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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Ds brings home school toy...wth?

198 replies

witchkat72 · 08/11/2016 17:28

Ok new to this so forgive me if on wrong board. My ds who is 4 brings home the nursery toy. The idea is for him to take said toy/puppet out with us until Monday, where I am to take pictures and write a lengthy diary entry of what ds and puppet have done. Problem is so far ds has shown no interest in even going near it/him and has categorically said it /he is not ds' friendConfused what on earth do I do now? Take pictures of said puppet ostracized to corner of sofa? Write that its had a fab time being carted around by me in a duffle bag all weekend and ds has ignored itBlush? Wwyd?

OP posts:
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14
wobblywonderwoman · 08/11/2016 22:23

I love the puppet ... So cute.

WankersHacksandThieves · 08/11/2016 22:25

I've no idea how they can even make a puppet that looks like a peadophile.

BeachysSandyFlipFlops · 08/11/2016 22:33

I love the idea of an 'alternate diary', Little Reindeer......

That should be adopted nationwide Smile

Horsepower9 · 08/11/2016 22:49

Our DD school had a birthday bear, which she brought home just before half term. DH is a search and rescue diver so the bear went out on the rescue rib then went diving with him. I washed and dried it and forgot about it till the night before school started again so I shoved it in DD bed with a thermometer under its arm and a tiny face cloth on its forehead and a bottle of calpol next to him, and took pictures of 'sick bear who had to spend rest of holiday in bed as he had caught a cold diving!

Velvetdarkness · 08/11/2016 23:03

When we had ours it had a good wash then made friends in the toy box while my child had a lovely weekend (described). It never left the house!

Bedsheets4knickers · 08/11/2016 23:12

Lol , I also chucked ours through the wash . Then took one bedtime photo . Then dc got bored then I lied trough the whole weekend of events which I told dc to repeat if asked on Monday morning . Yada yada yada .

BlackeyedSusan · 09/11/2016 01:11

the class toy went for an underwater adventure here too. (sink/bath/washing machine)

2kids2dogsnosense · 09/11/2016 09:22

Horsepower

Luvvit! Grin

SarcasmMode · 09/11/2016 09:37

I'd be honest that DS has struggled with it.

But first I'd try and treat it like a real child and say it's not nice to leave Charlie Chimp out and try and get him to engage with him.

If not just explain in diary how DS isn't too keen on it.

DD1 3.5) refused to take the toy home. Her nursery said that's fine we can try in a few months.

I think it's good to teach taking turns and being welcoming but don't like the expectation we are going to be doing anything exciting. Chances are you may go to the park, help tidy up etc nothing mega exciting.

Turefu · 09/11/2016 10:16

My son just started reception and we had teddy bear other weekend. Lucky for us, we just had weekend at Blackpool planned, so problem sorted.
One girl from DS class simply put pictures from her walk to park. They were very nice.

SeventeenRainbeaus · 09/11/2016 10:37

My son did this once at nursery. I didn't take pictures so drew one (maybe not easy for everyone, I do art anyway) it can be something as simple as 'we played a game together' or 'we visited my cousin today'. I don't get what the benefit is to the kids learning or education but I guess some of the kids find it fun. I think it originally started as a bear that traveled across the world with different families and it was marked on a map.

SeventeenRainbeaus · 09/11/2016 10:43

I was so tempted to wash it and the clothes it came with but dp said it'd be my luck that I'd ruin the 'nursery bear' for everyone after shrinking his clothes or bear getting 'de-fluffed' in the washing machine and would have to replace it. So I packed it all up and sent it back to nursery hoping it didn't come back. bloody thing stank!

witchkat72 · 09/11/2016 12:17

Well he's now had a bath so no longer filthy, he's come out in one piece and currently having a lay down on radiator to dry. Ds still not enamoured by him so far, but is showing vague interest at a distance

OP posts:
Libra · 09/11/2016 12:29

Listen, you haven't suffered until you have had the 'green' class bear.
Yes, one year primary school decided that the class bear was only interested in green issues and so had to do something 'green' when he came home for the weekend.

