to not want to dress ds in pink?

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

It's Breast Cancer Awareness Day at school next week and ds (7) has been told he has to wear pink. Now I know I risk being flamed for gender stereotyping my children but he has nothing pink. He wouldn't wear anything pink. Do I really have to buy something pink just so he can wear it for that day (his suggestion of red and white stripes was rejected by his teacher)? I'm not totally sold on the pinkification of breast cancer anyway and am not sure how the school is planning to raise awareness. If they can do it in an age appropriate and sensitive way, fine. If it's in a vague fbook "we're raising awareness by being aware of awareness" way I'd rather they didn't bother. AIBU?

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

Surely the money you would spend on buying something pink, or dye to make something pink (unless you have a red sock) would be so much better going directly to the charity. Ridiculous that to take part in making money for a charity you need to go and spend money on something utterly pointless.

Yes, my feelings too! And this is the third dress up day this term (we're. what, 6 weeks in..??)

[SpeckledyBanana]

Stick him in a red t shirt and have the argument with the teacher later?

[Gottagetmoving]

What the fuck is this being told he has to wear pink?
School can insist on a uniform but have no right to tell any child they have to wear anything else, theme day or awareness day or whatever
Some people can't afford to go out and buy stuff every time the school has some event.
I wish parents would sometimes get together and refuse to comply with these things, but then they are made to feel guilty of uncaring because it's about cancer.

[Allthewaves]

Put him in normal clothes and buy him breast cancer awareness ribbon, wrist band. At least u won't be wasting money spent

[Redglitter]

If he is prepared dress down/wear specific colours/costumes for other charities (e.g. Red Nose Day) I'd be having a conversation with him about why he wasn't prepared to do the same for a charity which largely impacts women.

FFS he's a 7 year old boy. He just doesn't want to wear pink. It's nothing to do with which charity it is

[ErrolTheDragon]

We had this a few years ago, darned if I can remember what we did. And I wont accuse you of gender stereotyping as my DC is a DD, she was about 12 and simply didn't like pink.

[TeenAndTween]

One of

• buy something from a charity shop (so another charity benefits from your £2 as well as raising awareness)
• breast cancer ribbon / wristband
• colour in a 2 inch circle of paper in pink and stick a safety-pin on the back (it can always get broken at 9:10 after it has been seen)

imo He needs to 'show willing'. Pink is the colour of the campaign, either he gives a nod to conforming, or he goes in in uniform.

[Crunchymum]

Tut tut, you aren't fit to be on MN if your DS doesn't have any pink clothes

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

I know crunchymum. I'm awaiting my mn eviction notice

[Eolian]

Let him wear red. Wtf are they going to do about it?! (Teacher here, before anyone accuses me of being anti). Dress up days should be fun for the children. There's nothing fun about being made to wear one colour. If they want to make money for a charity, have cake sale or something.

[JassyRadlett]

I'm in full sympathy with yor position, but the line about 'photogenic cancers' is a bit nasty. The family members and friends I've lost to BC haven't looked particularly photogenic, tbh.

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

I mean the publicity for breast cancer is photogenic in the "pink fluffy tutus race for life bra walk" sense. Not every cancer gets its own pretty colour. And I know people who have had breast cancer who feel similarly

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

obviously I didn't mean the cancer itself. I meant the campaign image. Which is miles away from the reality of cancer

[Starlight2345]

I have a DS he would not want to wear something pink...

I don't see why a 7 year old boy needs awareness of breast cancer..My mum had it twice when she was younger than me.. I think let them be kids.


I would just send him in what he is comfortable..

[JassyRadlett]

That's not at all how I read 'the less photogenic cancers', tbh, and you'll understand how it could be interpreted that way. I accept that's not the way you intended it after your explanation.

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

Top Google images for breast cancer - two anatomical pictures, seven shiny pink ribbons. And now I'll stop being defensive

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

Thanks jassy and apologies for defensive cross post!

[IAmAPaleontologist]

I hate it when school dress up is so restrictive and you have to buy stuff. Hell dd would struggle, I think the only link thing she has are some of her knickers! Her fave colour is blue.....

I'd just do as others suggested and send him in own clothes with a cancer ribbon or wrist band or something. Maybe pink face paint to do ribbons on his cheeks?

I have a stash of randomly sized fruit of the loom t shirts from eBay now from various wear green/red/yellow/the only colour you don't currently have days. No pink though!

[JassyRadlett]

No worries. I may be a little sensitive as have had a few run ins lately with people being really nasty about campaigns fundraising for children's cancers.

[Jellybean83]

I'd just buy one of the little pink pins and put it on his jumper, or make your own with a bit of ribbon. At my DSs school these colour coded clothing awareness days are optional, the news letters always say in bold not to go out and buy something new so really nobody will bat an eyelid if he just goes in with normal uniform.

My DS is almost 7 and he wouldn't wear pink either, his clothes his choice.

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

We've had a fair few brushes with breast cancer (one of our best friends and my mum in the last year...thankfully not fatal ) but it's not the only cancer to affect our family and it sometimes irks me that it gets so much attention above other cancers. My 3yo niece has ALL so you def won't find me griping about childhood cancer awareness

[kali110]

prince i know what you mean in regards to cancer campaigns.
I'm happy to see so much fundraising, but i wish tgere was more coverage for the unknown ones.

[AmeliaJack]

Redglitter hence the need for the conversation.

Star what do you think is going to happen to a 7 yo with an awareness of cancer that stops them being "a kid"? Plenty of 7 yos will have visited relatives on oncology wards.

[PrinceHansOfTheTescoAisles]

This 7yo visited his grandfather on a pallative care ward when he was dying of at least two cancers. He also plays with his cousin who has leukaemia...it doesn't me he needs the technical details of cancer. I'd be pretty freaked out if I was 7 and someone told me about this mass inside me that basically wanted to destroy me from within. I suspect school will skim over it like they did with their last awareness day (autism....ds came home none the wiser. Ironic as he's probably on the spectrum himself )

[missbishi]

Send him in with a note explaining that you decided to donate the £3 that a pink tshirt would cost at Primark to a BC charity.