To bunk off sports day?

[Catherine3436]

My 10yo has sports day on Friday.
She is very unsporty and self conscious, and has to run in a race (no choice). She’s really upset about this. There’s no option to do something she’d find less daunting.

I’m toying with the idea of giving her the day off. I know we should be sportsmanly and character building and all that, but to be honest if I was told I HAD to run in a competitive race against my colleagues whilst being watched by 50 of the friends and family I’d 100% take the day off without a thought to avoid the humiliation.

so…. Aibu to let her miss sports day?

Not at all. No one makes kids take a spoken maths test in front of an audience, so why should they have to run if it's not their thing.

I’d bunk off. After another shit and stressful sports day this year for my DD ive told her she doesn’t have to do it next year. She wants to go to a pottery class instead - sounds good to me!

This exactly. Imagine having to do
your shittest thing in front of a huge crowd.
She will 100% cry.

Great idea, and she's doing something constructive! I would have loved that.

Go for it. Life is too short at the best of times let alone with all that’s going on right now.

My daughter ran in sports day (and she was first) and fell flat on her face a meter from the finish line infront of everyone. She will never forget it and I 100% would let her bunk off next year if she wants to.

I loathed sports day and it’s awful it’s infront of all the parents especially if you are not sporty

I’d let her have the day off.

I think that she should run the race and enjoy the rest of the day. Sport is about participation no matter how good or bad you are. It's not a big deal.

Day off. Favourite movie. Treats!

Then why do so many of us remember it with hatred many years on?

As said, they would make a kid do mental arithmetic with a parental audience so why this?

To add to the points others have made, nor does an emotionally healthy school where children are thriving publically place children 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc for any other subject. It would be seen as humiliation in any other subject.
School PE should be about instilling a lifelong habit and enjoyment of moving your body. Sports days do the opposite of this for many children.

Apparently because parents make a big drama about it with sickies etc. rather than telling it how it is. "Put the egg on the spoon, run the race, it'll be over in 10 seconds, nobody cares whether you win or lose".

Why is she so convinced she’s unsporty? She’s very young to have that opinion

Well at my junior school, we were divided into 4 houses and the one with the most points got a prize. So yes kids did care if you lost.

Oddly it was a lot less horrid at secondary.

Dunno. They have the house thing at DS's school but the kids still don't care who wins. They see it as an afternoon messing around outside of class. It's nice. I would say that the lesson for OPs daughter is to not take it so seriously. I mean eggs and spoons, jumping along in sacks, chucking bendy foam "javelins", could they make it any less serious?

I have let mine stay off this when they wanted in the past, especially if hot as they were all fair, burnt easily and hated the heat🤷‍♂️all grown up to be perfectly responsible adults with decent jobs. I don't see why children should be forced to do something they hate which has no bearing on their education or future career prospects.

I’m a teacher, I’m rather hoping to be going to a job interview so I can avoid this year’s sports day! So yes, bunk away.

God Mumsnet is weird about sports day. I wouldn't even think about taking my children out of school just to miss running a race that apart from their parents nobody else will even notice them running

It is if you are bad at sports. And quite often you will be bullied if you perform under standard. But a lot of people won't understand if they had great sports days.

My children are sporty and enjoy sport days but ffs those days ruined a lot of my school life.

This.

I have to wonder why sports day hasn't evolved more to instead be a day of celebrating sports. All different sports. Giving children a whole day to try new sports and activiites, team and individual. No competition just a day to enjoy exercise and learn new skills. That i could 100 percent get behind.

Take the day off and do something fun! She will appreciate it.

I wouldn't take my kids out, no. Just like I don't take my kids out of school when they have a presentation to give in front of the whole class, or when they have a concert in front of the whole school and all the parents.

When my child had the wobbles about sports day I spoke to the teacher beforehand and she made sure my child was ok before, during and after the race.

Whatever you personally decide to do, I hope your 10yo is ok

Let her take the day off. I’d love to take the day off from sports day, except I can’t because I’m the teacher. Hope she enjoys herself

I’ve been teaching primary for nearly 30 years and have never experienced the angst about sports day that I read about here.

i hated this stuff. Still do. It contributed to a lot of body issues that I still struggle with today.

My daughter is super fit but hated sports day. I gave her the option of staying home several times but she wouldn’t do it as I couldn’t convince her that her teachers wouldn’t be angry with her (she’s autistic so very routine focussed). She cried a lot. Every year.

my son loves it for the most part which is fine.

I don’t understand it at all. They don’t parade people around who are good at art or reading, just those who happen to excel at running in circles or throwing things. It’s really odd and teaches nothing. If she’s asked to skip it and you can facilitate it then I’d support her 100%.