to be miffed at all the "charity" stuff coming from school?

I do know what you mean - money for us is tight, and this first half of term seems to be a never ending demand for money. I do think you need to develop a thicker skin though - it isn't a demand, it's just a general request. Pay out for the things you want to pay out for and ignore the rest. All the children will do the sponsored activities ime whether you get sponsors or not, they won't be excluded. If you look at the amounts raised by these things, you can see that not everyone contributes so you're not alone

snap I have 3 dc in school too (about to be four) It's a nightmare

'I get that it is a team event and that it will encourage participation and sense of achievement and all that, but when will it end?'

It will never end because there will always be deserving causes. Don't feel under pressure to comply, but try not to get irritated by it. Your child is learning something positive about selflessness and good causes.

Give what you can - nobody is going to judge you for it.

See collections for toys/clothes as a good way to get rid of clutter and benefitting someone else at the same time.

Sorry if I sound preachy, but really there are worse things to complain about than giving to good causes

My friend had a bit of a 'to do' with the head at our school over (friends) son.

Anyway to cut a long story short, my friend is a dinner lady and something kicked off at lunch time. The other dinner ladies were gossiping behind DF back. When DF was hauld into the heads office (!), DF said to her that it's not acceptable that she is being talked about the head said to her 'i am not a people person, i am a fundraiser'.

Our school is always wanting something. I always do my fair share but there has to be a limit.

HAve to say, i did the PTA newsletter today and it probably reads the same but actually when you look again it covers from now until Christmas, and there's a lot of stuff going on- father Christmas visits, PTA fayre- if we don't ask then we certainly won't get- last yera they didn't ask and one PTA chair was actually threatened by a parent wanting to know why their child wasn't getting X and Y that the PTA normally provides- when she explained it was because nobody was willing to hlp with the PTA trhat year bar her, she got a mouthful!

But i do know how you feel- today I had a music lesson bill, a make-your-oen-christmas-card flier, a flier fro reflective jackets, and a letter about Panto 9fdor some reason Yr 2 pays £8, in juniors yr 3 DS1 is exected to pay £12! They're both the same size ds1 and ds2, no bigger seat needed fgs!)

I'd say YABu but only a bit.

I don't mind doing these things to raise money for the school, but if I wanted to give money to all the OTHER charities that my daughter brings home requests about then I do so already. But it is really hard, because they have seen the form and its a complicated thing to try and explain to a small child.

Its just pressure I could do without..

And actually makes me less likely to then fork out money for school things