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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be annoyed they've cancelled my son's nativity

552 replies

JudesBiggestFan · 29/11/2021 15:22

I'm just so tired of the arbitrary and pointless decisions that rob children and parents of yet more joy.
Last year my son had his nativity play cancelled at preschool. This year, the school (after designating him a shepherd and giving him a line...the excitement!) have cancelled again. Because Covid. Never mind all the pubs, restaurants, Christmas shopping, family parties that all the kids, teachers and parents will be going to.
The nativity is some kind of super spreader event that must be forfeited!
It's not going to make the news, but I'm just so bloody tired of it all. He'll never be this little and innocent again...I tolerated it last year but my patience is gone.
Anyone who wants to be is jabbed, we have lateral flows, it's as safe as it ever will be.
Yet the commercial stuff can go on, but the pure joyful ness of a kids Christmas nativity can't. Just wanted to vent really. No point complaining in real life anymore!

OP posts:
deliapith · 30/11/2021 08:24

@TimandGinger

OP I feel your pain. I’m in Scotland which is even worse for restrictions on children. We were told last year that the vaccines would be the solution. That was a lie. So now what? Restrictions forever?
Saying it was a lie implies some kind of deception. Do you really think this? Yes it's all utterly shit but it's an evolving situation so no one can tell you exactly what is around the corner. Schools are open, we should be thankful for that.
deliapith · 30/11/2021 08:26

@TimandGinger I live in an area where there has only been 64% vaccine uptake. So for vaccines to be (a significant part of) the answer we need to address the number of anti-vaxxers that we have.

GaolBhoAlba · 30/11/2021 08:34

[quote deliapith]@TimandGinger I live in an area where there has only been 64% vaccine uptake. So for vaccines to be (a significant part of) the answer we need to address the number of anti-vaxxers that we have. [/quote]
We cant continue to blame anti vaxxers when 93% of the adult population has antibodies. If 93% isnt sufficient, then we're screwed.

TimandGinger · 30/11/2021 08:37

Scotland has an incredibly high vaccine uptake and it’s still very restrictive. So as far as I can see, the vaccines haven’t been the way out that we were told they would last year. And yes I do believe politicians lie when it suits them.

ClaudiaWankleman · 30/11/2021 09:13

Scotland has an incredibly high vaccine uptake and it’s still very restrictive @TimandGinger

In fact the whole of the UK does - 79%-83% of the population across all 4 nations. And suddenly vaccines are not the way out we were told they would be.

Porcupineintherough · 30/11/2021 09:37

@GaolBhoAlba absolutely we can, it's the unvaccinated that are clogging up hospitals.

BaronessEllarawrosaurus · 30/11/2021 10:58

Every time I read one of these threads I appreciate our school more and more. They are doing their absolute best for the children, we have so far had the harvest fair, we are having the christmas fair, the children got their school disco, they have put on cinema evenings. All the after school clubs are going ahead, we are having the Christmas Play. By god my poor child needs all of it, if there is another lockdown I'll be claiming a place at school for her somehow, another school closure would damage her completely, being separated from her friends was completely unbearable for her and her mental health took a severe battering, I will do anything to stop her going through that again and thankfully I have every faith that our head teacher will do every thing possible to help.

It might only be a nativity play but I will be there watching and clapping along with everyone else and enjoying every second of it

derxa · 30/11/2021 11:24

@BogRollBOGOF

It's just a nativity (x2) It's just a Christmas fair (x2) It's just a sports day (x2 but you can watch the football/ tennis on TV) It's just a residential trip It's just a class outing (x2) It's just a disco It's just trick or treating It's just a scout camp It's just two birthdays It's just a birthday party (x a lot!) It's just a holiday It's just Christmas It's just a swimming lesson (or half of your allowence) It's just an open evening It's just a parent's evening It's just seeing your mum's face as you walk out of school after holding it together all day It's just a kiss before you walk through the school doors each morning It's just 10 minutes waiting for your sibling (do not play! Keep your distance!) It's just a play ground It's just SEN support It's just 6.5 months off school without access to friends (when you can hear the key worker children at playtime from your garden) It's just to keep granny safe (even though the care home rules banned you from seeing her and it's now over two years and you barely remember her)

Good job kids are resilient isn't it eh? Hmm
It's just a nativity after all.

Well said
llm24 · 30/11/2021 14:58

@SleepingStandingUp

Like I said it’s not a competition between anyone’s kids all I wanted to put across was kids who were due to sit exams and haven’t done two full years at school since the start of the pandemic THEY missed out on so much

But yeah I care far more about my kids missing out that I do any others

Mulhollandmagoo · 30/11/2021 15:29

[quote Innocenta]@RobinHobb Not allowing parents at sports day is a great example of a restriction that just seems totally bonkers to me. It's outside! In the open air! I can see both the pros and cons of the nativity play issue (I don't think they should be fully cancelled, even if scaled back or with some restrictions), but sports... How on Earth can it hurt people to allow parents to attend that?

