Not to buy my childrens' Christmas card designs because they're rubbish?

[jenster1976]

Honestly, they are normally really good at drawing and do me lovely pictures, but these are misspelt, scribbled in places and messy. I was really looking forward to getting them, this is the first year the school has done this fundraiser - I've seen loads of friends and families with them, always cute, but my kids are, to be frank, embarrassing! Also, I want to tell them, but is that just cruel? They're 7 and 5.

Yes, why would a class mandated drawing be less inspired than a drawing they did on their own?

It's pretty obvious why their drawings aren't as good as when they want to draw.

But, I wouldn't go around telling them they're terrible. Why not just have them draw a new picture at home under relaxing circumstances and buy cards online somewhere?

I've not bought my one year olds' as in the words of his dad "They look like he's smeared his hand in shite then put it on a card". I probably would have done if he was capable of drawing.

I hate them and I hate receiving them!

I begrudge that they are wasting DC time on a cack-handed fundraiser - and the result always looks like they were bored doing it. And I don't think schools are valid charities in the sense of 'charity Christmas card'.

Grandparents and memory boxes get original pictures - everyone else gets supermarket charity cards.

And about the story about the lad whose mum didn't love him enough to buy a photo... Sheesh. Given the price of school photos - and the fact that they get a range of expressions from my DC ranging from terrified to possessed... I think the mum in question is being judged harshly!

I think the school should be feeling bad about putting this family in the position where the boy felt slighted by his mum because she couldn't spare £16 (or whatever that photo cost - our photos cost £16).

I think you are going to have to post a picture of the cards so we can judge properly.

YANBU my kids school did them this year my youngest's had clearly been pretty much done for her by an adult. My eldest's I couldn't even work out what it was supposed to be and they normally make lovely cards and my other dc's looked like something they would have produced back when they were in nursery. They hadn't been allowed to decide what to do on their card it was what they had been told to do by the teacher and they honestly looked like they had been done in as short a time as possible because the staff had been told they had to do it.

What do your children think of the cards? If the 7yr old usually draws better and spells more accurately, they may actually prefer the option to try again at home, and hand out neater cards printed at home?

Your poor kids OP. :-(

I didn't want to purchase another 2 sets of these cards this year, which i agree are rushed and not usually very good and also expensive. I suggested we buy some blank ones this year and decorate with cut outs, glitter, old ribbons etc. DD6 was happy with this idea! (Approx.£4 for 50 from amazon)

The issue surely is, if your children are usually good at art work why these cards are so bad. I would hold the school partly responsible as it is their job get the best out of the kids, they must know what they are capable of.

Although not intentional schools can hold parents to ransom with cards and also with badly taken photos.

Still as parents most of us will swallow the disappointment and buy them anyway as we do not want to hurt our DC, part of being a parent!

I'd probably ask the DCs if they are happy with the cards they did at school or if they'd prefer to go to Poundland the local independent craft shop to get some bits to make some different ones.

It might well be that the DCs only had 10 minutes to do them and aren't particularly happy with them themselves and would enjoy making better ones.

Oh just buy one pack.. It's not a big deal. My DS has done some which aren't great but so what. Will send them to family who love anything he does...

Buy them and let the kids send them. Disgraceful to be embarrassed and want to them they are awful. Way to boost their self esteem! Good job everyone doesn't like to tell people how shit they are...

I never buy them - we definitely can't afford what they cost and I generally give my DC a big pack of blank cards from pound land to decorate and that's what we send out.

The story of the little boy's school photo made me so sad but perhaps his mum genuinely didn't have the money?

Yanbu - this year when design came back I helped dd to jazz it up before returning it to school :)