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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

My DS is Little Red Riding Hood

107 replies

notafraidofthebigbadwolf · 18/01/2022 18:22

My DS is 8 and sobbed the whole way home from school today. They are doing a play for the first time in a long time - which we are thrilled about - but he's just been given the part of Little Red Riding Hood. No surprise, he wanted to be the Wolf. The teachers thought it would be fun to shake things up abit and give a boy the role of Little Red Riding Hood, and maybe the Wolf to a girl.
Boys have also ended up with the Wolf and Grandma. In fact I can't think what main part a girl has got. It is a small school and there are quite a few more boys then girls.

Still, it seems like a punishment to him.

Teacher said we could think about it over night, but it's too late to give him another part now as they've all been handed out. They'd have to make him a squirrel or something and give the part to a child who hadn't auditioned well enough to get a main part up front.

AIBU to be sad?!

No - The school is being far too woke.
Yes - he was lucky to get a part and should try to make the most of it.

Thank you - I name changed for this as very outing!

OP posts:
SlyAvocado · 18/01/2022 18:25

Auditioned?!

What the hell school is this and how old is he 😂

PattyPan · 18/01/2022 18:28

Hmm, I don't think it's good if they haven't given parts to girls.
But it's bad that he considers it a punishment and I'd be talking to him about why he thinks it's so devastating to get a 'girl's role'. Presumably he's not even playing a girl, he's playing a boy called Little Red Riding Hood (which is really a gender neutral name anyway)!

ImpassiveVoice · 18/01/2022 18:28

Make him an eco warrior - Little (or Great) Green Robin Hood?

KaptainKaveman · 18/01/2022 18:30

It's just a part in a play. You should encourage him to be pleased that he was given a starring role.

All the old fairy tales are desperately sexist. Of course they should be changed. Why is that 'woke'?

eldora · 18/01/2022 18:30

Um, isn't LLRH the biggest part? He should be proud!

flippertyop · 18/01/2022 18:31

What a pile of shit. What small boy wants to be little red riding hood. Ridiculous

edwinbear · 18/01/2022 18:31

Gosh, I'm not sure how I'd feel about this either OP. I like the school's thought process and it's clearly well intentioned, but they are probably a bit young to grasp the thinking behind it.

Provided he's going to be dressed in 'boy' clothes, e.g. red shorts/top etc and not a satin dress which I'm sure would embarrass him, I think I'd try and make the best of it. Explain that whilst the book has a girl as the main character, there's no reason that in the school version, Little Red Riding Hood can't be a boy, and how brilliant he must be at acting if school think he's talented to pull it off.

PinkWaferBiscuit · 18/01/2022 18:35

He got the starring role presumably because he gave the best audition why would he be disappointed? Would he honestly rather have a none speaking role than be the lead in the play just because that part is most often portrayed as a girl?

Presumably in this play he wouldn't be playing a girl the role would be that of a boy.

AliveAndSleeping · 18/01/2022 18:35

He's got the main role in the play. I think you should tell him.that it's nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary. Would you prefer for him to have a non speaking role rather than a "girl's" role?

MsAgnesDiPesto · 18/01/2022 18:35

Little Red Riding Hoodie! I think shaking the roles up is a good idea, especially if they have a preponderance of boys.

Original poster
notafraidofthebigbadwolf · 18/01/2022 18:36

@PattyPan

Hmm, I don't think it's good if they haven't given parts to girls. But it's bad that he considers it a punishment and I'd be talking to him about why he thinks it's so devastating to get a 'girl's role'. Presumably he's not even playing a girl, he's playing a boy called Little Red Riding Hood (which is really a gender neutral name anyway)!
Ah yes, probably not quite right to say he thought it was a punishment. Just not a prize. It's not something he can be proud of at the end of the school year. They've said he'll play it as a boy in a red hoodie. But he and everyone else there will know that she's a girl in the original story. The lines for that character in the audition script were very 'straight' where the wolf's lines are fun.
OP posts:
SlyAvocado · 18/01/2022 18:39

There are no small parts….only small actors.

