school and he's told me that he won't be cast in his school Christmas play but all the other children will.

I am fumming. I am going to go and speak to his teacher first thing tomorrow morning but I am so angry that I can't work out whether I'm being reasonable or not.

Why should 24 other children (and their parents) be excluded from the pleasure of a nativity play and Christmas crafts because one parent doesn't want to have their child exposed to it. That would happen if the school cancelled Christmas so as not to exclude the child when following a parents express instructions.

filee777 how do you know how its been dealt with? Do you know what the teacher said to the child?

but the parents SHOULD think about it before withdrawing their child. Surely that isn't a decision any parent would take lightly?

It is impossible to include everyone's beliefs. For example, I went to school with Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, atheists and one Trekkie.

Filee, so are you saying no celebration of any sort at all? Surely better the school puts on events, and the parents have the right to exclude if they choose?

welcome back Maryz

We don't know that the school didn't deal with this sensitively, filee. The OP's ds realised he wasn't in the Nativity play, and asked why - and the school answered this honestly by saying that his mother had withdrawn him from all religion in the school. I very much doubt that they said this nastily or unkindly.

And I say again - it can hardly have come as a surprise to the OP that Christmas is coming, and that there might be a nativity play at the school (it may well be in the prospectus, and I bet it is on the school calendar), so she should have explained to her son why he wouldn't be involved. It is her responsibility to ensure her child understands her choices for him.

Well I'm not afraid of calling troll. Or certifiably insane, for that matter...

So OP here's how you want it to go: son attends no rehearsals cos they take place in assemblies full of god shit. During nativity play is kept outside doors of hall until shepherd time - or is blindfolded and given ears plugs to await turn to avoid exposure to god shit. Cue shepherds: son is brought in or blindfold etc is removed. Son says nothing because hasn't learnt lines cos they're full of god shit. Audience waits while son says no lines and sings no songs. No applause. Time stands still. Nativity resumes. Son is removed from hall or wrapped in cling film and propped in corner to await cessation of god shit.

Maryz, it is a corker to come back to! Where have you been?

Orchwoid. There is no such thing as a non God part in the nativity play. It is the story of the birth of the son of God. Every part is relevant and crucial to the telling of the story. Except maybe tree 3
You asked for your son to be withdrawn from religious teachings. There isn't much that is more Christian than the Nativity. The school followed your instruction. Asking for your son to miss assemblies and other God stuff but to then throw a hissy fit because he misses the play and the related fun is just plain hypocritical.
If you are going to have atheistical principals then you need to adhere to them and not just dip in and out at whim. Otherwise you just make yourself look stupid.

All the madness of this thread aside (bum clouds, louises galore, godly shepherds, non religious easter ), just one thing I need to add

how many schools in the land are even thinking about their Christmas play yet? I mean come on? Ours write their script about 2 weeks after October half term. At the moment they have only just started thinking about Harvest festival next week!

OP I am glad that you have accepted that shepherds are not deities or even related to baby Jesus.

If the sheet and tea-towel are too much for you to bear then might I suggest he plays the triangle? The little ones usually come in as stars wearing tinsel and a triangle accompaniment is very effective.

SDT I think she did realise that there would be a nativity play. What she didn't realise was that she'd asked for her child not to be given a part in it when she withdrew him from all religious practice. The school presumably thought that she'd thought through her position when she wrote that letter and that her child would be aware of the situation.

The school presumably thought that she'd thought through her position when she wrote that letter

I think on the basis of the ensuing madness we can safely say that was a bad assumption on the school's part.

'Hello mrs X, as you know it's the schools Christmas play coming up and as per your wishes, little X won't be involved in any religious aspect of the play whatsoever, we do however have a number of non-religious roles he could be a part of, like helping out behind the scenes or maybe a small role that didn't require any religious singing. We would like to know how involved or not involved you would prefer little X to be, given your wishes.

Not hard, similar to saying 'we are going on a school trip to London, part of this trip will be visiting a church, we are happy for child to come on the trip but to not attend the church aspect or if you would prefer not to come on the trip at all'

Surely stuff like this is part of what schools do? Interact with parents and include people as much as possible regardless of difference?

I am amazed its such a contentious subject.

Filee, I am intrigued how Christmas existed before Christianity. Would have thought clue was in the name, but as a student of such things, am always keen to learn. Winter Solstice a tad different. [Confused]
My birthday is sometimes around Easter, but I am not an Easter bunny. Just in case you were wondering...

Oooh. . Smiley is particular in its casing of letters and fings.

Interesting thread title from the dark side.

www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/woman-504/sex-contraception-48/847202-laying-bed-fumming-no-sex-again-all.html

I only found this as I had to google fumming. The mind boggles.

I would rather have

Fillee - most schools, perhaps mistakenly in this case, credit their parents with a modicum of intelligence to have thought through and understood the impacts of their decision, and to take responsibility for them. Schools are not there to babysit parents through their parenting decisions. It isn't the schools responsibility to have to contact parents in the manner you suggest, frankly. It's the parents responsibility to explain their own decision to the child.

Then explore it for yourself?

The day we call Christmas Day has always been a day of celebration, part of the same month long festival of Yule but very different to winter solstice.

It's part of our history and very interesting, explore it for yourself.