world book day is a pointless, costly pain in the arse for working parents?

[LumpenProletariat]

Does it make any difference to reading levels? As a solo working mum, I find it a total pain and costly too.

I made a massive mistake sending my oldest in a home-made costume for one of those dress-up days. Apparently a faux pas in Britain, you're supposed to buy a brand new thing. Have been asked if we're struggling by the clique of school sahm mums, and if so, they would be sooooo delighted to help.

Never again, amazon it is now.

@mam0918

I hated the dress your kid up as a character.

What if your kid doesn't look like any character in a book? especially non in any book he reads.

I honestly found it impossible to find a character representative of my oldest so just sent him in in generic costumes Halloween costumes - for kids with 'non-standard' appearances, it's just awful.

Towards the end they switched it to wear PJs and bring a book which was much easier.

I don't think anyone thinks you should pick characters based on how your child looks. Perfectly acceptable for an Indian girl to be Cinderella or a Jamaican boy to be Thor or a blonde, white girl to be sponge Bob Square pants. DS wants to be Captain Underpants. No one is going to complain because skinny 6 year old isn't middle age, bald and fat.

I dont understand why it would be costly. My sons school always did fancy dress but we always just managed to find a character that used "normal" clothes and maybe make an appropriate accessory to go with it. My sons school would invite parents in for an assembly where they awarded books for good costumes and in all thebyears I went they NEVER picked anyone who had a shop bought costume!

Luckily nanny is good with a needle and is making her outfit....

I really hope that is “nanny” as in grandma or you have just handed a massive load of ammunition to everyone who sees this as a class war!

I don't disagree about the question of correlation/causation tbh but questioning it doesn't make the initial premise wrong. Proving there was no causation might but I for one can't be arsed to do the research when encouraging people to engage with reading just in case is an easy enough thing to do. Yes of course it should be made easy and affordable to dress up and be supported with educational activities or out is indeed just marketing, but the chance that getting a few kids to enjoy rfp will give them the potential academic advantage that being more middle/upper class does I'm all for it.

I don't disagree that reading and books are associated with class but until you do the research you don't know why that is or which comes first do you.

@forinborin

I made a massive mistake sending my oldest in a home-made costume for one of those dress-up days. Apparently a faux pas in Britain, you're supposed to buy a brand new thing. Have been asked if we're struggling by the clique of school sahm mums, and if so, they would be sooooo delighted to help.

Never again, amazon it is now.

Maybe a faux pas in your school/social circle but please do not speak for “Britain” as a whole.

That's not a British thing, that's a stick up person thing. DS was in home made for Halloween. EVERYONE stopped to tell us how great he looked, lots of "ooh that's so good, I cheated and went to Asda" comments and he won the prize for best costume. I mean, he looked posy ace and I was very thrilled but bashfully modest of course (in public) 😂😂. It is a WC school tho

@forinborin

I made a massive mistake sending my oldest in a home-made costume for one of those dress-up days. Apparently a faux pas in Britain, you're supposed to buy a brand new thing. Have been asked if we're struggling by the clique of school sahm mums, and if so, they would be sooooo delighted to help.

Never again, amazon it is now.

This is weird! We’re in a fairly affluent area and it’s a mix of homemade and shop bought costumes. Lots of handing down of costumes too.

The real issue with world book day and all the other dress up days isn't whether the parent works or not it's that it is always the mother (in a hetrosexual couple that ends up having to work out what the DC can wear - even if its just their nightie and go as Wendy from Peter Pan (one of my easier ideas) its extra wifework.....

I don't think anyone thinks you should pick characters based on how your child looks. Perfectly acceptable for an Indian girl to be Cinderella or a Jamaican boy to be Thor or a blonde, white girl to be sponge Bob Square pants. DS wants to be Captain Underpants. No one is going to complain because skinny 6 year old isn't middle age, bald and fat.

I agree- it’s like that poster has never heard of Hamilton!

YANBU OP.

It's basically a pissing contents between non working parents (usually Mums but of course could be Dads) to ensure their kid has a costume that outdoes those of their friends. Whether by spending £££s on a ready made one or weeks creating something highly elaborate. The whole thing is all about showing off - cue the hundreds of WBD photos said parents plaster all over social media every year.

Am so grateful my kids never had to do any of this nonsense, I didn't have the time or money to be dealing with it all.

Maybe a faux pas in your school/social circle but please do not speak for “Britain” as a whole.
Well OK, obviously, I can speak only from my own experience. It was just such a stark contrast with what I assumed I had to do - the school even sent out a letter about "please don't buy costumes". Still everyone was in shop bought costumes. I am quite happy about it actually, easier to pay £20-£30 than to have all the late night nonsense with glue and cardboard.

@londonmummy1966

The real issue with world book day and all the other dress up days isn't whether the parent works or not it's that it is always the mother (in a hetrosexual couple that ends up having to work out what the DC can wear - even if its just their nightie and go as Wendy from Peter Pan (one of my easier ideas) its extra wifework.....

That’s not an issue with World Book Day, it’s an issue with men/family dynamics.