We were the 23rd family to get him so all the easy things had already been done - lots of photographs of bear sitting in recycling boxes, which was interesting because I got to criticise everyone else's taste in wine.

I ended up with him sitting on a diesel pump criticising my choice of fuel.

I hated that bear - sanctimonious fluffy toy.

Lemon12345 · 09/11/2016 13:58

Green bear! What a PITA! And totally none judgy from school too...

I do wonder for the kids who tend to sit watching tv everyday and doing little in terms of parental interaction and outings if they sort of expect when they have the bear it means they will get to do something and that's one of the reasons I hate them.
Most (if not every) public school/day nursery will have at least 1 child that isn't really interacted with much at home, and typically does very little at home... It's those I feel sorry for.

As for the parents who come up with extravagant trips just for the bear, or plain make it up it can often back fire as the poor kid has no idea what's going on. Even if they go on a trip, they often get little out of it and end up talking about something else entirely.
The idea behind it (at least where I worked) was to get a general view of their weekend so the child can talk to their teachers (and other staff) about home life (which helps with talking about other aspects of home) and to share their story with their peers. It's an important skill to develop. So it works best (IME) if it's about something the child does regularly such as trips to the local park, visiting relatives, having play dates or whatever else the child does more than once a year when teddy comes to visit.

marcopront · 09/11/2016 16:51

I'm so glad we never had a class bear because one of DD's classmates would have taken him to Dubai for the weekend on their private jet.

Shona52 · 09/11/2016 17:34

That's exactly what I would do be honest not every child is into stuff like this and shouldnt feel bad about it. Plus it's work for you not him

HateMrTumble · 09/11/2016 17:54

I'd be tempted to write something really sarcastic 🤔

VickyRsuperstar · 09/11/2016 18:13

I always hated the class bear/soft toy thing as it often come home absolutely filthy from being dragged round everywhere by many small children. One year the bear kept coming back and filthier each time so I put it in the washing machine. Lacking imagination as we had a quiet weekend at home, I wrote a story about it needing a wash and drew a picture of it in the washing machine...and I never saw that bear again for the rest of the year thank goodness :-)

itsgottabeblackorwhite · 09/11/2016 18:13

It's a communication tool. It just reminds child of what they did/ate/watched on ipad over weekend so when the whole class sit around at snack time waiting to be entertained by your LB amazing weekend story he will be able to answer everyone's questions. Can't imagine a child not liking doing it tbh. its a bit of fun and from that we ended up doing a summer journal recording days out/shopping trips/ coffee shop eats.

2kids2dogsnosense · 09/11/2016 18:37

Send him back with a note. "Please do not send this bear to us in future until he is toilet-trained. He has repeatedly pooped in the woods despite being shown how to use a lavatory. In the absence of woods (e.g., while we are at home enjoying "Jeremy Kyle" and a pint glass of wine) he poops in the cheeseplant. Airwick has not proved affective."

zznotxy · 09/11/2016 18:43

Yes, yes,yes. It is definitely a parent one up manship. Sad to report I did mine giving mouth to mouth to a bear after he had fallen into a river in Borneo. Beat that 😀

Carriecakes80 · 09/11/2016 18:44

Lol we had to do this with Blossom and Bertie, the school teddies! I bloody hated reading all the previous posts in the diary, full of polaroids of 'Bertie enjoying Horse-riding lesson with Sebastian before going out to dinner at Chez Poshe and then onto Grandmamas' for Tiffin!"
I felt very tempted to out-do the previous entries, but in the end, we told the truth. "Bertie had a great time being left in my bag because I forgot he was in there until Mummy found him late Sunday night! Mummy had a moan at me, then she put him back and I went to sleep."

NKffffffffd2a6c8ffX127aa233d24 · 09/11/2016 19:00

When my son brought the doll home from nursery he ignored it totally so I wrote the diary from the point of view of the doll saying she felt really left out and never wanted to go to our house again as everyone ignored her. The nursery staff thought it hilarious and agreed that not all children like bringing something home from nursery. It really doesn't matter

GloriaGaynor · 09/11/2016 19:12

That is one creepy doll.

I'd write a story in which the demon-possessed doll tears the family apart trying to suck the child's soul. They probably won't send it again.