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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:
Exhausteddog · 23/02/2021 16:49

For me that has been one of the (very) few joys of home school - not having to wash/sort uniform and PE kit skirt and not having to find dressing up costumes!

I know it can be fun to dress up (for some people) but Ive always thought that world book day was an excuse for amazon/supermarkets to peddle lots of cheap, nylon dressing up outfits.
My favourite world book day experience was when school asked the kids to take in their favourite book and tell the class why they liked it. I feel that would encourage more reading than dressing up in the least offensive costume you can find...

M0rT · 23/02/2021 16:51

I think this isn't the costume, it's having the difference in your DCs experience of the world to what you imagined when pregnant pushed in your face.
I have no children not through choice, and am mostly fine with it. I'm lucky to be here.
But sometimes I am asked by strangers if I have DC, or a woman in a shop makes a comment assuming I have DC and will agree with her.
And it brings back the feeling when I was ttc and excited about that, and the sense of loss returns.
So I'd just leave it this year.
As they get older you may have years with more energy and time and can think/make costumes for them.
But right now it is no detriment to them to just let it go.
The school won't think badly of you. They work with your kids, they know they don't have favourite book characters.

BrunoMars · 23/02/2021 17:08

My DS is dressing up as the kid in the Wimpy kid books. T-shirt and shorts, same he wears every day

AccidentallyOnPurpose · 23/02/2021 17:17

What do they like? Is there a book about it? At the moment you can find a book about anything. Minecraft,lego,football, playmobil ,various movies or cartoon characters etc

If there's really nothing.. just send them in their own clothes and that's that or as a word/adjective stripy/spotty tshirt. That kind of thing.

YouCantBeSadHoldingACupcake · 23/02/2021 17:20

Mine go in normal clothes. They are muggles

iklboo · 23/02/2021 17:21

Don't send them and say they went as The Invisible Man.

Norwaydidnthappen · 23/02/2021 17:24

I’m relieved my DC will be at home so no obligation to dress up for the first time in years. Some children just go in their uniform with a Harry Potter scarf and lightening bolt painted on their forehead.

LadyCatStark · 23/02/2021 17:25

They’re twins! That’s easy: they’re Thing One And Thing Two. For the next 7 years! Just buy the tshirts in a bigger size so you can reuse them next year and have done with it. No need to bother with a wig as I’m sure they wouldn’t tolerate it.

Ilovemaisie · 23/02/2021 17:26

They are 4 and at a specialist school - the school won't care if they aren't dressed up.
You can tell them all about it being a special day all about books and get them a nice new book to read (to share or one each) - maybe a copy of a book you used to love as a child. Telling them "Mummy used to love this book when she was a little girl" is a lovely concept for children to hear.
Don't dress them up unless they want to. Even then it can just be generic dressing up at that age. But if they don't like that don't do it.
The school won't care. The other children won't care.

TheKeatingFive · 23/02/2021 17:28

Dress one all in red, one all in blue, they are the crayons in The Day The Crayons Quit.

Cone hats made of coloured card if you could he arsed.

Or don’t bother. It’s neither here nor there really,

C231009 · 23/02/2021 17:31

Yes! ‘Fuck world book day’ as you say! DS is autistic and the same. He’s 10 and he’s always hated dressing up!! In previous years he’s just attended in normal clothes, the school don’t care! He’s happy for others to be in fancy dress, just not himself.

When he was younger sometimes I’d send him in a t-shirt like Thomas the tank engine which he loved.

Before Christmas his class had a space fancy dress day. Fancy dress was not going to happen so he wore a t-shirt with a space picture on it.

There’s no pressure. The teachers don’t mind if children don’t like dressing up!

I can’t even remember world book day being such a huge deal when I was at school! We were given vouchers but never a day for dressing up!

x2boys · 23/02/2021 17:43

Yeah my son's special school do this too plus other dress up days ,it's nice I guess that they are trying to do similar activities to mainstream but it ,s a pita never the less ,normally I just send him in with what ever we have ,he has a few onesies etc .

