I do not like nativity plays

[ZippyPeer]

Went to my first one to watch my daughter, huge discovery that I do not like them. My view:
The play wasn't funny or an interesting story.
An irritating number of sexist stereotypes in the reimagined story - innkeepers wife fgs.
A few kids clearly actively hated being involved - not enjoyable to see them suffering.
Lots of the kids looking exceedingly bored or like they didn't really want to be there.
Reminded me of when I had to perform in them as a child and the literal hours of waiting around doing nothing during rehearsals and on the day and being told to shush and sit still - so boring.
Nice to see my daughter doing her bit and some of the other kids I know, and see the differences in the way the kids were on stage, but like, no where near enough to offset the other stuff...

Probably I won't go again and will leave it to the enthusiasts, but are there other people who feel this way?

Am absolutely bemused by the number of people who seem to love them.

Yabu - do you have no soul, the nativity is delightful
Yabu - it's a pain in the arse we all have to endure

You could say this about quite a lot of school TBH…. And also quite a lot of Christmas!

I think there’s a lot of stuff that we do in school or for Christmas “because we always have” and we could do with reexamining whether anyone is actually enjoying or benefitting from that particular aspect

I'm not quite sure what you were expecting OP 🫠🫠🫠

Personally I love nativity plays with all my heart. Can't wait for this year's. 🌟

I love a nativity, but then my dc enjoy taking part. I went to see ds1's college play a couple of years ago and that was brilliant. My then 13 year old asked if we could go the next year even though there was nobody we knew in it. So I took him and will take him again next year. My youngest is in secondary school now so the quality of acting is much better than when they were little. But I have a soft spot for watching 30 4 and 5 olds being guided onto the stage, the shepherds wearing tea towels on their heads and the angels wearing white.

I love ‘em, they bring a small tear to my eye. Admittedly I’m only onto my second year of them (DD in Year 1) but our school does a bit of a year group effort, with each class singing a song en masse, as stars, wise men and shepherds, then non-speaking Mary, Joseph and a donkey popping up for the last act.

Watching all the small people, some of whom I’ve known since they were tinies, singing away in their wonky outfits for 30-odd mins brings a bit of joy to the rest of my dull day.

I never had anyone come to see me in my school nativity. My parents were working or too busy. It broke my heart. I think it’s a very poor show to just not be bothered.

The PTA at DD's school has mulled wine on offer for the performance that starts in the evening. I think this may be the key.

I think nativity plays are like most things in life tbh. You can choose to enjoy them or you can choose to find them tedious.

Life is happier when you choose to find the good in stuff, but if you prefer to see the glass half empty, then that is entirely your prerogative.

It’s not for YOU. It’s for your child…

Bloody hell - aren't you a bundle of laughs OP! 🙄

Don't go again if that is how you feel about the whole nativity play thing.

I just feel sorry for your DD. She will inevitably be scouring the audience to see if you have changed your mind, and are there to watch her and her classmates. I have attended countless plays etc over the years with my 3 DC - and I have lost count the children whose faces light up when they spot their parent / grandparent in the audience.

Poor kid

You don’t have to like it, it’s for the children. Your child will remember you not being there if that’s what you decide to do

Spot on. A school nativity or any school performance is so much more than the end result. The experience of rehearsals and learning to perform (in any sphere) in front of others, memorising lines, learning songs, learning to create… masses more.
The arts in all their forms are fundamental even to those with no real interest because they give us other skills.
And who knows, someone at that nativity may have caught the bug!
Besides, an argument along the lines of ‘what is the point if they don’t enjoy it?’ Would hardly (I imagine) be supported by this parent re other school activities such as maths and English and science.

Just accept it for what it is. Appreciate the time and effort that has gone into it from the teachers and children.

I loved my DCs, shed a few tears. Very cute.

Stop being a Scrooge.

Yabu to not go to your kids future performances. Yes sometimes they're boring, sometimes they're not, but every kid is happy when they spot their parent in the audience and that's worth the boredom

I tend to enjoy them, it's nice seeing your kid and their mates on stage. I tend to find them hilarious, not the story/play itself necessarily but just because when you put a bunch of primary aged kids on a stage there's going to be something funny at some point - one kid singing really loudly, another picking his nose and eating it, the kid who is very obviously miming and gives zero shits. I dunno, they make me giggle 🤷

No one does - hell on earth! 😂

My grandson who is 6 has learned his lines and everyone else’s - proud of him.

You may well feel the same when they aren't happening anymore, though.

You sound like fun. And a super parent. I bet it made you cringe a bit right? You need to level up in terms of parenting AND FAST

YANBU! I hate them, it is torture watching my DC on stage hating every second, but being forced to participate because "resilience ". We breathe a huge sigh of relief every year when it is over, and we can relax and start enjoying xmas.

And, in their defence, I think my school do it pretty well. Each class gets one song to sing, and only the oldest class get lines to pull it all together in between, and then they do a nice whole school song at the end. In and out in 30min, and no one is upset about being left out.

It is nice to see the kids who enjoy it being enthusiastic. I wouldn't cancel it. But I hate it, because my DC hate it.

And the school pet, for the Summer holiday! One thing that really made me angry when I was Grandma squat on those tiny chairs, it was those parents who left after their sprog had done their bit, as well as being rude and insulting to all the people who had worked hard, it was a source of distraction for the children. If a parent needs to get back to work then stand by the door for ease of exit.

I just went to one and none of children looked like they were happy to be doing it. If it was my choice if my child participated then I definitely would not make them do it, but if they have to endure doing it then I’ll endure showing up to support them.

Enthusiasts! Brilliant. It makes it sound as if people up and down the country are gatecrashing random nativity plays.

As soon as I saw this thread title I remembered a MN thread from years and years ago where the OP was absolutely furious that her DD had the part of Innkeeper’s Wife. Every PP who disagreed with her was given a severe telling off and instructed to “give pause” to how sexist their views were.

I honestly don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t enjoy watching their own child on stage, assuming the child is enjoying themselves. My own first time in a nativity was in 1980 where I played the well known and traditional role of Eskimo.

I thought this was obvious. No adult enjoys the story, it’s literally the joy of seeing your young child push themselves, read lines or sing songs, look cute. It’s a proud parent moment.

So you won’t go again, so your kid has no one who loves them watching? How sad.

Is that you, David Sedaris?

https://www.scribd.com/document/210901871/Front-Row-Center-Thaddeus-Bristol

And poor Joseph having to be there even though he knew it couldn't be his child, wanting to LTB because she told him a cock and bull story about the head angel dropping by to tell her she was pregnant.