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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to send DD to school in school uniform?

48 replies

gallicgirl · 08/09/2015 09:57

DD started school on Thursday.
When I dropped her off today the noticeboard advised us that tomorrow the children can wear red, white and blue as they would be celebrating the queen being the longest reigning monarch. I also heard the teacher and a parent explaining to kids that they didn't have to wear uniform.

I'm not a royalist in the slightest but neither am I a republican and I accept it's just a fun thing to do in reception class.

However, DD has been so excited about wearing uniform and starting school, that this is the first time in forever that I haven't had to drag her out of bed in the mornings and ask her repeatedly to get dressed or have an argument about what she's going to wear. The little love has gotten up and dressed in about 5 minutes flat.

I also don't think she has anything weather appropriate to wear- off the top of my head I can only think that she has some union jack swimming shorts!

So, what do you reckon, WIBU to end her in uniform as usual or is she likely to be the only kid not wearing red white and blue and will feel left out?

OP posts:

x2boys · 08/09/2015 11:11

i did plus it was a few days before payday and we had no money i just dressed ds in jrans and Tshirt and drew some flowers on them was not impressed!

x2boys · 08/09/2015 11:11

jeans*

TheHouseOnTheLane · 08/09/2015 11:12

What scifism said....it's not that you need say a t shirt with all the colours...just something of each if possible...which surely it is! It'snot as though they've asked people to create a home made dinosaur outfit for goodness sake! Just wear something red, white and blue...a combo of those.

They're normal colours.

shutupanddance · 08/09/2015 11:13

Defintley make a little effort, this is the first of many short notice school things you will be asked to do.

Snowfilledsky · 08/09/2015 11:16

I remember the day there was 'Wear something spotty'

TheHouseOnTheLane · 08/09/2015 11:17

Snow we had that and so used an old top and a sharpie to dot it with!

x2boys · 08/09/2015 11:20

my sons schoold have never done world book day untill last yr then they decided to do giving us about three days notice !

Original poster

gallicgirl · 08/09/2015 11:21

scifisam- I know the school ANBU - my initial reaction was it would be easy but then realised anything she had was summer clothing.

I've just had a much-needed sort out of her t-shirt drawer and found a long-sleeved white t-shirt I'd forgotten about and a blue pinafore that a friend passed down. Along with the July 4th bits, I think we'll manage.

I'll save that queenie-dinosaur idea for later though ;)

OP posts:

Snowfilledsky · 08/09/2015 11:22

I think we did too House, I can't remember what it was for. Children in Need/Comic Relief or something preumably.

At First School they used to do a Sponsored Fancy Dress fun run every October. The first year everyone seemed to make a trip to ELC and spent £££££s on a fancy dress outfit. VV OTT outfits most that were impossible to run in.
The first year was quite nice i suppose, we all got to watch them run around the field. By the time DC2 was going through the school and we were doing it for the 6th/7th time it became known mainly as 'that effing fun run'.

WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant · 08/09/2015 11:28

An inside-out dinosaur t-shirt becomes plain red... But can't see the dinosaur being a problem!

Pack blur jeans/leggins/shorts into her bag. Then she can choose.
Or red/blue socks.

Or the knowing voice of a 4 year old.. " I AM wearing red KNICKERS "

nancy75 · 08/09/2015 11:28

Schools can be a pain giving short notice with this kind of stuff, but in my DDs school I have never seen a child wear uniform on non uniform day (DD is in year 6 so I have found quite a few last minute outfits over the years)
Personally I wouldn't send her in uniform

Original poster

gallicgirl · 08/09/2015 11:33

Or the knowing voice of a 4 year old.. " I AM wearing red KNICKERS "

Yup, I have that child. She's ace.

Thanks for the confirmation Nancy. We didn't even wear uniform back in my day!

OP posts:

OOAOML · 08/09/2015 11:51

I don't mind the royal family, but it really bugs me when we get last minute 'oh just wear this' theme days at school. For something like that DS would get the option of wearing his school jersey, which is royal blue. And if he didn't want to I wouldn't push it.

I am stroppy enough that I complained to the parent council at our school about certain teachers pressuring their classes to the extent that they were telling them to buy stuff for dress up days.

TeenAndTween · 08/09/2015 12:09

Charity shops are key for dress up days in my opinion.

Don't worry if something you buy is too large, put it away for when you can reuse it later for a different even or a younger sibling. Red White and Blue is particularly useful as it is the colours of other countries too.

Snowfilledsky · 08/09/2015 12:14

Totally agree Teen. I have always been quite successful in charity shops when getting school dressing up stuff.

Except the day I had to dress DS2 as a mince pie.

OOAOML · 08/09/2015 12:18

Charity shops are good, Teen but unfortunately our school sometimes lets us know at too short notice to get to charity shops (I think they assume every child has one parent at home all day drumming their fingers and waiting for a summons to provide theme day outfits, bake, come in for last minute events etc).

We do have a fairly wide range of tshirt colours that can be used and the school have toned down their requests. And the rather high-handed teacher who recommended particular shops has thankfully left the school now.

PermetsTu · 08/09/2015 12:19

Oh the dress up days. The ruddy dress up days. DD would never let me get away with not bothering. I try to convince her that being non-conformist is cool but she is a bit of a people pleaser. They did red, white and blue for the jubilee and dd looked like the jubilee had thrown up on her.

I have seen children very tearful however, if they're in uniform and everybody else is in spots for Pudsey/red white and blue for some irrelevant royalist shite/green for save the trees/dress like a French revolutionary with consumption day.

AIBU to send DD to school in school uniform?

Snowfilledsky · 08/09/2015 12:23

Permets she looked great.

Now my two are 13 and 16 I look back on the dress up days feeling rage and wistfulness all at the same time.

Original poster

gallicgirl · 08/09/2015 13:12

DD wore her gingham summer dress to school today.
As I put her in the car I explained that tomorrow she didn't have to wear her uniform if she didn't want to.
Her response?

Yippee, I can wear my pinafore!

You know, the regulation grey one.

[sigh]

OP posts:

BathshebaDarkstone · 08/09/2015 13:19

I remember wearing red, white and blue to school for the silver jubilee , I wore a stars and stripes t-shirt and red shorts.

ChunkyPickle · 08/09/2015 13:45

Depends on your child - DS1 has always disapproved of dressing up, and I've sent him to all sorts in his normal clothes/uniform because of that (the nursery Christmas/Easter/whatever plays he was always the only one still in his sweatshirt) - he couldn't care less, even if he was the only one. He just can't be bothered with mucking about with clothes (like his mum)

SquinkiesRule · 08/09/2015 14:21

I hate the last minute ones, usually happen here when I get home from work at 9pm and have to leave the house again at 6.45. Not sure where the hell they think I'm going to produce an outfit from, Dh is useless at this stuff, Dd is lucky to have clean uniforms on those days.

DinosaursRoar · 08/09/2015 14:28

Does it have to be all 3 colours? I would go with blue jeans and then either a white or red t-shirt/jumper/cardie, depending on what we had, then perhaps a ribbon for the other colour.

Most children will have some clothes that are at least blue and white so most will take part in something like this, you could take her to school in uniform early, with a bag of clothes in red/white/blue to change into if everyone else is in fancy dress. It does seem like the end of the world when you are 4 if you are the only one not dressed up.

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