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AIBU?

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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:
smallestwhale · 17/02/2022 09:58

@sweeneytoddsrazor

How many books have cats in them? Easy to do , black trousers and top, face paint for whiskers and a tail from old tights and newspaper. You can keep things easy and simple.
I would have to buy tights and face paint. ALso don't have black trousers.
smallestwhale · 17/02/2022 09:58

And I'd have to buy the newspaper.

Stop pretending this stuff is cost free.

SarahAndQuack · 17/02/2022 10:00

I hate it. Yet another opportunity for some children to be noticed as 'different' or bullied if their parents don't have the time, money or energy to sort out a costume.

@Legoisthebest, I don't get this comment? It's amazing how many people make a giant hoo haa about costumes but don't even bother to claim their free £1 book with their voucher.

How many free £1 books do you need?! I appreciate the idea and I think it's great, but I don't keep all the free books we get offered because we've already got books. DD is not yet 5 and we've already had two copies of Room on the Broom offered through various reading schemes. Nothing wrong with no claiming the book IMO.

Cryingbutstilltrying · 17/02/2022 10:01

WBD is one of those days I am so glad my son reacts badly to dress up nonsense (adhd assessment underway). No one forces him and in fact the last few years they’ve ditched the dress up bit completely as so many kids were disruptive. He does love to read so the rest is ok. So many school need to get a grip on this stuff.

TheSongAboutMe · 17/02/2022 10:01

How many books have cats in them? Easy to do , black trousers and top, face paint for whiskers and a tail from old tights and newspaper. You can keep things easy and simple.

You say it’s simple but some kids won’t have black clothes or tights, certainly not face paint. I think many people really don’t appreciate how little some families have. I don’t know why it’s so difficult for people to understand. I could spend £20 on an outfit without any issue, but I can still understand others can’t and that’s they may not have the resources to make one at home.

cookiemonster2468 · 17/02/2022 10:02

@shouldistop

Our kids are allowed to dress up as a character from their favourite book - this time of year all the supermarkets have their costumes out which could work out costly if you have a few kids all wanting one. Not everyone has stuff at home they could use to put a costume together.

I think that's the schools problem then rather than world book day. Schools shouldn't be encouraging costume dress up (except perhaps at Halloween as it's traditional- in Scotland at least).
It's bad for the environment at the very least and I'd be pointing that out to the school.
Our school has themed dress down days but it's very much encouraged that children wear clothes they already have and the suggestions from the school make that easy. If someone doesn't have something red for example then they put a message on the class WhatsApp and someone lends them something.

Confused Why are you OK with dress up for Halloween but not World Book Day? Surely costumes at school either cause a problem or they don't.

Anyway, World Book Day is arguably more appropriate than Halloween if you're going to have one fancy dress day - at least it's educational and Halloween is frowned upon by some religions etc. World Book Day is fairly inoffensive and universal.

Tbh I think it's just a bit of fun and it's only problematic when parents make it so by being overly competitive. You can create a basic costume for next to nothing.

sweeneytoddsrazor · 17/02/2022 10:02

Did I say cost free? No I didn't I said easy and simple. However for many people it would be free or fairly cheap.

TheKeatingFive · 17/02/2022 10:02

I get super excited about all the £1 books though, love that bit of it!

ChristinaXYZ · 17/02/2022 10:02

It can get very completive with the costumes. Homemade was socially acceptable at my DC's school but at my nieces' school the kids get bullied if the costume is not an off the peg character. If the school insists on homemade though then parents with little time get penalised. And kids with parents who don't care are again singled out. It is a very middle class thing.

Baystard · 17/02/2022 10:02

I agree OP. In our circle it's referred to as BWBD - Bastarding World Book Day.

To those who've said that it isn't compulsory to dress up, who wants their child to be only one not dressed up when all their friends are?

TheKeatingFive · 17/02/2022 10:03

However for many people it would be free or fairly cheap.

If you're into dressing up to begin with. Lots of families aren't.

jennytogether · 17/02/2022 10:04

I have really fond memories of dressing up from world book day at primary school. It was really exciting to see what everyone would come as. But this was the early nineties without so many pre-made costumes, and perhaps more SAHMs? I remember someone called William coming as “Just William” though, so even then using imagination to get out of lots of effort was rewarded!!

