To ask if you can think of an excuse which will get 11yo off PE for the rest of term?

[HelloKittyGirl]

Just that, basically. What would get her off games for a few weeks?

I loathed PE it was a genuine nightmare - and would my mother ever write notes , no she wouldn’t . Once and similarly unsporty friend and I were forced to play in the house basketball team due to lack of players . We happened to be sheltering from the rain in then sports hall & were forced to play , by chance our team won the competition but only because the other three players were fab . Did I find this a positive experience no !

@yzed

What I find most interesting about this thread, is that 661 posts so far, many of which berate OP for daring to think her child might be allowed to avoid something unpleasant, almost no one suggests that schools/pe teachers might up their game and make their lessons enjoyable. Not, I might add, that children should be encouraged to favour enjoyable lessons (heavens no!) but perhaps that physical exercise might be a potentially enjoyable activity, if only approached in a less unpleasant manner.

Great post!

Thank you Grasping.

We all need to do things we don't like. I think thats a poor thing to teach secondary school children. How about teaching them that this is part of life.

Deciding what to eat for the next week, the monotony of supermarket shopping, then cooking dinners every night: is something I don't wanna do a lot of the time thanks very much!

Walking to and from school is nowhere near enough exercise. Yabvvu.

Are rules and timetabling just for other people?

We all need to do stuff we don’t particularly like doing so setting an example where things like this can be dodged through deception is pretty poor parenting.

YANBU

When I first read your post, I thought to myself - she shouldn't be making up lies for her daughter at school. It's sets a bad tone for respecting the teacher and school and may make her have an entitled view.

THEN I remembered my mum telling me that her mum basically did the same for her 50 years ago. She hated PE so her mum allowed her to come home and chill for the afternoon with her. She was an avid cyclist as a child (lived rurally so had to really), just hated PE.

Despite missing PE, my mum by far has the best work ethic I've known. She has worked 60 hour weeks back to back and she has very rarely had a sick day in her whole career. She's also far more active than your average 66 year old. She walks everywhere and can still touch her toes no problem. Her lack of PE has made zero difference to her life.

But how lovely that her mum respected her and allowed her to have some say over what she does (within reason). PE isn't really important to kids who are otherwise active.

My only caution would be to make sure your daughter doesn't 'confide' in any school friends about your lie.

@yzed

What I find most interesting about this thread, is that 661 posts so far, many of which berate OP for daring to think her child might be allowed to avoid something unpleasant, almost no one suggests that schools/pe teachers might up their game and make their lessons enjoyable. Not, I might add, that children should be encouraged to favour enjoyable lessons (heavens no!) but perhaps that physical exercise might be a potentially enjoyable activity, if only approached in a less unpleasant manner.

They have. PE at my DDs' schools was nothing like it was 30 years ago.

Think about the bigger lesson you are giving your child. Your dislike of PE has probably rubbed off.

@yzed

What I find most interesting about this thread, is that 661 posts so far, many of which berate OP for daring to think her child might be allowed to avoid something unpleasant, almost no one suggests that schools/pe teachers might up their game and make their lessons enjoyable. Not, I might add, that children should be encouraged to favour enjoyable lessons (heavens no!) but perhaps that physical exercise might be a potentially enjoyable activity, if only approached in a less unpleasant manner.

I think a lot of people on here have made the point that PE is nothing like it was 30yrs ago. And as far as I'm aware, the only reason the OP gave for her daughter missing the classes was "the weather"

Op - I think you've had some very judgemental responses. It's amazing how many people on MN are so perfect.

If it really is 'the weather' then I'm a bit  too but assuming that isn't the real reason, then I totally agree, no one ever ruined their child or their prospects because of a note for PE.

I've done pretty ok in life (work extremely hard, 1st. Class degree, earn enough to keep my family on my salary alone in a nice house). I skipped PE, canoe lessons, swimming, ... more times than anyone could count and all thanks to my lovely mum's notes. I hated PE, I was useless at it. Always picked last, always the slowest. It did nothing but erode my confidence and humiliate me.

Why condone doing that to kids. It doesn't make them stronger people. Find hobbies they can excel in outside of school. I learnt teamwork and leadership through drama classes.

As an adult I go hiking and mountain biking!

