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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

698 replies

LumpenProletariat · 17/02/2022 09:18

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

OP posts:
LifesTooShortForYourNonsense · 18/02/2022 20:22

Our school has stopped the dressing up this year - they are designing and painting a t-shirt in school. I’m really glad, as my kids 9, 10 are over dressing up.

Some parents are FUMIN though 😆 Complaining that they wanted to dress up as Spider-Man. The book? Complaining that THEY won’t get to take part. That THEY can’t draw (to design the t-shirt) and my personal favourite- that their kids scribbles aren’t good enough😱. Basically making it all about themselves, nothing about their children’s learning or books.

Lovemydoggie · 18/02/2022 20:49

@LifesTooShortForYourNonsense

Our school has stopped the dressing up this year - they are designing and painting a t-shirt in school. I’m really glad, as my kids 9, 10 are over dressing up.

Some parents are FUMIN though 😆 Complaining that they wanted to dress up as Spider-Man. The book? Complaining that THEY won’t get to take part. That THEY can’t draw (to design the t-shirt) and my personal favourite- that their kids scribbles aren’t good enough😱. Basically making it all about themselves, nothing about their children’s learning or books.

Am so glad that I am not involved with all this rubbish anymore!! You have described the parents that were at primary school 12 years ago 🤢! Absolutely hated the lot of them and the real ball ache for them was that my children actually went to the best grammar schools in our area without having a Helicopter Mother 😂
Glitterlikeawinner · 18/02/2022 20:50

I made a suggestion I'd seen to decorate wooden spoons, looks better than it sounds! We could bulk buy spoons meaning they'd cost less than £1 to sell at the school. Thought it was a great option even as a second choice to dress up or make a spoon....Head Teacher instantly said no and insisted dressing up. I don't get it, as others have said, it's bad for the environment, costly and puts huge amount of pressure on parents Confused

winkywonky · 18/02/2022 20:51

Our kids have never been able to dress up and saw all the other local kids getting to do it (other schools within a few miles) they are getting to do it this year as we have a new HT and they are all excited. They can dress up, or take in a book or prop (or wear school uniform) My sons costume is costing about 50p he wants to wear normal clothes so is going as James. The 50p will cover the price of a not so giant peach 😂 Does not need to cost the earth, it should not be a contest between parents 😊

Mollymoostoo · 18/02/2022 20:53

@shouldistop

In what way is it costly? We are just asked to send our kids favourite book into school with them.
Our kids have to dress up
Mollymoostoo · 18/02/2022 20:55

This year the children have to dress up as an adjective....fluffy, bright, loud, scary etc. Mine is going in her fluffy PJ'S.

KarenM262 · 18/02/2022 21:10

Just have a look on marketplace for a costume second hand. I combine Halloween with world book day so Harry Potter one year this year he has a skeleton onsie bought for Halloween but used now for after swimming lessons and I'll get a red hat and he can be the big skeleton from funny bones.

JoanWilderbeast · 18/02/2022 21:17

"World Book Day" should just mean a day devoted to school encouraging kids to read books, I would have thought.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 21:31

@sweatervest

what irks me is that out of classes of 30 kids (primary school i work in) about 3 of them in each class have ever been to a library. nor do they know that it's free to get books.

i think there should be library appreciation day tbh.

Can the school not arrange trips? We all visited the library when we were in infants in the 80s
YoniHuman · 18/02/2022 21:31

I work in a public library, all staff have been encouraged to dress up, not just for the day but for the week. I really CBA, and will have to try and cobble together something vague. I’m rubbish at costumes, some of my colleagues are brilliant at it. I don’t even work in the Children’s section so will not be disappointing hordes of children with my lacklustre efforts.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 21:33

@cheekyasfish

Oh no. When is it? 🙈
March 9th
Legoisthebest · 18/02/2022 21:34

Mollymoo If the school is saying the children 'have' to dress up what happens if a child doesn't? Are they sent home? Have to spend the day in the head teachers office?
No school can insist on a child doing fancy dress.

