To be irritated by kids dressing up as Buzz Lightyear on World Book Day?

[theoracleofdelphi]

It's World Book Day. Children are invited to go to school as their favourite book character. Why oh why is Facebook full of photos of little darlings dressed as Buzz Lightyear & various Disney Princesses?!
For some reason it really makes my teeth itch!

[Elllicam]

I like seeing costumes that the kids have clearly picked themselves. My DS1 decided he wanted to go as Spider-Man. Probably not what I would have picked but he does have Spider-Man books which he loves.

[MiladyThesaurus]

I quite like world book day.

I'm not so keen on judgemental (and often (ill-informed) people insisting that parents are lazy and don't care about encouraging their kids because they used a costume they already own for a dressing up activity.

Whether DS2 goes in an ironman outfit bought from a supermarket or I spend weeks hand-making him a costume for a character from the MN-approved children's canon has absolutely no bearing on his actual reading. In fact, the time I spend sewing stuff is time I could have spent reading with him.

[ItShouldHaveBeenJingleJess]

Oh, to be a smug parent..... Very much doubt I'll ever feel that way, but if it makes you happy.....

[GahBuggerit]

My kids don't like reading, they can read, they just find it boring. I don't force the issue.

So for me it isn't a case of being lazy . Why would I spend time and money on dressing them up as a character they haven't even heard of. Especially as the teachers in my sons school ask the kids to stand up, explain who they are and the storyline of the book to 'prove' they know who they are dressed up as!!

[Summerisdone]

My 2 year old DS's favourite book is a compilation of stories based on various Disney movies so sending him as Buzz Lightyear didn't seem like a bad thing to me, after all we have to read the Buzz story every night before bed time.
FWIW his nursery did WBD all this week as not all children are in today, so he was Buzz Monday and Wednesday and today he went as Mr Bump because he also likes that book.
So long as it encourages children to read then what is the issue?

[wigglesrock]

World Book Day always brings out the sanctimonious - I couldn't care what other peoples children wear or whether the book is "worthy" enough to be considered for a made up dress up day. I always think that those who do get riled up about it have a little too much time on their hands.

[PointxTaken]

Some of us don't have time.
but you do find the time to come on Mumsnet though . Maybe you should get out of internet and take some time to speak with your children, and ask them what they like?
I teach mine that reading is not a chore, and picking up an outfit in tesco is lazy. I don't go around insulting people and calling them "dick" and other chosen words.

[TheOnlyLivingBoyinNewCork]

Maybe you should get out of internet and take some time to speak with your children, and ask them what they like?

They are in school. And I already know what they like. Do you have to ask yours?

I teach mine that reading is not a chore, and picking up an outfit in tesco is lazy

Those two things are unrelated.I don't need to teach my children reading is not a chore, they love reading. I wouldn't dream of teaching them to judge others on where they got their costumes from though, why would you do that?

[TheOnlyLivingBoyinNewCork]

I don't go around insulting people and calling them "dick" and other chosen words

Yes you do, you call them lazy and bad parents. Which is much much worse.

[ThePurpleOneWithTheNut]

I don't see the connection with dressing up and enjoying books at all. My enjoyment of reading over the years has never been diminished by not dressing up as anyone whilst I was doing it

It became a major headache when I had to come up with 3 costumes at a time for my dc. It wouldn't have been so bad if dressing up was only for that but we all know how schools love fancy dress at every turn

Now mine are teenagers only one of them is in any way interested in reading books for pleasure so I don't think WBD makes any difference.

[BitchQueen90]

My DS is 3. Loves books. I have over 200 in my house.

Today he wanted to dress up as a ninja turtle. I'm shit at anything creative, can't sew. I bought his costume from Asda. What a terrible parent I am.

[PippaFawcett]

I told my children they could go as whoever they wanted as long as I didn't have to make anything or buy anything!

