People older than 35; did your dad go to school parent’s evenings?

[Farrings]

I asked my parents to look after our daughters for an hour (they’re primary age) so DH and I could both go to parents evening.

Both kids are at the same school so it’s no bother, and we care equally about their education, so we both want to go.

My dad (born 1943) asked ‘What’s parents evening?!’ He denied any knowledge of the concept, and said he’d never been to one. He has 3 kids who were all in school in the 90’s/early 2000’s.

To be fair, I’m not sure my mum went to many either… they’re not great with supporting formal education…but I was still surprised to hear my Dad say he didn’t even know what one was!

Then I thought, was this normal for the time maybe?

if you’re over 35, please vote -

YANBU - ‘My dad didn’t go to parents evenings either, (or maybe like, one time)!’

YABU - My dad DID GO! Or a few times anyway!

(Obviously whether or not Mum’s went is a whole other question, I will have to save that for another vote)

P.S This is Just for fun! X

I’m in my 50s now & my dad went to most of them but was a shift worker so couldn’t make them all. Our kids are mid 20s & DH came to them all.

My parents were born in the 1920s. I was at primary school in the 1960s and at secondary school
in the 70s.

I have no recollection of either of my parents ever attending a parents’ evening - or indeed of there ever being such things!

At secondary school, we were just handed our reports at the end of the year. We didn’t have reports at primary school.

My Dad worked all hours and only ever attended one parents’ evening at my school and that was about GCE options. HT told me the next day that he had asked the best question any parent ever asked. Our DC are in their 50s and DH attended all their parents evenings with me but said he wouldn’t feel confident taking to the teachers on his own. Except for the time that he nearly hit one!

My Dad is the same age as yours and he definitely went to Secondary School ones as were in the evening in the 1990s.

My dad didn’t. It was generally accepted to be a mum thing at my school. This was mid to late 90s. Come to think of it, I don’t think he ever asked me anything about school. Which is weird as he’s the only one in our immediate family with a degree. He was, and still is a great dad though. Gives fantastic advice and has all the time in the world for us. Just clearly didn’t give much of a shit about our education!

My mum didn’t drive, so my dad had to take her as I went to school outside our catchment.

They stopped going once I got to high school though, booking appointments with individual teachers rather than just one class teacher at primary was too much hassle. Apparently.

No, never. DM always went though.

He never took an interest in homework or any achievements but waited for the written termly reports to come home and then he’d scream at me if they weren’t to his standards.

Yes my Dad did, and he'd be 15 years older than your Dad.

In particular secondary ones, as they would split up to see different teachers for different subjects.

Nope.
My Dad was a single parent but also a teacher so he was unable to go to parents evening as he was there in his professional capacity.
My teachers probably gave him any important updates though I guess. And I was in his class for 2 years too.

edit: I’m 45 and my dad is 79 now for context.

My Dad born 1944 - I was in primary in 80s - siblings 3-5 years either side of me - and secondary early 90s.

Dad also did Uni open days with me - DH did most on his own remembers doing all on his own but IL did one or two - and about half the potentail students had parents with them - mid 90s. Dad left school at 16 - did OU degree later in life though - and Mum at 15 and half. I keep reading on here no parents went with potenial student to uni open days in 90s which wasn't my experince.

He also took me to big careers fair I've taken all three of mine to as well.

Dad couldn't always do all the parent teacher meetings - couldn't always take youngest sibling and finding childcare could be hard so mum sometimes went by herself- they did secondary one which were scrums youngest okay to leave with older one then- though none of us remember them happening in sixth form.

DH done most of the kids same as me - if could be there he was and we always made sure one of us was.

Yes. Every single one. He worked over an hour away but always came home early for parents evening and both him and my mum would go together.

I don’t remember having parents evenings, too long ago (1970s), but if I did both my mum and dad would definitely have gone. (He was born in the 1920s!).

I’m 36 (dad born in 1961), and yes my dad went to all of my parents evenings.

Yes, he went to as many school things as possible (born 1955) He was very invested in our education as kids.

FIL went to DH parent evenings even coming back just for them as he often worked away - DH did same when he worked away in week if he possibly could - think MIL went but it was FIL more worried about his education.

My ex husband born in the late 60s never went to a single patents evening for our 3 children, in fact a doubt he could name more than two of their teachers or even which house the children were in.

Always, but he was very invested in our education despite not having a high level l if education himself and being in a blue collar job.
He was a clever man from a very working class background with limited opportunities and was determined we would have better educational opportunities than him.
He is 15 years younger than your dad though, so that mat be relevant.
Fwiw we all did well educationally and took education quite seriously and I do think that impacted it.

Yes sometimes but he was also a school governor so involved a lot in that area

My Dad went twice, I recall - he was a coalminer and on shift work. The twice that he went, he accompanied my mother.

ETA I'm 65. Dad was born in the 1920s.

Yes my dad went to everything.

My parents were both shift workers so which ever of them was off that night went

My DD never went to any parents evenings. Might vaguely have been aware of the concept and maybe looked at the end of year report. My DH didn’t go to many either as mine was the flexible job, though he would have gone if I asked him to. He used to jokingly call them parent teacher confrontations.

Usually both my parents went, but when only one could go it was sometimes mum and sometimes dad.

ETA Dad was born in 1939 and I was born in 1974.

No, never.
My kids are are at uni now but always found parents evening a huge waste of time, they never told me anything I didn’t already know. Was great when it was online during Covid!

My dad was born in 1944 and definitely went to parents' evenings!