Sirranon · 23/02/2021 18:02

Yanflippingbu. WBD is hideous.

I've only ever got two responses from mine about what they want to dress up as.
A) this desperately obscure manga character that requires huge expense to recreate and noone else in the class will have heard of.
B) I dunno.

Maybemay123 · 23/02/2021 18:09

Yanbu my dc whom has asd used to wear a t-shirt with a character (over the years we did Thomas the tank, diary of a wimpy kid, gruffalo) on or one year he just wore his normal clothes and took a bucket with dinosaurs in. None of these were his favourites just went for whatever fabric /style of t-shirt he'd tolerate, and at the end of the day only ever did what he was comfortable with (one year we had a sick day because it was too much). Do what's best for your boys and you are not a bad mum if they don't dress up your a great mum for considering their individual needs.

DonLewis · 23/02/2021 18:12

I get personalised t shirts. (sounds fancier than it is, my sister has a cricut machine and she cuts the vinyl out for me and I iron it on). But you could use a print shop.

So, my ds went as a wonka bar, we did some minecraft shapes and ironed them on.

That way they can wear a t-shirt that you know they can wear? Could that work?

GameSetMatch · 23/02/2021 18:13

Let them wear their PJs all day or a fun onesie I’m sure there must be book where children are in their nighttime attire.

BernardsarenotalwaysSaints · 23/02/2021 18:16

One of my dc really really hates dressing up for things like this, I just send her in her own clothes, with a book she likes. School (C of E primary) have never said anything to me. The older 2 dressed up because they liked to, we just used things we had though, we didn't buy an outfit of anything.

Smurf123 · 23/02/2021 18:20

I teach in a sen school.. We tend to do something for world book day .. But many of the kids don't dress up, some love the dress up and for others sometimes the parents send in a costume in their bag incase they change their mind and decide they want to wear it. A lot of the time is a favourite TV character mind you. I wouldn't worry too much about it, send them in their own clothes or in their uniform if they are happier in that.
My brother hated fancy dress so he was always things like Jack and the beanstalk, Charlie and the chocolate factory etc. Wore his own clothes and carries some jelly beans or a chocolate bar

Thoughtcontagion · 23/02/2021 18:26

Ours is doing it and all have an allotted time via zoom to show costumes I’m not happy about it at all through we’d escaped this year. My eldest loves it, youngest hates it with a passion

Original poster
SinkGirl · 23/02/2021 18:26

Thanks so much everyone. It’s good to know that at specialist schools it’s understood that it may not happen. I would just feel awful if all the other kids in their class are dressed up (given that they all have similar limitations to understanding) and mine aren’t. So I’ll have to come up with something.

I think the PP who said it’s not really about WBD is right - just another thing that they can’t engage with, which makes me sad.

OP posts:
Original poster
SinkGirl · 23/02/2021 18:27

Someone asked what they like, but unless I can find a book about raisins and biscuits I don’t think we’ll have much joy there 😂

OP posts:
SoupDragon · 23/02/2021 18:29

For any doing this via Zoom, do The Invisible Man and simply leave the camera pointing at an empty chair.

OchreBlue · 23/02/2021 18:33

I wouldn't worry about it at all, half the kids at my DC's school just wear their own clothes, like the majority of book characters really. They just put a bit more emphasis on reading that day, the costumes aren't important they're just supposed to add some fun for the kids who like that sort of thing. Since your kids don't and you know it won't help them engage more, just ignore it. You can buy lovely soft tops and leggings with roald dahl characters on in (M&S) or similar if they'd wear them and if you really want to feel they are joining in, but I'd only do that if they'd wear the clothes afterwards.

SmileyClare · 23/02/2021 18:34

It's lovely to see a normal mumsnet thread about bastarding World book day after endless covid threads. Grin

This must be a sign we're emerging from the pandemic.

As a WBD veteran, my advice would be ; just do what you can and don't worry. Stripey t shirts? Where's Wally?

peak2021 · 23/02/2021 18:41

Marking World Book Day is good. I don't think it needs to be about dressing up though, even in normal times.