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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

I object to my son being given reading books about drunk horses

140 replies

Reallytired · 19/12/2007 17:23

He is five years old and reading stage 6 of the Oxford Reading Tree. He was given an ORT book called Rotten apples. Its about a horse which gets drunk by eating rotten apples.

My son has no concept of what it means to be drunk. He leads a sheltered life and for the time being I want to keep it that way.

I wrote in his reading record that I felt that the book he was given was not age approipate. His teacher has written back that it is impossible to know whether reading books that are sent home are age appriopate or not.

Personally I think this is bollox.

OP posts:
camillathechicken · 19/12/2007 17:24

I agree with the teacher, they cannot possibly know if a class of 30 5 /6 year olds will be aware of the word drunk and it's meaning or not.

LIZS · 19/12/2007 17:25

Seriously ? The drunk thing went right over dd's head and I think these books are designed to work on 2 levels to maintain adult interest.

hippipotTEDCHRISTMASTREEami · 19/12/2007 17:27

Isn't it the ideal opportunity to explain about the concept of 'drunk'? As in the horse ate rotting apples and they made him feel ill (ie drunk)
The concept of drunk does not solely have to revolve around louts drinking 15 pints and throwing up in the street.

SSStollenzeit · 19/12/2007 17:27

Dd is 7 and she has no concept of what it means to be drunk.

camillathechicken · 19/12/2007 17:27

he won't remember when he has read the other gazillion stories in ORT, did it go over his head, or did he want to know more?

LowFat · 19/12/2007 17:29

Agree with OP. Even if a child knows what 'drunk' is why should they have it in their literature at such a young age, it's not like it's a nice thing.

Loshad · 19/12/2007 17:30

I think you're being a bit precious tbh, my boys had no idea of the concept of being drunk at that age and i can't honestly say that they were harmed by that particular ort book. Agree with hippi and lizs.

hippipotTEDCHRISTMASTREEami · 19/12/2007 17:31

no, neither is being ill, or a pet dying, or a toy breaking, but children still read about them / learn about them.

also, the book is about a horse and rotten apples, not about a group of teens out on the town flashing their bottoms at taxi drivers!

hippipotTEDCHRISTMASTREEami · 19/12/2007 17:32

sorry, that was following on from LowFat's post.

camillathechicken · 19/12/2007 17:33

hippipotTEDCHRISTMASTREEami on Wed 19-Dec-07 17:31:32
no, neither is being ill, or a pet dying, or a toy breaking, but children still read about them / learn about them.

that is a really good point.... i quite agree

or should it be like janet and john books

Janet has a ball.

John has a ball

Janet throws the ball.

John catches the ball

FrannyandZooey · 19/12/2007 17:33

LOL at thread title

I love it

This isn't something I would personally object to I don't think, but I understand about feeling story lines are too adult for children

"it is impossible to know whether reading books that are sent home are age appropriate or not"

you what? so they take no responsibility for making sure the books your children get are suitable for them? Mind you I would wait for something more shocking before doing any more about it

LowFat · 19/12/2007 17:35

Yes but unless the story is helping a child deal with a drunk person...... like a book about death etc then why encourage them to ask about it. I would say books about getting drunk are better aimed at about age 8+. But as my oldest DC is just 4, I suppose until I get there I wont know.

allIWannaBeForChristmas · 19/12/2007 17:35

yabu, totally.

there are certain things we can protect our children frombut tbh this was about a horse not a bunch of teen binge drinkers. and the horse was eating applese not drinking cyder.

I presume you would also complain about the song they probably sing in school... "we're going this way, that way, forwards and backwards, over the irish sea, a bottle of rum to fill my tum and that's the life for me".

themulledsnowmanneredjanitor · 19/12/2007 17:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Blandmum · 19/12/2007 17:35

And don't forget the cricula part of Mummy being tied to the kitchen and Daddy going out to work!

FWIW I learned to read with Janet and John and I turned into quite the feminist.

I don't think that reading one book about e drunken horse is going to lead to a lifetime of substance abuse.

WanderingHolly · 19/12/2007 17:36

I think by the time children are at school it's hard to keep them sheltered tbh. Believe me, he'll have heard worse in the playground - much of which won't register anyway.

On a more serious note, I think the teacher might want to pay a bit more attention to which books are going home. I don't have a problem with a 5 year old reading about a drunk horse, but then I'm a) not a parent and b) not a Muslim. I think if I had religious/cultural reasons for my 5 year old not to know about alcohol I'd have a right to be annoyed.

Original poster
Reallytired · 19/12/2007 17:37

Do you honestly think it is appriopate for ANY five year old to read such a book. In an ideal world five year old children would not be exposed to paralytically drunk people. They would be set an example of drinking responsibly rather like people on the continent.

Maybe some five year olds live in households with drunken alcholics, but it does not make it right to have getting drunk as a title for a children's story. I don't think that getting drunk is funny even if it is a horse that gets drunk.

Prehaps a reading book like this would be good for older SEN children. I would prefer if my son had magic key stories which are completely age appriopate.

I don't want him to grow up too quickly.

OP posts:
SantaBabyBeenAnAwfulGoodGirl · 19/12/2007 17:38

i think u r worrying too much lol

3JinglesandnoBells · 19/12/2007 17:38

I recall this book from es, mind you, he read it when he was older then Op's son, as it took him longer to learn to read....but, I remember it being quite harmless, and if anyhting, it was one of the funnier ones as reading books go....but that is just me

pinetreedog · 19/12/2007 17:39

I know that book well.

I am surprised at your strength of feeling.

hippipotTEDCHRISTMASTREEami · 19/12/2007 17:39

But the book isn't about being drunk as such, there is a world of difference between binge drinkers on the city streets and some fermenting apples.
If the op's child asks what it means to be drunk, all she has to explain is that when fruit rots it makes you feel dizzy and a bit ill.
There is no need to start to explain about drinking to impress your mates, not finding your way home and throwing up in the gutter.

I think as parents we need to keep things in perspective before getting hysterical!

pinetreedog · 19/12/2007 17:39

little bit of science about fruit juices turning to alcohol...

3JinglesandnoBells · 19/12/2007 17:41

Is there word drunk even mentioned....I only recall is a bit vaguely, but wasn't it more that you could see the horse going dizzy, rather then a big issue being made that the hoprse is "drunk"....

MotherFunk · 19/12/2007 17:41

Message withdrawn

hippipotTEDCHRISTMASTREEami · 19/12/2007 17:41

Just re-read and realised I missed out the science bit...

But really, the book is NOT introducing the children to the idea of drinking themselves into a stupor and I am very surprised anyone sees it as such!