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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

School holiday reading

72 replies

sonlypuppyfat · 15/08/2016 18:17

I feel like I'm going to get a roasting but DD is going to go into yr7 and she's been given a paperback to read over the holidays. I expect she will have to do some work about it when she starts school. The trouble is it is so boring it's all about football and tennis, things she doesn't enjoy. AIBU in telling her she's on her holiday and not read it , or should she just get on with it and just read it?

OP posts:
Brokenbiscuit · 15/08/2016 18:28

One book over the 6-week summer holiday? I have a dd of the same age. Tbh, I'd tell her to just get on and read it. It's not an unreasonable amount of work for the holiday, and although it might be boring, sometimes you just have to suck it up.

acasualobserver · 15/08/2016 18:30

Learning to do things we'd rather not do is an important life lesson. Tell her to crack on.

Original poster
sonlypuppyfat · 15/08/2016 18:30

She has got lots of other things which she's doing. It's just the paperback is so dull

OP posts:
DoctorDonnaNoble · 15/08/2016 18:31

Just do it. Particularly if she's going to do work on it.

MajesticSeaFlapFlap · 15/08/2016 18:31

I'd encourage her to plough on and read it so.it's over and done with

Fancyaruck · 15/08/2016 18:38

You'd be hugely unreasonable to undermine your daughter's teacher, especially as this is probably the first homework task she's been set?

MatildaTheCat · 15/08/2016 18:41

Is she moving to senior school? If so she most definitely needs to read the book and be well prepared for her start.

Even if not she has to read it. Can you perhaps read it together and discuss or take turns reading a chapter out loud each night? Surely not too much of an effort in six or more weeks?

She will read plenty more books in which she has little interest before she's done.

HerdsOfWilderbeest · 15/08/2016 18:43

Have you read the whole book yourself? Have you shared with your daughter that you think it's boring? That would make it a real chore, for definite. How about being positive about it?

Sirzy · 15/08/2016 18:43

Assuming she is starting a new school it wouldn't really be the best of starts would it?

A few pages a day will get it done surely?

AndNowItsSeven · 15/08/2016 18:44

It's not homework if she hasn't started at the school yet, I wouldn't bother.

Original poster
sonlypuppyfat · 15/08/2016 18:44

I know she should read it and I will tell her to. But we both know life's too short to read dull books

OP posts:
DoctorDonnaNoble · 15/08/2016 18:46

Well unfortunately, in English at secondary she is likes to have to read stuff she finds boring (you can't please all the people all the time). Just get it over and done with.

Original poster
sonlypuppyfat · 15/08/2016 18:47

Andnowitsseven see that's what I think. Both my other DCs did the summer homework when they started that school and no-one asked for it

OP posts:
JemimaMuddledUp · 15/08/2016 18:51

She'd be better reading it in case they do work on it. As others have said, at secondary they do have to read things they don't enjoy. As we did - I hated Moll Flanders with a passion!

What is the book?

GoldPlatedBacon · 15/08/2016 18:53

If you suspect she'll have to do some work on it, then surely she should read it. How will you feel if she goes to her first English class, and the book is discussed, and she hasn't got the foggiest what's going on???

PurpleDaisies · 15/08/2016 18:57

AIBU in telling her she's on her holiday and not read it , or should she just get on with it and just read it?

Do you really want her to be the only child in the class that hadn't done their homework? Do you want to be the parent that immediately gets on the wrong side of the teacher?

If she never does anything she finds boring she'll tank her GCSEs. Perserverence is an incredibly important life skill.

Original poster
sonlypuppyfat · 15/08/2016 18:59

I really don't care if the teacher doesn't like me

OP posts:
hazeimcgee · 15/08/2016 19:00

Tell her to suck it up, but nicely of course. As other suggested maybe read it with her or get her to talk about each chapter so you can help her to find something interesting in it she can connect with. She moght hate sport but there will probably be relationship stuff, family stuff in it too.

What is the book?

Original poster
sonlypuppyfat · 15/08/2016 19:01

jemimamuddledup it's not a famous book the author is coming into the school

OP posts:
Avebury · 15/08/2016 19:01

Your last comment just makes you sound massively immature. Of course your daughter needs to read the book and you really need to grow up and support the teachers who are working hard to give your daughter the best education they can.

Wigglewogglewoo · 15/08/2016 19:04

It's most likely not homework or something that they will even talk about. I am a teacher in secondary school and we don't set home work to students that haven't even started at school yet. In fact it's very rare we set any sort of important home work at all over the summer holidays as the school year hasn't started yet.

MrsMook · 15/08/2016 19:04

Last year my school did a transition unit with the feeder schools and spent the first couple of weeks of term using themes from the book in each subject area as a transition between topic based learning and subject based learning.

ilovesooty · 15/08/2016 19:05

So the author is coming into the school? Possibly to do a workshop?

And you don't care if your daughter is unable to participate because you've supported her in deeming the reading too boring to bother with?

hazeimcgee · 15/08/2016 19:05

If the author is coming into schoo, the kids are gonna be expected to have read the book

Leeds2 · 15/08/2016 19:09

I would make sure my DD had read the book. Particularly if the author is coming in to give a talk/do a workshop. The book could easily be the basis for their first few lessons.