"the only reason the OP gave for her daughter missing the classes was "the weather""

The weather being too cold. I do think there's a double standard there. Apart from certain jobs, adults aren't forced outside in all weathers so why should children be. If you told me I had to go out to exercise in uniform sportswear that I can't choose in the rain and cold you'd get short shrift.

@Gwenhwyfar

"the only reason the OP gave for her daughter missing the classes was "the weather""

The weather being too cold. I do think there's a double standard there. Apart from certain jobs, adults aren't forced outside in all weathers so why should children be. If you told me I had to go out to exercise in uniform sportswear that I can't choose in the rain and cold you'd get short shrift.

I still want to know what her strategy is going to be in the winter of DD's Y8, 9, 10 and 11.

It is absolutely impossible to post anything on MN without being judged.
Why can't people just reply to the question being asked. You don't have to agree. You have the control, as we all do, to keep scrolling.

We all parent differently. And just because someone has different ideas on what is best for their own children does not make them wrong or an available target for vitriol just to make you feel better about your own parenting.

I wish people would stop saying, posting and wearing Be Kind slogans and actually just do it.

It’s the ‘entitled’ subtext that gets me. ‘Don’t worry darling, we’re too good for PE anyway. Let’s think of a convincing lie to get you out of it. We’re besties aren’t we darling!’

I used to wiggle out of PE as I was crap at it and embarrassed, but it actually made things worse and I felt even more of an outcast. If the issue really is weather than they're all in it together and whatever the account they won't be out there shivering. Id ask and try and make sure it wasn't an escape from something else, as she has several years left there and it isn't going away.

I wonder what illness the op has decided to lie to the school that her daughter has.

@Oblomov22

Sorry, I've skim read thread, but all of OP posts and I still can't work out what the actual reason is?

I think It's because she doesn't like being cold.

@Becky11 - we do all parent differently,but some people do make bad parenting choices and it's ok to point it out on a parenting forum.

If the OP really thinks its OK for her DD to not do PE because she doesn't like getting cold and won't run about /join in to warm up, then she should stand by that and tell the school the truth. A really good option would be asking to have a call with head of PE and see if anything can be done to help DD be comfortable enough join in. If your dc didn't like another subject on the curriculum enough to want to dodge it, would you say yes or work with the school to find a way to make it better for your dc?

I hate PE at school and then ended up in 2 sports societies at uni. A lot was to do with the poor attitude of staff. I actually told my high school pe teacher this when she made a comment about me now being a ‘gym bunny’.

This also never affected me for sixth form or university. I had verrucas frozen off and needed a number of weeks off as the bottom of my feet were sore and I could bleed. I had to have them frozen for a number of weeks. Didn’t affect my walking though

JohnMcCainsDeathStare
No, you are absolutely not "a joke" to me. But I do not understand your point. Mine was that hardly anyone had had suggested the onus might be on teachers/schools to make their lessons more enjoyable for pupils.
In your post you suggested one of many options that might bring this about.
You also suggested the OP should discuss the issue with the PE department. Excellent plan if there was a high chance of a happy resolution. Poor strategy if the school simply said "No" (as so many posters on this thread have said); there would then be no chance of saying, "Oh well, you won't compromise, so my daughter has an illness that will take about three months before she's fit to do PE."
I do not know what your own individual position is, so if I've said something that offends maybe you could be clearer so that I can avoid this in the future.

Secondary coed PE lessons are unseemly, inappropriate, and downright dangerous. Big boys are too rough to play well with others. Many girls from conservative religious traditions would not be allowed to participate.

@Ericaequites what a load of rubbish! Have you ever been to a recent one? You don’t know what you’re talking about.

OP's kid goes to a girls' school

@Ericaequites

Secondary coed PE lessons are unseemly, inappropriate, and downright dangerous. Big boys are too rough to play well with others. Many girls from conservative religious traditions would not be allowed to participate.

In general yes, but one term in my school they put the crap boys and the crap girls together for hockey. We were all jointly crap and it was one of my least hated terms for PE lessons. Obviously boys and girls playing rugby in a competitive way together would be very dangerous.

I went to a private girls’ school, so have never been to a coed secondary gym class. One need not experience something to know it’s wrong. It’s not right for boys and girls in puberty to exercise together. It’s too suggestive for them to interact in revealing clothing. Coed classes rule out most sports because boys are so much stronger and more violent.