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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bastarding World Book Day

115 replies

SinkGirl · 23/02/2021 16:10

Sigh. My twins started at their specialist school in October but have barely been since Christmas due to COVID. They are 4 and autistic. They don’t have a favourite book or have any concept of dressing up. Just had the email of doom re: dressing up.

AIBU to say fuck world book day? I’m hanging on by the skin of my teeth and the thought of finding two sensory appropriate book related costumes without parts they will just rip off is tipping me over the edge.

Or if I don’t make the effort will I be marked as that parent who can’t be arsed?

OP posts:
Getoutofbed25 · 23/02/2021 16:17

World book day annoys me too! Luckily my son was happy going as Charlie from Charlie and the chocolate factory, sometimes I made a golden ticket, sometimes I didn’t, but he just went in his own clothes as he hated dressing up and mummy hated it too!

PomBearWithoutHerOFRS · 23/02/2021 16:21

Send them in their normal school clothes. They can be Topsy and Tim or Ginger and Henry (from Just William) or Pat and Isobel (from St.Clare's). Or any random characters from any school story ever... Wink

lanthanum · 23/02/2021 16:22

Just find a book with kids in normal clothes plus prop.

eg Harry and his bucketful of dinosaurs - normal clothes plus bucket and dinosaur.

PurpleSproutingSomething · 23/02/2021 16:22

Plenty of NT children at my school don't like dressing up, so they would just come in school uniform. For the children who may have felt left out once there might have raided the dressing up box, but definitely no comments about who has or hasn't dressed up.

ILoveToSing · 23/02/2021 16:25

I understand. My DD has just turned 2 and nursery want her to go in a costume all next week. She only does 2 morning sessions at the moment but I haven't got a clue what to dress her up as!

SoCrimeaRiver · 23/02/2021 16:26

My DS will only be starting back on world book day so we've had the voucher, but God knows where we spend it as supermarkets only have multi-buy on Disney / Roald Dahl / David Walliams and not the proper £1 world book day books and other bookshops are shut with no mention of it on websites. DS' school has sensibly not mentioned dressing up so I think we get to ignore it this year.

Original poster
SinkGirl · 23/02/2021 16:26

It sucks because I would totally have been the parent that would have loved this stuff under normal circumstances but i don’t have the mental energy for it right now and knowing that the boys don’t care or have any idea of what it is makes it hard to find the energy for it!

OP posts:
Beeziekn33ze · 23/02/2021 16:28

World Book Day? Isn’t that the day when boys wear football shirts and girls wear Disney Princess dresses?

NoSquirrels · 23/02/2021 16:28

YAabsolutelyNBU to sack it all off if you like.

Alternatively, 2 red t-shirts/tops/jumpers in material they like, Sharpie, write Thing 1 and Thing 2 on the back, ignore the rest of the costume. (Cat In The Hat, if you're not familiar).

If you wanted to, you could ask school if there was an alternative suggestion to dressing up for those with sensory issues e.g. bring in a book or wear pyjamas or whatever.

JeanClaudeVanDammit · 23/02/2021 16:32

Sack it off. My 3 year old wants to dress up as Elsa and while every year previously I’ve been pissy about Disney princesses not being a book character, I really don’t care anymore and she can go in as the most Disneyfied non-book character ever if that will make life easier for me. There’s always been a few kids in the nursery whose parents forgot or didn’t want to so had their usual clothes on, they’re too little to be bothered about it themselves.

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 23/02/2021 16:32

Go as a Kindle and with a blank stare just say he's still waiting for stuff to synchronise.

Brogues · 23/02/2021 16:32

A T-shirt (or PJ top) with a book character on will be fine, honestly.

Original poster
SinkGirl · 23/02/2021 16:35

I guess I just feel a bit sad about it. I love books - I would love them to have a favourite and be excited enough about a character to want to dress up, and it just feels very forced and stupid to do it anyway. But then I feel crap for not putting in the effort anyway.

Will try to bodge something from what we have so at least they’re not just in uniform I guess.

OP posts:
Loopyloututu2 · 23/02/2021 16:35

Twins you say? Thing 1 and thing 2? (Stripey pjs or onesie with “1” and “2” numbers attached?) gel their hair to look mad - or would they not like that? Would be cute if they’d do it...read them the cat in the hat and see if they like the idea!

Original poster
SinkGirl · 23/02/2021 16:35

@TwoLeftSocksWithHoles

Go as a Kindle and with a blank stare just say he's still waiting for stuff to synchronise.
😂 brilliant.

If only they would copy things, because I think I’ve had this look myself since about last World Book Day.

OP posts:
EvilPea · 23/02/2021 16:37

Georges marvellous medicine is another good one

I’m with you op. My eldest isn’t a reader, it makes it so hard.

EdersonsSmileyTattoo · 23/02/2021 16:37

No advice but I feel your pain, I hated World Book Day, I’m so glad DS is in high school and they don’t do it there!

Tankflybosswalkjam · 23/02/2021 16:38

Do you mean “world supermarket £15 costume day?”

Mine loathe dressing up. So the last few years we have had “world got a bit of a temperature so I’ve sent them back to bed but they’ll be in tomorrow day.”

Coldwinterahead1 · 23/02/2021 16:40

Just do joggers and a t shirt with a book character on. My ds has sensory issues and he won't dress up .

JillsFlapjacks · 23/02/2021 16:40

I'm glad that the most our school has done for this is for the children to bring a book in, if they want. YANBU, OP.

OverTheRainbow88 · 23/02/2021 16:41

I was going to reuse the stupid Halloween costume I got talked into buying... which also double up as PJs.

Thatwentbadly · 23/02/2021 16:43

If you think they would be happier in their uniforms then just send them like that. Maybe send the teacher an email or however you normally contact them.

Now I’ve just realised I will need to find a world book day costume.

BrumBoo · 23/02/2021 16:43

I was dreading my eldest's first WBD as there's no way he's wear anything faffy or costume-like (his nursery pretty much gave up from moment one on a nativity costume previously). However, he enjoys the Mog books, and Nicky is such an easy dress-up (much like Charlie Bucket). However, his school has decided to go in another direction this year, so I guess the dress-up will be next year's problem now.

2tired2bewitty · 23/02/2021 16:44

My attitude to World Book Day has always started with ‘what costumes do we have’ followed by ‘how can we shoehorn in a tenuous link to a book we own’. I’ve never actually known them to be asked about a link between their costume and a book and I’ve got three kids and have used four different primary schools.

Nith · 23/02/2021 16:46

If it's a special school, they should be well used to the fact that there are children who just can't cope with these changes to their routines and surroundings and be fully prepared to make adjustments accordingly.

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