They both have tonnes of dressing up stuff and their own clothes. There is no way I am spending money on an outfit that is worn once. DD went, predictably as Matilda which she loves, and DS went as Spiderman. Both were very happy, I was happy.

I think schools should ask for donated costumes after every WBD and the kids should dip into them and dress up at school. So many children will not even have dressing up outfits that I do think universal days like this add pressure rather than fun for a lot of families. I also do not think it does anything to increase reading.

[gingercoffee]

Our approach is usually: ask child what they want to be, cobble together some kind of outfit, then google the thing that they want to be and find an obscure book featuring said thing.

[MrsTarzan1]

Annoys me too! They aren't books!!

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

I picked up a costume at asda so for some of you I would probably be seen as lazy.
I don't really care if that's what anyone thinks. He wanted to be horrid henry so that is what he went in as this morning (and yes I have read the books to him).
My ds is only in reception but is learning to read well and enjoys and has a lot of books at home.
I read every night to him and if the thing that points me out that I'm lazy as a parent is that I bought his costume then so be it.
I'd rather spend my time helping him with his school work than designing an elaborate costume.

[Oblomov17]

Fortunately our school has now said you can come in in simple mufti, or a costume. After attempts to create a captain underpants, and also a dahl fantastic mr fox, I have given up, and he can go in normal clothes.

[ChorusLine69]

My son went as buzz light year this morning as I refused to waste energy making him go as a bear ( as planned) He's 2 if that makes any difference!

[SparklyUnicornPoo]

DD's school decided this year they must bring the book their character is from with them to try and stop this/at least encourage the children to read the book. Dropping DD off this morning there were so many kids with books of films and my personal favourite, spiderman carrying a spiderman colouring book

DD went as Valkyrie Cain from Skullduggery Pleasant, costume cost me nothing and she looked great and was very excited telling her teacher all about her favourite book. dress up days are a pain and DD's school are a little too fond of them, but world book day and European day of languages are imo worth it (the random charity ones however annoy the hell out of me, I wouldn't mind giving £2 for her to wear own clothes but i object to having to make up a costume as well!)

[PolarBearGoingSomewhere]

We enjoyed making a costume for DD. She went as a ladybird (from What the Ladybird Heard) so it took about half an hour to cut out wings, paint them red and stick on black spots. She wore red top and black trousers. We do quite a lot of craft anyway so it was nice to make something she can actually use! I do try to accomodate whatever her choice is - personally I do try to steer away from Disney dresses as we walk to school and she loves climbing etc when there so I would hate for her to trip over. Also she would be very upset if it got ripped or painty as they are "special" to her, having been bought as presents.

I don't believe I was judged for our cobbled together effort and I certainly didnt judge any of the Disney Princesses or Superheroes. It's just a bit of fun!

[EustaceClarenceScrubb]

Off topic slightly but I once went to an advent church service where all the children had been asked to come as characters from the Nativity so that they could help act out the Christmas story. As well as the usual, Mary, Joseph, Kings, shepherds etc there were two power rangers and a spider man. The priest did not bat an eyelid, just managed to get them into the story somehow. The kids all enjoyed taking part.

It really does not matter in the scheme of things!

[reuset]

I agree, OP. I also asked about the Where's Wally, always a popular costume choice, the other day. That's a bleddy puzzle book.

Ex secondary teacher so managed to avoid WBD, but primary colleagues generally seemed to dread it, not much learning done etc etc

[mewkins]

I agree with you op! Dd's school is probably one of the few that doesn't do world book day fancy dress. They focus on getting authors in, getting kids to bring favourite books in. I suspect the head teacher has your thought in mind when the decision was taken. I have just heard an interview on the news where they said it's annoying that it's supermarkets and disney who make loads of money out of world book day with people buying costumes, when that money could be soent getting kids into reading books.

[ephemeralfairy]

Not sure how long World Book Day has been going but when we all had to dress as characters form books in year 7 I went as Titania, which showed me up amongst all the Where's Wallys and Cinderellas as the insufferably pretentious child I was.