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AIBU?

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Original poster

Do you/ did you send your child to school on their birthday?

218 replies

bagpuss90 · 22/11/2022 23:37

Light hearted thread no I’m not having a whinge before anyone asks 😂No -I’m just curious. Was chatting to a work colleague and she mentioned that her children have never been to school on their birthdays. They don’t fall within school holidays. She was a bit surprised when I said mine all went to school on the day -business as usual. Don’t get me wrong -they had pressies before school, lovely parties and so on . Never really thought about it before but just wondered if its school or not on the big day

OP posts:
Parker231 · 23/11/2022 06:08

School is compulsory - do don’t get to pick and choose which days you attend.

Sceptre86 · 23/11/2022 06:09

I book my birthday off work usually. I don't think it's the same as keeping kids off school for their birthday. Education is compulsory until 16 and taking days off for frivolous reasons is normally frowned upon but at work you can take annual leave for whatever reason.

Whiskyvodka · 23/11/2022 06:09

elp30 · 22/11/2022 23:54

When I was a child, the birthday children were treated special.

The class sang to them, the lunch ladies would make the birthday children (they had a roster) a special dessert, they got to choose the games at playtime.

My birthday was during the summertime and most of my friends were away at their grandparents or on holiday. It sucked.

I always made sure to send my kids on their birthday so someone could at least acknowledge them. 😂

Me too.
I always felt like I missed out.

SellFridges · 23/11/2022 06:11

My two go in, although theirs do sometimes fall in holidays. This year they’re both in I think.

At primary they are allowed to wear their own clothes on their birthday.

I mever work on my birthday though, always take the day off!

misssunshine4040 · 23/11/2022 06:12

sjxoxo · 23/11/2022 05:00

Why would you not go to school on your birthday if it was a school day… my mum would have died of shock if I’d asked for a day off because of my birthday!! Surely no one says yes to such a ridiculous demand??!

Died of shock? It's not really a ridiculous demand

milkysmum · 23/11/2022 06:14

Yes. Mine are 11 and 14. They always want to go in and see friends on their birthday at school ( in fact gutted if it lands on a weekend / half term ) .

Feef83 · 23/11/2022 06:15

Mine LOVE their school and would be upset not to go in!

Feef83 · 23/11/2022 06:16

10 and 13

RoachPussy · 23/11/2022 06:17

Japanesejazz · 22/11/2022 23:47

Mine was born Easter time
she never went to school on her birthday because of the Easter holiday
the one year Easter was so early that her birthday was in school time
she had chicken pox
i suppose most English children born in August don’t go to school on their birthday either

That doesn’t make sense Easter can fall any time from 22nd March to 25th April. As someone born mid April I had to go to school on my birthday plenty of times.

Roselilly36 · 23/11/2022 06:17

My two always went to school on their birthdays.

Feef83 · 23/11/2022 06:29

RoachPussy · 23/11/2022 06:17

That doesn’t make sense Easter can fall any time from 22nd March to 25th April. As someone born mid April I had to go to school on my birthday plenty of times.

Show quote history

Makes total sense!

RhubarbFairy · 23/11/2022 06:31

Of course! One of them is a May Day birthday so he's sometimes off if the bank holiday falls that way. The other is in term time.
Same as a PP, the school make a fuss. They get a cupcake at lunchtime and sung happy birthday to.

I'm an August Bank Holiday birthday. Which means that most of my life friends have been away, even into adulthood as they make the most of the long weekend. It's nice not working on my birthday (I'm in Education) but I'd liked to have been at school. My school used to bring the birthday children up on stage during assembly to blow out the candles on some polystyrene in a cake tin with a ribbon round it. They never brought the summer borns up. I was always so jealous.

AmberGer · 23/11/2022 06:32

My two have awkward birthdays which fall a few days after a school holiday/ term. So they do go to school on their birthday, but they actually want to go too!

thelobsterquadrille · 23/11/2022 06:36

LoopyGremlin · 23/11/2022 05:38

Of course my children go to school when it's their birthday, just like I go to work when it's my birthday!

Lots of adults book annual leave for their birthdays 🤷🏻‍♀️

OutofControl3 · 23/11/2022 06:36

Of course they go school, pressies in the morning birthday tea and cake in evening day/treat somewhere the weekend for their birthday!

Upsidedownagain · 23/11/2022 06:36

Yes, never thought of doing otherwise. As a child, my birthday nearly always fell on a school day. I liked school (apart from a year or two when I was mid teens) and like being around people on my birthday, so I was totally fine with it. I felt sorry for my brother and sister who have birthdays in August and near Christmas respectively. It was also harder for them to have parties as people were otherwise engaged at those times of the year.

Underroad · 23/11/2022 06:39

Of course. Having the day off of school for your birthday isn’t a thing. Or it shouldn’t be anyway - parents get fined for taking kids out for a holiday so it would be the same for a birthday.

balalake · 23/11/2022 06:40

A parent who does this is not someone who is being helpful to a child's future, as many employers will not want people unwilling to work on their birthday.

zen1 · 23/11/2022 06:41

Yes, except this year my 16 yr old DS begged me not to send him for fear of getting “birthday beats”. Basically, you get thumped / whacked by the other boys 16 times (or however old you are). I thought he was exaggerating, but my older DS told me it was a thing and he was glad his birthday had always fallen in half term. I let him stay off as he was obviously scared and had been worrying about it for a week.

LoopyGremlin · 23/11/2022 06:43

@thelobsterquadrille
I am a teacher so can't book my birthday off! School is open so myself and pupils are expected to be there.

Tirrrrred · 23/11/2022 06:43

I'm lucky both mine fall in the school holidays. I'd hate to have 1 off and 1 having to go to school.

megletthesecond · 23/11/2022 06:45

My children have always gone to school on their birthdays.
I always take a days annual leave on mine.

BooksAndHooks · 23/11/2022 06:46

It’s actually only ever happened twice that one of my 3 had a birthday on a school day. One is in the summer holiday’s, one is Boxing Day. My youngest is usually in the summer holidays but the past two years they have broken up rather late for summer so she was in school. This year her birthday was her last ever day of primary school so of course she went.

I think going in with birthday badges, a special birthday packed lunch and having a fuss made of them is quite fun. I always quite enjoyed it.

MushMonster · 23/11/2022 06:47

My DD birthday is on school holidays, but it would never cross my mind to keep her off school, holiday club or any other activity she was already booked on for that day.
I have been criticised for being at work on my DD birthday... well, I have to work to pay for her birthday party and presents. She always had a party at home on the weekend around her BD and we did something special on her actual BD, only the close family. She never complained. But I did not appreciated to be criticised by other women for being at work!

Tirrrrred · 23/11/2022 06:48

What's with all the kids WANTING to go to school on their birthday? Madness!!