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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

More is DD BU? A flipping tote bag??? For School???

274 replies

thatcoldfeeling · 12/08/2018 12:25

DD is starting year 9. She has just showed me the bag she wants for next year. A flipping leather look tote bag.

Apparently "everyone has them in year 9".

Seriously, what the actual fuck is this nonsense?

Her school does not have lockers and she walks to after school sports several days a week. She really wants to carry all her books and sports stuff in a tote bag!? AIBU to be entirely baffled, generally wtf, and completely reluctant to go along with this!?

*Note - Have just had a flashback to the fashion at school when I was a teen for wearing a rucksack on one shoulder only. That was shit. Maybe I am BU and carrying your stuff around with self induced difficulty is a feature of being a teen!?!?

OP posts:
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31
London28 · 12/08/2018 13:00

I have DD going to year 9. It is a thing and she is having a tote. Told her I think it is impractical and that if it breaks or is uncomfortable I will not be buying her a new bag.

Cannot get too worked up over a school bag, I was the same back in the day had the most impractical, brightly coloured duffle bag.

Benetton I think it was and a Pilot carrier to carry books and sports kit in.

AlexanderHamilton · 12/08/2018 13:01

It was Head bags in my day. And we also didn’t carry loads of book around. We had homework maybe twice a week, a bit more during GCSE years, mostly maths & coursework.

I have a rule that I provide all necessary specified equipment for school including a sturdy backpack of choice. Anything different or fancy has to be bought out of pocket money.

Mummyoflittledragon · 12/08/2018 13:03

Longsummerdays
I remember those plastic basket bags! And has one...

Dd has a lot of smiggle Things including a couple of ruck sacs. She looks at me with 2 heads when I tell her she won’t be using her smiggle stuff at secondary in a years time.

Unfortunately it does seem to be a pick your battles thing.

mypoosmellsofroses · 12/08/2018 13:03

I went through a phase of using one like this back in the day. Live near a large high school here and yep, totes all the way.

More is DD BU? A flipping tote bag??? For School???
LongSummerDays · 12/08/2018 13:03

@Sockwomble oh yes, the shoes!

More is DD BU? A flipping tote bag??? For School???
NapQueen · 12/08/2018 13:04

Impractical Morgan/French Connection black bags at mine too. Girls then had a Jane Norman pink parrier for pe kit. And the boys had their pe kit shoved into a mini boot bag.

Still a step up from my friends secondary - theyd shove a pen into the pocket of their berghaus and roll an excersize book up each jumper sleeve. That was it. Ocassionally a second pen down the side of their rockports.

Flooffloof · 12/08/2018 13:04

"Why are people so bloody snotty about teenage girls"

Once upon a time, I was a teenaged girl, I think we can be a bit snotty if we ever were one.

We had to have the named carrier bag at school. De rigueur was a bag from virgin records or debenhams. I had the tiniest bag from a record shop. Ended up carrying books around in my arms.
Sigh, I miss those days not at all.
I do remember getting some kind of khaki backpack, from where I don't know, and using that for the rest of school.

Ohyesiam · 12/08/2018 13:04

My dd just about to go into year 10 has a tote.

NoelHeadbands · 12/08/2018 13:06

Once upon a time, I was a teenaged girl, I think we can be a bit snotty if we ever were one

Why?

Flaskfan · 12/08/2018 13:06

Massive Head bag first couple of years, then fabric rucksacks with thin straps: flowery, patchwork(done by me!), pleather. I'm convinced that's why my Pilates teacher has to line me up when I stand up straight. Final bag was canvas satchel in 6th form, which was useless as, carried on o e shoulder, everything used to fall out. Didn't own a handbag until I was 23!

SnowyAlps · 12/08/2018 13:07

In my day:- One shoulder rucksacks, with a body shop canvas bag for PE kit and felt-tipped with who loved who all over. Still have problems with my shoulder now! Or a River Island carrier bag for cookery.

Ds14 is thankfully keeping last years NorthFace bag (£90) as it still looks new.

MrsDc7 · 12/08/2018 13:11

Ah yes... the gold old Jane Norman.

MrsDc7 · 12/08/2018 13:11

*good

MrsFezziwig · 12/08/2018 13:14

These were all the rage when I was at school. Obviously they snagged your tights and you could hardly fit anything in them, but in fairness we used to have those things called "desks" that we stored all our books in.

More is DD BU? A flipping tote bag??? For School???
JacquesHammer · 12/08/2018 13:15

My DD’s needs to fit a laptop in every day.

Fortunately going into Yr 7 she’s happy with a rucksack so far!

kaitlinktm · 12/08/2018 13:16

My mom fondly remembers getting a briefcase for her 14th birthday- she thought she was the bees knees

Your mother must be a similar age to me - I got one the Christmas before I was 14 - and indeed I not only though, but I was the bees knees. Until then I had used a leather satchel - they're so old they've come back in again, only now in trendy colours. I used that briefcase until the end of the upper sixth. Those were the days (sigh).

GrandTheftWalrus · 12/08/2018 13:17

@napqueen that sounds like my school.

I had the Morgan bags for my books

kaitlinktm · 12/08/2018 13:17

thought not though - doh!

ScarlettDarling · 12/08/2018 13:17

Yep to the plastic basket (lined with a carrier bag so that everything didn't fall out!!)

Then graduated to a head bag after that. Had those for a few years in a range of colours.

Get her the tote op!

JynxaSmoochum · 12/08/2018 13:19

By the time I finally got a Head bag, they were well out of fashion. It was very handy for sorting out some bullies though. They made the mistake of thinking I was a sad loser with no mates at the bus stop, but I put them right... they thought it would be a good idea to lean on my bag to pull me down discretely. However I put my hand under the hand straps and unleashed the shoulder strap. Not only did queen bee fall over, but the metal buckle also swung up into the bridge of her nose Grin

Fortunately the bus pulled up as she was picking herself up before she could retaliate. As she shouted "what did you do that for?" I hopped on the bus and replied "Well you deserved it!"
They never went near me or my heavy, untrendy bag again Grin

viques · 12/08/2018 13:21

Back in the day the cool sixth form girls all had wicker gondola baskets, totally impractical, must have been heavy and awkward and offered no protection from weather but oh how I longed for one. Instead I had my school girl satchel, brown leather of course because cute bright coloured ones hadn't been invented.........

Cocolepew · 12/08/2018 13:22

My DDs went our local, slightly rough around the edges, high school, they insisted that no handbags were allowed. Black addidas or nike rucksacks were the thing to have.
Chelsea Girl carrier bags were the PE kit bags of choice when I was at school. I fancied myself as a bit of a rebel and used a Miss Selfridge one Grin

placemats · 12/08/2018 13:23

What bag would you prefer her to have?

Leather satchel with straps for the back?

A briefcase?

A small suitcase with wheels?

The tote will be gone by the end of first term.

LemonysSnicket · 12/08/2018 13:24

We never used backpacks for my entire high school life (no lockers and backpacks were social suicide). A tote bag is normal and never did me any damage

LemonysSnicket · 12/08/2018 13:24

I am only now switching to a backpack for work, age 23.