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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

comic relief.......

76 replies

BONKERZ · 05/03/2009 10:37

I have no issues giving to charity and i do think comic relief is a good was to raise money BUT its costing me a fortune.
DS has been told he has to wear red for school next friday....he has nothing red in his wardrobe so have to purchase red trousers and a t shirt, for this privilidge he has to take in £1......he goes to a school for ASD with 11 pupils so if he doesnt take part he will be the noticable odd one out! Have also been told he has to take in money to buy cakes and biscuits.
DD goes to a small play school in a village with 15 children....she has to wear red pyjamas....yet again she has none so i have had to go out and buy them....for this privilidge she has to pay £2....i could not bother but then she will be the odd one out and i will be the tight parent!
If you add on the cost of the noses and the red hair spray DS needed for his hair i will have spent £30 odd quid easy by next weekend. If it was all going to charity then i would swallow it and be done BUT its not, i reckon only about half will go to comic relief.

OK so now everyone tell me i can opt out, or that im a bore and should enter into the spirit of things! SHOCK HORROR or someone could agree that these charity days get out of hand and end up costing the poor too much just in the name of fitting in!

OP posts:

herbietea · 05/03/2009 10:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

dilemma01 · 05/03/2009 10:42

At ds school, all the boys wear just red t/shirts, often footabll ones and jeans.

BCNS · 05/03/2009 10:43

3x £1 rednoses (no problem)
3x£1 wear red on rednoseday at school (grrr)
3x monies for cakes biccies and face painting etc

Actually quite like red nose day but it's the peer pressure by schools I don't like.

Original poster

BONKERZ · 05/03/2009 10:44

I would have prefered it to be a non uniform day then he could have just worn his normal clothes. If DDs was just a pyjama day she could have just worn what she already has BUT FGS to insist on red clothes and red PJS is a nightmare!

OP posts:

Original poster

BONKERZ · 05/03/2009 10:46

i think thats it, its the peer pressure. And also with DS having ASD now he knows he has to wear red it has to be ALL red with no compromise!!!!

red trousers £9
red noses £2
red t shirt £6 (got from CR web site so atleast some of that is going to CR)
red PJs £4
subs for day £3
money for cakes etc £3

total £27

OP posts:

laweaselmys · 05/03/2009 10:50

I think it's a bit off for schools to be insistent on exact colours etc for whole outfits. It's for charity.

The point is the money should be going to charity not shops you've had to rummage through to find something suitable.

Everything should be doable on what the average person already has at home to my mind.

BCNS · 05/03/2009 10:52

oooh I also love it when your told that 50p of the £1 for dress up day will go to CR.. personally I think the whole£ should go there.

thegreatescape · 05/03/2009 10:57

where's the other 50p going then??

To add my misery guts, tight wad tuppence worth, I also hate sponsoring people to do fun things they've always wanted to do - e.g. climb mountains, bungee jump etc. Don't mind sponsoring little kids to do stuff (silences anyone?) but with grown ups it grates a bit, specially when a £10 minimum is expected!

BCNS · 05/03/2009 11:15

some schools say 50p for CR 50p for their own fundraising. they do normally tell you tho if this is what they are doing.

IwishIwasmoreorganised · 05/03/2009 11:27

That's a lot of money especially because a lot of it you wouldn't have had to spend otherwise and the money for those things won't go to comic relief.

I think it's wrong when schools say that you have to take in £1 or whatever for comic relief - it should be up to the parent if they wish to give and how much. Schools ought to say that they will be collecting and any contributions will be gratefully received.

I've not had anything from ds1's school (pre-school nursery) yet. Hopefully if they are planning anything we'll hear this week!

