To demand a parents evening meeting when I next have to pick my son up?

[OnlyParentsAreReal]

I was informed today at pick up that it's parents evening tomorrow (first time I'm hearing of this) and my time slot is 7.15pm! I immediately said that wasn't possible as that is past my son's bed time to which they replied "oh well". There are a few things I've been meaning to bring up with them anyway and my son isn't in tomorrow. Would I be unreasonable to demand a parent's evening meeting next time Im there for pick up?

Parents evenings are a logistical nightmare and an awful lot of planning goes into them. There is usually plenty of warning and communication about them.
You can't demand a meeting as teaching staff have all sorts of commitments after school. There are meetings, training, situations arise that need to be tended to immediately and all sorts of other things. Their day does not finish at 3.30PM (like mine does. I'm just a TA! )
FWIW I am on my own with 3 school children and manage to do it somehow after a day at work. It's inconvenient but that's what kids are!!

Op are you french? If you are translating directly from 'demander', 'demand' doesn't at all have the same meaning in English!!!

It was wildly sexist I agree, but was it correct?

OP - Here's my idea of a sensible reply:
The Oxford English Dictionary definition is:
askn authoritatively or brusquely
insist on having
require; need

ask, not askn!

I am sure they will offer another appointment if you explain you are on your own. It is late to walk back to school / home these evenings are very dark.

Totally understandable. I often offer a telephone appointment if parents have difficulty coming in.

I say demand as in ask but do not except no as an appropriate answer

This is the best thing I have ever read in about 9 years of farting about on the boards. I think this may be the peak and the rest of MN is just not going to live up to it.

Batshit ✅
Entitled ✅
Stroppy ✅
Entirely lacking in self awareness ✅

From the wider context
Condescending ✅
Wrong ✅

My whole Bingo card - done.

I'm going to go into the bakers tomorrow and demand a loaf of bread. To see if they understand the English language as well as OP.

Then I'm going to ring the doctors surgery and demand an appointment.

Then after that I might go to the cinema and demand a ticket for a movie. Fair play - there's no negative connotations to that.

I think I might give them a ring in the morning to see if I can talk to a more senior member of staff rather than wait till I see them again
Because that doesn't confirm many of our impressions of the OP being rude and entitled.

She's now going to speak to someone more senior about it, because she's far too important to speak to the early yeara worker herself. That wouldn't make as good a 'i am very important' statement.

Bets that by school she'll be 'one of those' parents who:
Over runs on appointments
Demands additoonal intervention
Wants special treatment
Goes straight to the head of dept or head teacher when thrh have an issue
Will turn up on MN with some thread like 'school did something awful for general people read totally reasonable and I al furious about this. To make matters worse, I turned up at school and demanded to see the teacher and they actually refused. AIBU to call ofted because schools have to listen to parents'

I work in the public sector (health). This is increasingly common. People make mistakes and then get all aggro with the staff.
Why can't his dad come and put him to bed?

You lost me at 'demand', no wonder teachers are quitting in their droves. Parents must literally be the cause of so much stress for school staff these days. Aren't the parents evenings listed on the school website.
In your line of work how would you feel about a customer (external or internal) demanding something so rudely as if she is the only person important?

maddie
I would say the biggest issues I've had this year have been with parents, not students.
Admittedly it's 1 parent, but still 1 parent has created more stress and workload for me than around 200 students.
They also like to turn up at school demanding to see me or someone senior.

Ask to change the time and if they cannot then arrange another time to speak to the teacher.
What is the point of getting shirty?

Would you turn up at a doctor/dentist/lawyer and ‘demand’ to see them? Why is Education any different?

There is absolutely no way this early years provider has sprung a parents’ meeting at 24h notice and allocated appointments. There’s more to this than meets the eye and I absolutely smell 💩 on this one.

The OP is definitely one of “those parents” and the wee one is still just in pre school....education providers in that geographical area are in for the long slog here unless the OP is nipped in the bud soon.

@MaisyPops I’m the same. I had a parent in reception today demanding to see me as I’d confiscated her son’s mobile phone, as he’d need caught filming other pupils in his Maths class.

She was shouting and bawling about how I had no right to do that and demanded it back. Our school based police officer walked past with out headteacher at that point and she was escorted off the premises. The headteacher told her any future dealings would be with him and would be conducted in a civil manner on her part and if she failed to be able to do that then she’d be told to leave again.

OP, just email

Dear Head of Pre-School

I've just been told that DS's parents' evening appointment is at 7.15pm.

As you know, DS's health issues make him very tired. This means that he is asleep well before 7.15 every night and there's nothing I can do about it; if I try to keep him up he will fall asleep (this may not be true but they don't know that).

In light of this, please can I have an earlier appointment? I appreciate that all the earlier slots have now been given to other parents, but I am quite happy to wait a couple of weeks until you have a day with an earlier time free.

Many thanks for your understanding, and for all you do for DS

OnlyParents

Well, you're going to have a good few years of being thoroughly disappointed if this is your attitude at pre-school.

Definition of 'to demand': 'to ask for something forcefully, in a way that shows that you do not expect to be refused'

So, no, you are not just asking for something when you demand something.

Nice try patronising people though, OP. I wouldn't do it on MN, they are a very intelligent lot.

I'm surprised they had any of the later appointments free to give you as they're usually the most popular slots.
They're certainly the ones that get taken first in my DC's school.

This is the craziest post for its triviality. How do you get through your day OP?!

Your username is offensive because you are suggesting that only people who are parents are real people. What about before you were a parent? Were you not real?

Ok couldn't be more obviously a bloke if he posted a dick pic

It does rather make sense now if they are a man.
The child is in nursery, rather than school. Therefore the staff are likely to be poorly paid women.

Now this person believes that requesting something from a poorly paid woman and refusing to take no for an answer is fine and not demanding.
They also proceed to tell all of us how the English language works.