AIBU for not wanting to send my dd in pjs?

[Grumpington]

I've just found out that for World Book Day, my dd's school are wearing pyjamas instead of fancy dress. She's really upset as she's been planning her outfit for weeks. But I'm just generally feeling grumpy about it as it just feels weird sending her in night clothes... Or AIBU?

For context, the school had a pyjama day in November - and it was freezing and raining. The wealthiest kids turned up in brand new onesies. None of the kids seemed particularly happy about it but I guess we all thought it was a one off. Apparently the same thing nearly happened last March but some of the older kids managed to persuade the school to change their minds.

My dc school is doing pyjamas with the theme of bedtime stories. The children are being encouraged to bring in their favourite bedtime story to share. I think this is a great idea - it’s inclusive and I don’t have to buy a fancy dress outfit that’ll be worn once then thrown in a cupboard never to be seen again. I find things like that really wasteful and hate feeling like I need to join in or risk dc being the one child not dressed up. I also feel like all the dressing up got far too competitive (best costumes etc) and it lost the focus of the day which is all about reading. My dc is looking forward to seeing which stories people bring in. School has also organised for the older children to go and read the stories to the younger children.

It's no more inclusive than fancy dress, poorer children may not have decent enough pyjamas to wear out, wealthier parents will buy brand new ones.

It started in 1998? Did it?

We used to have Book Day every year in my Primary school - I was there from 1988 to 1995. It was always a massive deal with a fancy dress parade and competition in the afternoon. Costumes were always homemade (couldn't buy them in those days) so we always had lots of Cinderella at the ball (girls in party dresses) or Cinderella in rags (scruffy dress with square material sewn on like patches).

I once went as a troll (the 80s kind) and came second. It's not a book character but I had a book with trolls in so it counted 😂. I wore a brightly coloured t-shirt with shorts and my mum back combed my hair so it stuck up and she sprayed it rainbow coloured.

One lad went as the Guinness Book Of World Records one year. He had records tied to a homemade sandwich board on him. He won!