His old nursery used to send home some art that they'd done (it would probably be a painted red circle - ie a red nose for this one!) and ask us to fill it up with money if we wanted to contribute. It could all be 1p's or £1's whatever you wanted (or nothing at all if you chose not to support that particular charity) Nothing was ever said, and I was grateful to them for that!

friendly · 09/03/2009 18:02

My four have to dress up as 'something funny' this year and I just don't really feel like it and they aren't that enthusiastic either. I've asked them to come up with ideas and so far nothing. There always seems to be something on, money needed for this and that. It's just a bit much really. I'm happy to buy them red noses but then it's £1 to wear something funny and another £1 if you want to do something funny.

OhYouBadBadKitten · 09/03/2009 18:07

I find it really annoying. I don't mind the occasional thing but after having just made an egyptian costume (which I didnt mind doing at all) to be told its the whim of the school that they all wear red..... aaargh.

dd has a red winnie the pooh fleece but she says its too babyish. I've told her its up to her but thats the only red thing she has. I'll put some red christmas hair decs in her hair and well its just tough really.....

pointydog · 09/03/2009 18:10

wearing something red can be as simple as wearing a red nose.

If it's a rea; problem, you need to send a letter to the head signed by all parents who are finding it too expensive.

conniedescending · 09/03/2009 18:16

I agree with this - it does cost a forture. At my kids school they have been asked to bring in a tin of something to throw at the headteacher, plus the obligatory £1 for the pleasure.

I loathe food waste and this seems so hypocritical given comic relief raises money for people in poverty.

twoluvlykids · 09/03/2009 18:24

I love the idea of throwing tins of stuff at the head!

Left in the tin, I hope!!!

My DC's are just painting their nails red (including my DS) and wearing non uniform.

ThePellyandMe · 09/03/2009 18:24

Mine have to wear something funny...cue blank looks all round.

We have now decided to draw funny faces on t-shirts with fabric pens. Had to dye the t-shirts red first though, cost me £5 and we bought some more fabric paints which cost me even more.

Just dressing in red I could handle, its the 'funny' bit I'm struggling with.

My artistic flair being non-existent I can imagine the t-shirts will be crap rather than funny

screamingabdab · 09/03/2009 18:29

Just to play devils advocate, I think that "communal" charity things like Comic Relief do give us as parents, and the school the impetus to educate our children about people who are less fortunate.

I think it's a shame the schools aren't a bit more creative about it - like maybe the kids giving some time to a charity rather than parents giving money

Peachy · 09/03/2009 18:32

Wouldnt odd wellies and a silly hat have cut it Pelly LOL?

I rather like comic relief (but Bonkerz am surprised an ASD school doing it- ds3 will get really wound up about it). Not sure how much it will coss but DS1 is over the moon as has won class auditions for talent show final with hsi breakdancing (as he is ASD doesn't get to 'achieve' very often). So really, thats worth a few quid for me

unfitmother · 09/03/2009 18:34

That's ridiculous, specifying it has to be red pjs!

TheLadyEvenstar · 09/03/2009 18:37

where did you get red trousers? i need to get some for ds1

ThePellyandMe · 09/03/2009 18:37

See you can tell I'm not good at this 'funny' stuff, odd wellies didn't occur to me at all

Saltire · 09/03/2009 18:37

I'm just looking at the letter Ds1 brought home from school. They want the children to dress from head to toe in red, and to bring in donations "no silver or bronze coins" then goes on to say "All contributions will be gratefully received" So they want donations of which they will be grateful as long as it's £1.00 coins or higher!

Peachy · 09/03/2009 18:40

Saltire I would send in £1 in coppers and tell them where to stick in tbh. The cheek!

TheLadyEvenstar · 09/03/2009 18:44

ds1 has been given a tumbler and has to fill it up...he has to on one day add 5p for every item of food on his plate....thats per item. so if i do a roast.......

Another day he has to add 5p for every electrical item in the home.....I am not even going there....

Oh and its NON Negotiable

Peachy · 09/03/2009 18:47

Could be worse evenstar, Dh deals electrical stf fon ebay, would cost us a fortune!

brekkie- toast; lunch- cauli cheese; dinner; pasta and apple for pud. Worth 20p of anyone's cash - if he whinges tell him its for c
hariddee

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