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AIBU?

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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:
Original poster
BONKERZ · 09/03/2009 18:54

the red trousers are cropeed ones from NEXT, they are nice though so will do DS for the summer too.
Peachy, the asd school does do alot for charity but because its only got 11 pupils the parents are expected to send in more otherwise it will be £11 only for charity! I am a little worried how DS will be on friday with the change but they are preparing the children well for friday and DS is very rigid that he has to be completely red but he knows already what his timetable will be that day and the teachers have been sorting it and involving the children since last monday. They are going on a trip tomorrow to sainsburys to buy ingredients for the cooking and get some red noses and the kids were all asked what the teachers should do for comic relief and they all decided they had to dress as disney characters or pay £5 each!

OP posts:
TheLadyEvenstar · 09/03/2009 18:54

LOL Peachy i like that idea. I just hate the bullying tactics schools use.

I think that i am sending him in jeans and a red top....

Saltire · 09/03/2009 18:59

Well my Dses will be wearing red t-shirts, and taking their red noses in. If I have to send in non silver or bronze coins, then I can't afford to dress them head to toe in red.
On top of that I ahve the voluntary contributions of £5, £8 and £10 coming up the next 2 weeks all of which have to be paid by friday as well.

PurplePillow · 09/03/2009 19:07

I think our school has let us off quite easy compared to all yours.

50p per child (non uniform day) or £1 per family. There are over 400 kids in our school and nursery classes, and all money collected goes to CR including £50 the headmaster was given by his friends at the weekend.

They are also having an entertainment afternoon which cost nothing but as Dd and her friend are taking part I have bought them red nose T-shirts and of course red noses (but that is my choice)

I do not blame you for feeling miffed at the cost when you seem to have no choice.

Racingsnake · 09/03/2009 19:17

I think the ideas are really good for getting children to think about what they have got in comparison to most children in the world. Can see it could turn out expensive though. I suppose they are trying to show that we are all very rich, compared to families in the Third World, even if we think we are not.

It's the compulsary bit that would annoy me.

happywomble · 09/03/2009 19:22

I am happy to buy the red noses but you think they would make them out of something biodegradable rather than plastic foam (sainsburys)..how much landfill will we all be creating?

DD will be wearing pyjamas..luckily she has some that happen to be red spotty ones!

Peachy · 10/03/2009 11:41

biodegradable and durable- first set fellapart by the time the boys brought them from school (where they bought them)- have ahd to speand another £3 on reserves to hand out on the day

MilaMae · 10/03/2009 11:55

I bought 3 red noses none of them stick on their noses and all have split.

I don't mind paying £1 each for charity but feel they should make them worth a £1.

I'd rather have just given £3 and not had the noses as I now have 3 disappointed dc (I refuse to replace them)

happywomble · 10/03/2009 12:07

Our (red) noses have split too...very frustrating!

Hotcrossbunny · 10/03/2009 12:10

Our school is drawing a big red nose on the playground and the children have been asked to bring in pennies to lay round it. That's it. Easy

loggedout · 10/03/2009 12:54

As the parent of a severely disabled child who benefits enormously from charities funded by Comic Relief (from specialist play equipment to sibling support groups and on), I am eternally grateful to all of you who donate, whether generously or grudgingly!

Happywomble - the red noses say on the packaging to return to Sainsbury's for recycling.

Peachy · 10/03/2009 14:45

loggdout I felt the sameat children in need (have 2 disabled children who benefitted from that)

brings it home doesn't it?

OrmIrian · 10/03/2009 14:49

Ours have to wear red but not pay for the priviledge. But we've been asked to donate red nose cakes to sell on the day.

Rhubarb · 10/03/2009 14:51

Oh oh oh, did someone mention Comic Relief? Look at this brilliant site full of naked men!

MNerinhiding · 10/03/2009 14:56

We've been asked for cakes for a cake sale, and to sponsor dc's who are doing a funny dance, and on Friday they're to go in in odd shoes

All easy enough I think, some of these schools sound like a nightmare though!

happywomble · 10/03/2009 15:00

Thank you for mentioning the noses can be recycled...will take ours back afterwards.

Saltire · 12/03/2009 17:07

Well after saying that children ahd to dress from top to toe in red, the following letter came home 8today*

No face paints because 1 child in Yr 3 is allergic to them
No coloured hairspray as a child in yr 5 has asthma that could be set off by aerosols
No red nailpolish, as it's not part of school uniform
No red lipstick for the same reason
Nothing red with latex in ti as a child in year 4 has an allergy (do teh noses ahve latex in)

loggedout · 13/03/2009 14:09

Kids in red nails, latex and lipstick! What kind of kinky dressing up does this school expect?!!!!

Hulababy · 13/03/2009 14:14

School I work at just asked hildren to wear the "wrong clothes" for school - so could be normal clothes backwards or inside out, PJs, dress up clothes, etc.

All donations were voluntary. There was a jar in each classrom for people to drop in whatever amount they wanted to, if they wanted to at all.

Almost every child and teacher joined in. I was in ball gown and taira. Teacher in her PJs. Children were in PJs, princess dressses, ballet kits, sports wear, and some just non niform clothes such as jeans.

hannahsaunt · 13/03/2009 14:23

The boys school have said something red and gave as examples hairbands or socks - no pressure at all - and a MAXIMUM donation of 50p (which I thought was a bit mean but it doesn't really bother me as we'll give lots of other ways too). If anything they've gone the other way in being super-sensitive.

Deeeja · 13/03/2009 14:28

My 6 year old with asd has refused to go to school today because all the children will be wearing pyjamas, and he is expected to wear pyjamas. He was up all night and having a meltdown, at the thought of it all. He came home from school yesterday, with uneaten lunch, and still in his p.e kit, all he would say is that his teacher said all the children had to wear pyjamas. This is too much for him and he thinks to school you should wear school uniform. The anxiety was too much, so he had to stay home since he was in no fit state to go to school.
I can't stand all these sudden types of change, my poor ds can not deal with them at all. It affects his experience of school, and has meant he can not access the curriculum for an entire day today. I would gladly donate to the charity, but the stupid dressing up is too much.

Fimbo · 13/03/2009 14:35

Dd has to go in her house colour today, which thankfully is blue and covers a wide spectrum. Waved her off in jeans and a blue t-shirt.

One of the other house colours is yellow..

Ds's school ask for voluntary donations and for the children to come dressed in red if they want to.

coolkat · 13/03/2009 14:38

Ours was easy too, non uniform, but the theme was Silly specs. Lots of kids with sunglasses and pieces of crap art stuck to them! I got some huge glasses from joke shop for £2.50. Also £1.00 donation on the day.
Looks like we got off lightly!

PrimulaVeris · 13/03/2009 14:42

YABU Love Red Nose Day

They have to "Wear Something Funny For Money" donation £1 or more and having a special Red Nose Lunch (not sure what that involves).

They've been having assemblies about charities supported by comic relief all week, which I think is very important

CaptainUnderpants · 13/03/2009 14:44

YANBU - Although a good cause which I think we all agree on , I seem to have shelved out out money everyday this week for it, cakes sales at school, cubs , red noses , mufti days donations etc etc .

DS wanted red hair spray luckily could,'t get any

A pound here and a pound there ends up being alot especially when you are trying to watch the pennies .