T00Ts · 17/02/2022 10:04

My kid’s nursery is asking everyone to send their toddler in in costume and with their favourite book. I’m game, it’s my first year doing it so fatigue has obviously not set in yet, and we do get a book token in return.

Not sure my one year old has a favourite book though. 😐

Hankunamatata · 17/02/2022 10:05

Our local school uniform clothing bank has started a costume bank for world book day and Halloween

Ladywinesalot · 17/02/2022 10:05

The dressing up aspect of world book day is nonsense.
Why schools push it is ridiculous.
I asked the head of my dcs primary school why they dress up and he jumped up and down saying how fun it is.

What a twat…

Mol1628 · 17/02/2022 10:06

Our childrens school have requested a specific author (not a modern/common/easy one) for some reason and it’s really bloody difficult.

I’m a SAHM and it’s still costly and difficult. I hate making costumes. I don’t just have buckets of free time to do it just because I’m not in employment.

My children hate it too and would go in uniform but they would be in the minority so I don’t allow that either!

ldontWanna · 17/02/2022 10:06

What bugs me is when schools decide on specific books or authors. The fact that the head doesn't want to see football kits or superhero/princess costumes defies the purpose of the whole thing and it does put pressure on parents to make/buy something specific that their kid might not even be into and it's literally for one day. There's no joy in that for the kids or the parents.

MatildaTheCat · 17/02/2022 10:07

I read yesterday that 47% of British adults never read a book. If WBD can help even one child to love reading then it’s done it’s job. Obviously some schools are going way too far but having DC does involve a fair bit of effort and it’s not so different to being invited to a fancy dress party.

TheSongAboutMe · 17/02/2022 10:08

I have really fond memories of dressing up from world book day at primary school. It was really exciting to see what everyone would come as. But this was the early nineties without so many pre-made costumes, and perhaps more SAHMs? I remember someone called William coming as “Just William” though, so even then using imagination to get out of lots of effort was rewarded!!

I hated it. My parents were not the creative, imaginative type. And we were poor. I used to pretend to be ill so I could have the day off. 😔

ChardonnaysPetDragon · 17/02/2022 10:09

@sweeneytoddsrazor

How many books have cats in them? Easy to do , black trousers and top, face paint for whiskers and a tail from old tights and newspaper. You can keep things easy and simple.
But that's not the point of WBD, is it?

The point is the dress up as personage from a favourite book, not the other way round. What you are suggesting is not in the spirit.

Dressing up is a pain in the arse.

Exhausteddog · 17/02/2022 10:10

My kids seemed to have Greek and roman day in mid winter. Come dressed in a toga. There would be an earnest message in the email - please don't feel you have to buy a costume - an old sheet is fine

.. but I've got no idea how to make an old sheet into a wearable toga for an 8 year old suitable for temperatures of less than 10°. Confused
Needless to say just about no one was wearing an old sheet!

TheKeatingFive · 17/02/2022 10:10

If WBD can help even one child to love reading then it’s done it’s job.

You don't think concentrating on reading rather than dress up might be the way to do that?

Staryflight445 · 17/02/2022 10:10

‘ OP is your child's school insisting they MUST be in a costume? I doubt it.’

Why would any parent knowingly send their children into school knowing they’ll be the odd one out?

BobHadBitchTits · 17/02/2022 10:11

Surely the point is to go as a character from a book your kid loves?

Not put on any cobbled together costume - like the black cat suggestion because there are books with black cats in them - which makes the entire thing costly and time-consuming.

SarahAndQuack · 17/02/2022 10:12

@TheSongAboutMe

I have really fond memories of dressing up from world book day at primary school. It was really exciting to see what everyone would come as. But this was the early nineties without so many pre-made costumes, and perhaps more SAHMs? I remember someone called William coming as “Just William” though, so even then using imagination to get out of lots of effort was rewarded!!

I hated it. My parents were not the creative, imaginative type. And we were poor. I used to pretend to be ill so I could have the day off. 😔

YY, I have bad memories too. My mum, bless her, did her best with costumes but I don't think it ever occurred to her that I just wanted to blend in. She'd choose some random character from a highbrow book and I'd spend the day constantly explaining who I was meant to be. And usually, defensively denying that I'd read the book in question to avoid being bullied for being a smart-arse.