This sort of thing is why I do agree children have it hard. [/quote]
I do agree with this! Nativities and Christmas plays, as crappy as it is I can sort of see the logic in cancelling them, it's winter so cases are higher and they're inside so the risk of transmission is higher. Sports day - summer, cases lower they're outside in huge fields so distancing was easy so risk of transmission is really low, not allowing parents to attend those was bonkers!!

CallmeBadJanet · 30/11/2021 17:45

Ummmm....we're in the middle of a pandemic?

Pliudev · 30/11/2021 17:53

Who is the school nativity for? It's for parents. From what I can remember, my 3 DSs couldn't have cared less. So, as grown ups, maybe it's up to parents to realise that since transmission is so high among school age children it would be pretty stupid to cram into a school hall, especially if we are hoping Christmas can go ahead without the restrictions we had last year.

CallmeBadJanet · 30/11/2021 17:53

Last year at the early years setting where I worked, we did not have parents on site, the Nativity was recorded and then posted online for parents to log in to. We didn't spend weeks rehearsing, so the children were relaxed and enjoyed it and the staff weren't stressed and exhausted. It was the most enjoyable Nativity I've ever been part of in a long early years career.

CallmeBadJanet · 30/11/2021 17:55

@Pliudev Exactly. My 18 year olds only memory of his Nativity is that he faked being ill to get out of being a sheep.

PearlyShamps · 30/11/2021 18:00

I understand and sympathise with your disappointment. Our family have also had our fair share of COVID cancellations, and disappointments - as have every family. It's really shitty, and I hate living like this.

I do feel I should mention - you did say in your OP that "Anyone who wants to be is jabbed", which is not entirely true. There are some who cannot be vax'ed and others who the vax does not work so well for. Those with some conditions, such as blood cancer, do not always have develop antibodies to fight COVID even after vaccination. There are people who remain CEV even with the existence of the Vax.

That said, I'm sorry for your disappointment (and for your DS) that the play has been cancelled again... it would upset me too :0(

keeptheaspidistra · 30/11/2021 18:09

@gogohm

Transmission is highest in 5-9 year olds currently. I can understand why!
To push the vaccine agenda to the younger year group maybe?
takenforgrantednana · 30/11/2021 18:12

@JudesBiggestFan

I'm just so tired of the arbitrary and pointless decisions that rob children and parents of yet more joy. Last year my son had his nativity play cancelled at preschool. This year, the school (after designating him a shepherd and giving him a line...the excitement!) have cancelled again. Because Covid. Never mind all the pubs, restaurants, Christmas shopping, family parties that all the kids, teachers and parents will be going to. The nativity is some kind of super spreader event that must be forfeited! It's not going to make the news, but I'm just so bloody tired of it all. He'll never be this little and innocent again...I tolerated it last year but my patience is gone. Anyone who wants to be is jabbed, we have lateral flows, it's as safe as it ever will be. Yet the commercial stuff can go on, but the pure joyful ness of a kids Christmas nativity can't. Just wanted to vent really. No point complaining in real life anymore!
at my grandkids school its no parents allowed but they are still doing the play and videoing it and putting on the school web site for us all to veiw it that way, might be worth suggesting to the school
Mummabear89 · 30/11/2021 18:13

Perhaps you could suggest that they do each class a different day. Thats how my sons school is doing it. One reception classes parents are going on Monday then the next on Tuesday and the following on Wednesday.

Middleagedspreadisreal · 30/11/2021 18:18

Don't worry about it, that whole story is made up, be glad the kids won't be brainwashed into being told it actually happened

Mirw · 30/11/2021 18:21

You and your kids have to get to disappointment! That is life... It is not fair! There will be other opportunities to be in nativity. The Christian spirit will live on... unfortunately. How many kids taking part understand the mea ning? How many parents are practicing Christians? If you do not practice, not that important. Just sayin'

BluebellsGreenbells · 30/11/2021 18:21

Don't worry about it, that whole story is made up, be glad the kids won't be brainwashed into being told it actually happened

So you won’t be celebrating Christmas then?

HoneymoonSouvenir · 30/11/2021 18:23

I’ve got every sympathy with OP’s disappointment at the nativity being cancelled.

However, in my kids’ school they now have a lot of teachers off with Covid. I am worried that the school will end up having to move to online learning due to lack of staff. The school has introduced some restrictions to try to limit spread - year group bubbles etc.

If they had to cancel our nativity to improve chances of keeping school open, I would support it. It’s a crappy situation, but I’d be more interested to know from my MP why schools have received little (no?) extra funding to cope with the additional costs of Covid. For instance, to support the costs of extra supply teachers.

Zyana · 30/11/2021 18:25

This reply has been withdrawn

Withdrawn at the poster's request.

Mrshockallz1726 · 30/11/2021 18:30

Our school told us weeks ago it was going to be a no parent event again. This year it's being filmed and uploaded to a private YouTube channel and the link will be shared with parents after

Lokdok · 30/11/2021 18:43

Same here. I'm really upset about it. Our last school had a majority of muslims so no nativity, so it was to be the first time I've seen any of my kids in a nativity. She's learned all her songs and she was going to be Mary. I'm gutted!!

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