SleepingStandingUp · 18/02/2022 21:40

You know some kids love it right? That parents sit up hand making eyeball costumes because it will make their kids truly happy and excited to go to school, not to impress the other Mom's. DS has been planning his WBD costume for months, he already knows what he wants to be forf Halloween. He is on count down for red nose day. Some of us do actually do it for our kids not the aground kudos

Pinkfluff76 · 18/02/2022 22:32

Completely agree. And I hate the wastage aspect which schools don’t seem to care about. I hate even more that most people buy from Amazon… like they need our money! Thank fuck our school has said this year kids can dress up or wear mufti. My kids will be doing the latter!

hangrylady · 18/02/2022 22:37

Kids dressing up and having fun is pointless is it? OK thenHmm

LondonQueen · 18/02/2022 23:24

It doesn't have to cost, lots of our children simply wear their own clothes and bring their favourite book. It's all about encouraging the love of reading

yan79 · 18/02/2022 23:25

Op I’m with you on this one…ends up costing me about £15 every world book day as I’m not creative enough (or nor do I have the inclination) to make one.
I have two kids and a single parent so yes it’s costly and inconvenient. I’d much prefer school to just ask the children to bring their fav book in to read:talk about.
School always say ‘don’t buy anybody special’ BUT when your child’s friends all go in fancy costumes I feel guilt if my child doesn’t have the same.
It gets worn once, too. So this really pisses me off

mrsmacmc · 18/02/2022 23:37

@TheSongAboutMe

This year my DC have to go dressed up as a word… The head of English lives for Pinterest.

😬

What about going as a dictionary? White T-shirt with words written on it and a cardboard waistcoat to look like a book cover with dictionary on it?
SleepingStandingUp · 19/02/2022 00:38

@yan79

Op I’m with you on this one…ends up costing me about £15 every world book day as I’m not creative enough (or nor do I have the inclination) to make one. I have two kids and a single parent so yes it’s costly and inconvenient. I’d much prefer school to just ask the children to bring their fav book in to read:talk about. School always say ‘don’t buy anybody special’ BUT when your child’s friends all go in fancy costumes I feel guilt if my child doesn’t have the same. It gets worn once, too. So this really pisses me off
Vinted is your friend, or FB market place etc.
avamiah · 19/02/2022 01:04

Omg 😆 ,I absolutely hated it when my daughter was in primary school and it was World Book Day.
Yes we all got the letters about not spending any money and to make the costume ourselves, what a load of crap as who has got time to make a costume and when your kids friends are telling your child that they are going as Elsa or Beauty or Dorothy from Wizard of Oz with a mini toto in a basket then let’s be honest you are going to order a costume and it’s like £2O minimum going up to £40.
Then it just gets thrown in a wardrobe or cupboard and when you dig it out the next World Book Day it’s too small and it’s the same old crap again.
So thank God those days are over as she is in secondary school now.
Sorry for going on.😬

sjpkgp1 · 19/02/2022 03:34

Mum of 4, and I would say hard work for little outcome iro of the original intention (or money if you can afford to buy off the shelf) yet we enter the fray. Because if we don't we worry about our children being 'the only ones' not doing it. Got to admit, when it was historical characters, I have, in my time (and probably 16 times in total) have done Marie Antoinette, Charles II, and Van Gogh for the most exacting child. Equally I have done nothing, or little, in some years - either the child was not into it and went for something we had at home. I was not into in persuading them, some have gone in their uniform or a onesie. Hasn't helped my kids with a love of reading or history. Complete waste of time and effort on all parts in my opinion - apart from having a great laugh with all four children in later days at the ridiculous-ness of the costumes of Child 1.

SoNotRainbowRhythms · 19/02/2022 06:31

Yabu. its a pita for all parents working or not.

hangrylady · 19/02/2022 08:53

It really amazes me how so many parents are such bloody killjoys over this. So many unwilling to endure a minor inconvenience in order for their children to have a fun day. There are loads of ideas online which cost next to nothing, so what if you have to spend an hour or so putting a costume together, it won't kill you once a year. Pathetic is what it is

Sceptre86 · 19/02/2022 08:59

We already have dress up clothes so the kids will be wearing what they already have. Dd wants to go as wonderwoman and ds Captain America. They are both comics based characters so that should be OK I think? Baby group have asked if we want to dress up the babies as we will be having a world book day themed session. Not sure if I am participating in that yet.

It's an unnecessary expense for most parents.

Fizbosshoes · 19/02/2022 09:08

There are loads of ideas online which cost next to nothing, so what if you have to spend an hour or so putting a costume together, it won't kill you once a year. Pathetic is what it is

It's not "just an hour" if you're doing something home made you'd normally need to buy some materials, even if cheap (which would involve going out or searching online) and then creating the costume. Then multiply by however many children you have, then multiply by however many dressing up days per year your school puts on. (Admittedly some might be easier than others)

I normally made costumes where the cost was time rather than money. One year I found a WW2 evacuee costume in a charity shop and bought it knowing next term was ww2 and there would be a dress up day.....then they didn't have the dress up day for ww2, they had it for a different topic. Another time I (unusually for me) bought a new "fire of London" costume from amazon and DS was ill that day and didn't get to use it!!Confused