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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hope this isn't the new norm?

34 replies

WhyCantIuseTheNameIWant · 09/09/2015 13:58

We were at a stay and play type thing today.

About a dozen toddlers there.

One little boy (18 months, known as he shares his birth week with my dd) wasn't allowed to play with any toys until he done his reading.

His mum was writing 3 and 4 letter words on paper, he had to read them.

Is this a Surrey thing? Have I missed something? My dd will recognise her initial if she sees it, but not much else.

OP posts:
LoveMILbut · 09/09/2015 14:00

Bonkers behaviour!

DontEatAnyFishTodayMaam · 09/09/2015 14:03

What a stupid mother. She is not teaching him to read. She is teaching him how to memorise and repeat.

She is teaching him to be resistant to the process of learning to read so that, at the age of 6, he will be several reading ages behind that of his peers.

Feel free to show her this thread.

SurlyCue · 09/09/2015 14:07

Why would that become the norm? Confused

Stillyummy · 09/09/2015 14:10

Middlesex Surrey borders here, my mum used to stop the car if I got my times tables wrong on the way to my ridding lesson so I would be late. All it ever did was make me upset. Hell- I am still annoyed now!

I still don't know my tables.

TheSkiingGardener · 09/09/2015 14:12

Bonkers Conkers. Poor child.

squoosh · 09/09/2015 14:12

Mum sounds like a bore who enjoys displays of competitive parenting.

squoosh · 09/09/2015 14:13

Don't know much about Surrey though so can't comment on that aspect Grin

mrspepperpotty · 09/09/2015 14:13

I've been to lots of toddler groups and I've never seen anything like this.

AliceScarlett · 09/09/2015 14:14

Is this a Surrey thing?

Bahahaha

Scarydinosaurs · 09/09/2015 14:14

Weird. Loads of time to do reading in places where it is easier to concentrate than stay and play Hmm

spiderlight · 09/09/2015 14:15

Performance parenting at its finest.

worldgonecrazy · 09/09/2015 14:16

Bonkers. I would have had to sit on my tongue to avoid a passive aggressive "So you haven't read any of the latest child education research then?" said with a dim smile and a slight head tilt.

MiddleAgedandConfused · 09/09/2015 14:17

Wonder if it would work with DH. "You are not allowed your pint in the pub until you have completed the following task "

  • Phoned your mother.
  • Paid the bills.
  • Agreed we can go on holiday.
  • Told me I am still gorgeous.
tomatodizzymum · 09/09/2015 14:17

She took him to the stay and play and then started getting him to read? She wanted attention! Mean as well, she could at least of done that at home and then rewarded him with stay and play, what child is going to read if they are in a stay and flippin play? Moron. That's like kids trying to take their GCSE's at a paintballing game!

Not going to become the norm, she sounds a bit batshit to me.

emmyhNL · 09/09/2015 14:18

I grew up in Surrey and did a lot of student jobs looking after kids. We never saw this! Could just be one crazy mama out there...

queenmools · 09/09/2015 14:18

The fact that she was doing it out and about says it all. She wanted you all to see what a "genius" her son is and how she is winning at parenting.
Silly cow

Doublebubblebubble · 09/09/2015 14:18

squoosh yup!!

SaucyJack · 09/09/2015 14:20

Either this is all boswollox, or my 18 month old is extremely stupid......

I just can't see it happening.

RachelZoe · 09/09/2015 14:20

Surrey thing Grin

Come up here to Notting Hill if you would like to marvel in this type of bananas behavior. I saw one woman a few years back loudly asking her child the Mandarin word for each toy he picked up as they went round the room and only when he named all the toys was he allowed to play or "have a break" as she put it, the absolute twat.

That sounds like showing off in the extreme, why on earth would you take a little one to a play thing and have them read etc Confused

Not normal at all.

Verbena37 · 09/09/2015 14:21

She is obviously doing it as an attention seeking thing. Very sad and no fun at all for her DS. Poor little thing

squoosh · 09/09/2015 14:23

Rachel how did you refrain from throwing a Duplo brick at her?

DonkeyOaty · 09/09/2015 14:23

Hell no not normal.

bananafish · 09/09/2015 14:24

Was that at St Peter's play group, RachelZoe? I bet it was :) Lord, the bonkers behaviour of the mummies and nannies is a sight to behold...

Charis1 · 09/09/2015 14:26

any 18 month old child can be taught to read. it is no harder than learning to speak, or learning sign language. The point is why would you? A huge effort at a totally inappropriate time of their life.

Unless there is a good reason.

I taught DS very early, because of the possibility of a neurological condition that would have made him a slower learner, so I thought no harm in getting an early start. He doesn't have the condition, so didn't need it, but was always advanced in reading because of the early start.

RachelZoe · 09/09/2015 14:34

DUPLO??? PLASTIC??? NEAR THE CHILDREN??? Think of the chemicals!! What kind of mother are you??? Wink Grin

It's all artisanal wooden toys up here, crafted from only the finest locally sourced wood. Twats.

I was too busy trying not to laugh. It's really quite mesmerizing to watch when people go into that mode. They are so out of touch with reality. I stopped going to posh playgroups after a while, didn't want my kids picking up wanky habits. They really are on a different level up here. We have older children and haven't always lived around here, letting one of my older ones get his ears pierced in Claires (fake diamond studs natch) was quite the scandal.