to wish there was a law against sports day

[Longlost10]

the dreaded annual purgatory has come round. Does anyone enjoy it or benefit from it? It seems to be so universally hated by staff, children and parents, I can't understand why we still force ourselves through this medieval hell. I'm tempted to just contact the school and tell the the whole family has food poisoning. I won't. of course, I never have, but I end ever sports day wishing I had.

picnic is compulsory, wine is banned!

Its going to be so hot today, all of us stuck in that field with no shade, it will be even worse than usual.

I'm hoping it will be cancelled on elf and safety grounds.....

Oh well, best get going,

I may be some time......

My ds is in a very small village school (40 in the school). The sports days is fab, and very inclusive. Lots of picnics going on too.
I can imagine it being very different in a bigger school.
I remember enjoying sports day myself in secondary school but I also remember that it wasn't very inclusive and there was lots of sitting around. Parents weren't expected to go to the secondary one though.
I'm going to say yabu

I loved it I was very sporty why shouldn't sporty kids get a chance to shine? My dc loved it except the stupid non competitive day that wasted all our time and I loved going to my kids sports day.

Oh sounds like it's today? Take a parasol or gazebo and buy all your favourite snacks (and SOFT drinks!), a book and sunbathe! Good luck!

You are an adult, they can't force you to go.

If wine is banned, and yet you still have to go to sports day and the picnic afterwards, may I suggest you invest in one of these beauties?! Behold: The Wine Rack

Again? This is the forth thread whining about sports day this year....

At least your complaint seems to be more weather related/generic (can't be arsed going) instead of the usual 'my child is always last at the egg and spoon race and feels deeply and thoroughly humiliated and scarred for life so I'm not going to send them to school' variety.

I'm confused, is it today or was it Saturday? I didn't think schools could insist you attend at a weekend. I thought they could ask but they can't say it's compulsory, can they? I agree with pp who said take a rug, take a brolly, take snacks and treat it as a sunbathing day.

YAsooooNBU !! Hate it! DD'S school all trapse up to the local sports field. Well a field complete with pot holes. No shelter from rain or sun and portaloos that are not for parental use.

The kids are there all day sat cooking or shivvering waiting for their event. Generally just a 30 second sprint.

Parents stuck the whole fucking day just for the same thing. There are no medals as its the taking part that counts No team games just kids running or jumping on the spot.

i hate it, i hate having to make small talk with people to pass the day but having to watch like a hawk to see when dd's event is because there is no loud speaker so you can't hear anything.

Utterly pointless waste of a day

I'm confused, is it today or was it Saturday?

OP said one of her dc's sports days was on a Saturday. This is presumably one of the other dc.

I didn't mind the primary school sports day so much, because they made it properly inclusive and it was quite a fun event. Secondary was a different matter with acres of boredom whilst they took ages setting up and organising the events. I reached a point when I refused to attend unless my dc were actually taking part in something, and escaped as soon as their event was over.

I loved sports day when I was at school, despite being utterly shite at sports. Everyone loved it. It was a fun day outside the classroom.

The hatred of sports day on mumsnet is, like the hatred of dogs, bizarre to me. It doesn't reflect anything I've come across in real life.

I find it hard to believe that a secondary school expects parents to attend; I had only a vague idea of when my DS's sports day (secondary school) was and no way were parents even invited. I think a few 'keen' ones turn up anyway . My DS always loves sports day, a whole day of games, no lessons, what's not to like?

How can a school possibly make parents attendance compulsory?
I mean how would that work?
DH and I both had to work last Saturday.

I loved my one at secondary school, happy memories. I used to half heartedly do javelin in the morning then was so rubbish at running in the afternoon I didn't qualify for anything so I'd just doss about on the field in the sun with my equally rubbish at sport friends, watching other people doing stuff. Easiest day in the school year.

I'm very nervous for my DD starting school as I've heard from colleagues that the Mum's race is very competitive and I'm useless at running (see above).

Most vets recommend vaccinations for kittens at 9 and 12 weeks. So if we assume the kitten had both vaccinations at the rescue, then the OP's friend would technically be fine to put her just-removed-from-its-mother kitten in a cattery. But it's a big assumption.

And as I said upthread, I also worry about the future care of this animal when the owner could so easily have collected it after her holiday but chose to leave it in a new home alone instead.

Bugger, wrong thread

I loved it at school and im not that sporty but i have long legs lol, i dobt think its fair to cancel it for some who dont like it how would it be fair on those that do?

Just to add, many kids perhaps dont get the excercise or even just being outdoors on the grass its good for kids even if they dont join in they can watch and enjoy themselves.

Well, my ds1 is not very outdoorsy and prefers sitting down to running around but he copes and seems to enjoy sports day, cheering his house on and giving the races his best shot.

Likewise, I am also a bit allergic to the great outdoors and prefer sitting on my arse but gave the Mum's race a go last year. I came last but really, who cares? I love watching DS and gave up the idea that I was an athletic contender years ago!

No one cares about the kids who hate maths, or English, or science so a once year event for those kids who hate sport shouldn't be that much of a big deal.

I loved sports day and am gutted they don't do them where I live. Feel like setting up my own for the neighbourhood children!

I couldn't agree more, OP. I have only known primary sports days until very recently: good fun for most, everybody is involved.
Then my first secondary sports day as a teacher came round: 2% of kids involved and having fun, 98% of kids hanging around a field with nothing to do and no shadow. Ditto for teachers. By the end of it everybody was so unbelievably bored, I am still slightly traumatised!

I am not a sports fan but yabu.

It's one day. Think about how the children that struggle at school feel every single day.

Sports day gives some children the chance to shine for once, and teaches the rest of us that yes sometimes you are a bit shit. I was awful, but I still gave it a go and I think that's important.