Dinosauratemydaffodils · 18/01/2022 18:39

What a pile of shit. What small boy wants to be little red riding hood. Ridiculous

Mine! Okay his preferred version usually ended with him killing the wolf but he'd happily have played Little Red.
I don't see a problem personally. Small child ignoring parental advice, straying from path, meeting predator and getting granny eaten works as a part for both boys and girls.

PattyPan · 18/01/2022 18:44

You need to help him reframe it, if he won't be proud of having played the lead character of the play just because it has previously been played by a girl. A) to see his achievement and B) to help him see that there is no shame in the role. Not sure how old he is but for example if he likes Dr Who you could ask him if he thinks it would be embarassing for a man to be the new Dr Who after a woman?

SailingNotSurfing · 18/01/2022 18:44

Little Red Riding Hood can easily be a boy, and the big bad wolf a girl, I think it's a great idea. Fairytales all need to be updated, just like the Enid Blyton books. Bye bye Dick and Fanny, hello Rick and Frannie.

TiredSloth · 18/01/2022 18:44

But he and everyone else there will know that she's a girl in the original story.

And the problem with that is? I’m sure if it was your dd playing Peter Pan there would be no problem.

GizmosEveningBath · 18/01/2022 18:47

Oh no, the teachers should have told them before they auditioned. That is really unfair to spring it on him now, when it's too late for him to audition for another part.

It's very short sighted of the teachers really, of course the other kids know the original story and there is a risk the boy will be teased for playing a girls part. Sad but true.

Is there any way you can find out if the girl playing the wolf is happy with her part? Perhaps they could arrange a swap if they are both unhappy.

Croissantly · 18/01/2022 18:49

If he doesn't want to do it I'm sure someone else will. Unless they're planning on forcing him to wear a dress and make up and present him as typically girly which would be odd- I think it's good if they're switching it up a bit.

GizmosEveningBath · 18/01/2022 18:51

@TiredSloth

There really shouldn't be a problem with it, but sadly there are cruel kids out there who will see a problem with it. What the teachers should have done is tell them in advance they are looking for a girl for the wolf and a boy for little red riding hood, then the children could make an informed choice about whether they wanted to audition for the lead.

Porcupineintherough · 18/01/2022 18:51

But he and everyone else there will know that she's a girl in the original story

Yeah, exactly, a girl. Not a slug, not a psychopath, not a fool or a laughing stock: a girl. Why is that such a terrible thing?

TiredSloth · 18/01/2022 19:00

@GizmosEveningBath

Maybe it’s time we stopped teaching little boys that roles traditionally played by girls are beneath them. The school are going to put him in a red hoodie not a red dress! I don’t see the problem.

aSofaNearYou · 18/01/2022 19:04

I went to an all girls school so this is normal to me, but it sounds quite likely that none of the girls were very good or wanted to do it. Someone else got the wolf and this is the main one. I think he should make the most of it and you should just tell him they've changed the character to a boy.

Lemoncurd · 18/01/2022 19:05

My son was Little Red Riding hood in year 6 (aged 11) and was really thrilled with the part. They had a real mix of different children playing traditional tale parts, all with different interpretations and seemed to have a whale of a time. Son decided to play on it being a traditionally female role and asked me to put his hair in plaits for school that day. He was also offered a part as Cinderella on another day and was so disappointed that he had to do his secondary school induction instead!

I'm sure you can put a positive spin on it for your son and encourage him to have fun.

makinganavalon · 18/01/2022 19:06

This is giving me flashbacks to the time I was given the part of Bottom in the school midsummer night's dream when I wanted Tatania
I was devastated and thought the teacher was making fun of me!
Mum persuaded me to go for it and I'm glad she did as I had a lot of fun being a comedy part.
As a child though it was very tough and a huge deal so I have great sympathy for your son, but don't underestimate what a huge amount of fun it is to be a big part in a school play and how these opportunities don't come along very often- maybe he can see it as a honour to have such a great role?

Tavelo · 18/01/2022 19:08

The character of little red riding Hood is hardly very feminine though is it? It's literally a kid in a cape of a certain colour.
And anyway, perhaps if boys were taught that being female isn't a bad thing we wouldn't live in a world riddled with misogyny, just a thought.