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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to think that people don't do this?!

68 replies

nearlytime · 03/02/2018 12:19

We're going out with DH's sister and family today. SIL announced that now DN is older she can no longer get away with "making up" stuff for the nursery weekend diary. She has to put what they "really did" because DN is old enough to talk about it now.

I asked her what she used to put and she said things like going to the local farm place (that's what we're doing today, animals to look at, birds of prey, fruit picking in season etc.) and swimming and the park... so she wasn't putting ridiculous things.

This isn't normal is it?

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 03/02/2018 12:20

Yes.....if your child is young enough, saying you went to farm is much better than saying actually we stayed home because mum can't be arsed to go out again after a week of school run

Somerville · 03/02/2018 12:21

I've faked many a class-bear book, TBH.

IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 03/02/2018 12:21

Of course they do! I’m shocked that you’re so shocked!

You’re hardly likely to say “we slobbed out on the sofa with Paw Patrol” are you

FissionChips · 03/02/2018 12:23

I wouldn’t have thought people did that either op, ,I just write what we actually did.

TheStoic · 03/02/2018 12:23

Do they have to ‘report’ on every weekend? That’s the weird bit. I don’t blame her for making stuff up.

Original poster
nearlytime · 03/02/2018 12:24

I put "made cakes" or " watered the plants" or "played with lego" if we haven't been out. You know, stuff we have actually done!

OP posts:
Original poster
nearlytime · 03/02/2018 12:25

Yes, we report every weekend. Not everyone does it but they like you to, so they have something to talk about on Monday.

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Schlimbesserung · 03/02/2018 12:27

Any nursery that demands that parents fill in this sort of nonsense can reasonable expect it to be at least half lies. Most people will run out of new things to say and a significant number will not want their weekend activities to be scrutinised and judged.
I'm not sure if we were ever asked to do this, I remember nursery trying to insist that we wrote something in the home/school book every week, but I just ignored it. If I had anything to say then I'd talk to them. Otherwise it's just box-ticking nonsense.

WellThatsATurnipForTheBooks · 03/02/2018 12:28

Oh god we once got DS to completely invent a class bear diary weekend when he was in primary school.

For whatever reason we weren't doing anything that weekend (bad weather? working? can't really remember) so we went down the route of "I know DS why don't you make up a fantastic adventure that the bear had, where he travelled around the world in a weekend". We even included a photoshopped pic or two of the bear by the Eiffel Tower etc.

Was that wrong, encouraging BIG lies??

Original poster
nearlytime · 03/02/2018 12:37

Oh I don't mind doing it. It only takes five minutes.

OP posts:
YetAnotherSpartacus · 03/02/2018 12:48

What would actually happen if you wrote;

Put Peppa Pig on replay and sat DC in front of it. Ordered Pizza. Got stuck into the gin whilst Mumsnetting and listening to on my ipod. Anything to drown out that fucking wanna be bacon. OH feeling frisky, popped into the bedroom for a surreptitious shag while pig and pizza entertained. Went out to buy more gin.

MatildaTheCat · 03/02/2018 12:53

It sounds like an ace way of having some fun.

Saturday took private jet to Manhattan where mummy and daddy drank cocktails until they fell over and were sick whilst flying home.

Sunday Mummy and Daddy failed to emerge from their room all day other than to switch on Peppa Pig and open 12 bags of Wotsits for me. Best day ever!

Anniegetyourgun · 03/02/2018 12:58

I am shocked because lying is not only A Bad Thing, it is also unnecessary. Wtf is it to do with the nursery what you did at the weekend? Just politely decline to fill the bloody thing in.

Original poster
nearlytime · 03/02/2018 12:59

What I find odd though is she is actually writing something, so why not just write what you did. It can't all be stuff she's embarrassed about. "Had a bath" is still a thing. It's only to encourage talking, not a competition.

OP posts:
Original poster
nearlytime · 03/02/2018 13:00

Don't many nurseries do this then? That has shocked me, I presumed loads did!

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BlueMirror · 03/02/2018 13:05

I think this is odd. If we've stayed in we've stayed in and I'd put that - it's not a crime. Even if the kids are occasionally babysat by Paw Patrol. If that's all you're doing every weekend then maybe put less effort into writing fiction in the nursery diary and more into interacting with your child!
Even when kids are young the staff will try and interact with the children about what is in their diary. Much better they are trying to recall an episode of Peppa Pig than sat there perplexed while their teacher talks about sheep and cows they haven't seen!

Thymeout · 03/02/2018 13:28

I think it's a temptation for everyone to spin their lives to make themselves look better. Think of Facebook. My Reception aged child invented an entirely fictitious account of helping his dad build a new porch. When we saw it written down on parents' evening, it did make him think about father/son activities.

I wouldn't make anything up, but I would be selective about 'good' things I wrote down.

nextDayDelivery · 03/02/2018 13:45

A weekend diary? What?

Sounds completely moronic.

I get the 'class bear' diary as children love it and I think the competition among parents is amazing. One Year 1 class bear flew first class 5 times last year!

Amanduh · 03/02/2018 14:58

Parents do this.
Kids do this too.
Aged 11 in my brothers ‘all about me’ entry for school, it said ‘What makes or has made you sad?’ He put ‘When my nanny got shot.’
Afterwards he told us it was because he coudn’t think of anything interesting 😂😂😂

zeeboo · 03/02/2018 16:59

Bloody hell. I'm glad we had a childminder. She was my friend on Facebook and would comment "ooh that looks cosy" as DD and I had yet another duvet and Nick Jr weekend.
I've never heard of these books and it's not something I'd bother to fill in, but if I did, I wouldn't lie, that's just childish.

DeadDoorpost · 03/02/2018 17:04

It never occurred to me to make things up. My book literally said 'cleaned my room. Made cakes. Read to mum. Watched tv' or the occasional 'went to the beach. Chased seagulls'

Lovestonap · 03/02/2018 17:07

Clearly people do do this because your SIL has said she does. And she's unlikely to be the only person on the planet to do ANYTHING.

So yabu. And judgy. And annoyingly faux-bewildered.

Abracadabraapileofbollocks · 03/02/2018 17:08

I've only ever been entirely honest in those books. So bears have been to all sorts of places with us from the Natural History Museum to the Corner Shop; helping with the laundry to seeing the queen (literally waving at her going past not in a fancy way). One even managed a night shift with me.
I realise now I "should" have excluded more of the every day stuff. Wow. Some people are weirdly insecure!

BlueMirror · 03/02/2018 17:14

To be fair Lovestonap just because one person does something it doesn't mean others do. Some people are just weird. I know someone who eats an orange like an apple just biting into it without separating the segments. Pretty sure that's not a thing?

KickAssAngel · 03/02/2018 17:18

Never heard of nursery asking what kids have done every weekend. If children are old enough to speak then nursery can have a conversation. If they're younger than that, then nursery can talk to them about what they can see and do at nursery.

Seems incredibly weird and almost big brother-ish to ask families what they did each weekend.