Also not universal. Last fancy dress party my son went to his father assembled the pirate costume from stuff we had in the house. I wasn’t actually going to bother with the fancy dress as it was optional but DH was happy to sort it out.

forinborin

I made a massive mistake sending my oldest in a home-made costume for one of those dress-up days. Apparently a faux pas in Britain, you're supposed to buy a brand new thing. Have been asked if we're struggling by the clique of school sahm mums, and if so, they would be sooooo delighted to help.
........
That is very unusual, I am sorry you had such an experience but, honestly, it's not a typical occurence. Avoid cliques at all costs, they have a collective mind set.

There was a poster on a similar thread recently, I think about PTA fund raising, who pointed out that "wear your pyjamas to school day" is a marvellous idea unless you're wearing old or hand me down pyjamas because it's all your family can afford, and the parent had to buy 3 pairs of pyjamas at £11 a pair.

Schools could have a costume exchange so parents can hand in a costume, or Christmas jumper, and get one back in the next size up for next year, at a low cost, like some schools do with old school jumpers.

@Bromse

Surely people can find something between now and 3rd March, there are two weekends for a start and plenty of evenings. It's fun to be inventive and doesn't have to cost much.

It didn't happen when mine was at school (though reading was encouraged in other ways), but I would have enjoyed it even though I went to work. Charity shops (those that are open now, I know some have not re-opened), often yield surprises too.

Mine are too old now thankfully but no I wouldn't have time. It was a topic of regular discussion at parent council meetings as some parents were just overwhelmed with it all and felt obliged to spend money so their kids didn't miss out. And wearing a costume doesn't help foster a love of reading. There are many ways schools can fully take part in world book day and not cost parents money.

And not everyone finds it fun.

What it does do is put huge pressure on parents and at a time where "the cost of the school day" is supposed to be paramount in schools.

@PineappleWilson

There was a poster on a similar thread recently, I think about PTA fund raising, who pointed out that "wear your pyjamas to school day" is a marvellous idea unless you're wearing old or hand me down pyjamas because it's all your family can afford, and the parent had to buy 3 pairs of pyjamas at £11 a pair.

Schools could have a costume exchange so parents can hand in a costume, or Christmas jumper, and get one back in the next size up for next year, at a low cost, like some schools do with old school jumpers.

Exactly! As there are so many of these things how hard is it for school to keep stock?

I don't think there are many kids who actually look like the character from their favourite book. The costume is what makes them look like the character.

So much grumpiness on this thread. Kids love dressing up, and the costumes don’t have to be perfect or expensive. It feels like some parents want to suck out all fun of school, because everything is too much of a hassle.

I resist anything that tries to force parents to purchase items that will only be used the one time (for example an off the peg costume), it's bad for the environment and for me personally, my clutter threshold. I've always tried to make them a costume from stuff we already had (t shirt with duck tape, black bag etc = burglar bill, that kind of thing). I love books but anything that requires dressing up and spending money on crap is tedious to me.

Schools have far and away enough to do without running a second hand shop for all the shit that middle class showboaters need - costumes for WBD, evacuee or toga costumes etc.

And it’s generally the poorest people that use the second hand stuff the least.

Also, I’m not sending my kid into school in a nightie in March. It’s fucking Baltic. So many of the costumes look deeply uncomfortable,

@Grenlei

YANBU OP.

It's basically a pissing contents between non working parents (usually Mums but of course could be Dads) to ensure their kid has a costume that outdoes those of their friends. Whether by spending £££s on a ready made one or weeks creating something highly elaborate. The whole thing is all about showing off - cue the hundreds of WBD photos said parents plaster all over social media every year.

Am so grateful my kids never had to do any of this nonsense, I didn't have the time or money to be dealing with it all.

I think some people need to consider whether it's the event that's the issue, or the people they associate with.

The school Mom's I talk to, we all make enthusiastic comments about whatever the kids turn up in, there might be some light hearted banter away from the kids if one of ours wins and I've never paid enough attention to anyone who might be making bitch comments about the home made eyeball costume or the shop brought werewolf costume.

@TheKeatingFive

I would absolutely hand it to the kid who pitched up at school actually wearing all the saucepans

He could have gone as a 'tinker' (there must be a book with a tinker character in it though I cannot think of one off hand).

Schools have far and away enough to do without running a second hand shop for all the shit that middle class showboaters need - costumes for WBD, evacuee or toga costumes etc

It’s the school who ask the ‘middle class showboaters’ to come dressed in those things though. If they didn’t, no one would need those costumes.
Since Christmas we’ve had, between two children, ‘dress as an ancient Egyptian’, dress in your best party wear for ‘Titanic day’, ‘inspiration day’, there they come as someone who inspires them and ‘express yourself’ fancy dress day. We have comic relief fancy dress and WBD before Easter.

@Hellolittlestar

So much grumpiness on this thread. Kids love dressing up, and the costumes don’t have to be perfect or expensive. It feels like some parents want to suck out all fun of school, because everything is too much of a hassle.

Dressing up is great when you have a brilliant costume. Not so great when your costume screams ‘CBA’ next to everyone else’s supermarket costumes or artistic homemade creations.

IMO the issue isn’t with dressing up itself, but the tone. PP have mentioned schools that give suggestions, emphasise using existing items. That’s fairer.