to think school Xmas cards have gone a bit competitive?

9 replies

Undercovamutha · 09/12/2009 14:10

My DD (3) is in the nursery class at the local school, and in the last week or so she has started to receive Xmas cards from others in her class. The first ones we received had a bit of vague 'scrawl/scribble' where the name should be (e.g. Merry Xmas, from 'scrawl'). The next batch included cards where the children had traced on their parents faint handwriting 'from [childs name]', and today she had some where the child had actually written the whole card.

They are only 3 (some have just turned 4) but as most of them have sent 30 cards (to the whole class) I can't help thinking that their parents must have had them in some kind of card writing boot camp! TBH it was all I could manage to get my DD to do some scrawly kisses, and even then she gave up halfway.

So is this competitive parenting, or a good teaching/learning activity for the child? AIBU to think that it is unnecessary to make a 3yo write out 30 Xmas cards?

OP posts:

nickytwotimes · 09/12/2009 14:12

Yanbu.
I don't understand this at all.
Ds will take a card in for his teachers (he is 3), but not for the 30 other kids. Jesus, it must take forever!

notnowbernard · 09/12/2009 14:13

DD2 (3) will not be writing cards either

DD1 can as she can do them herself

YANBU

chopstheduck · 09/12/2009 14:14

mine are 4, so a bit older, but they WANTED to write their cards. They did about three each then started to give up and jsut signed their name.

Nothing to do with competitive parenting here, I really could have thought of something more constructive to do for the past 2 hours!

stepaway · 09/12/2009 14:15

yanbu, many things at schools seem to be hyper-competitive these day!

On the other hand, DS2 who goes to school nursery announced he wanted to send some cards to his friends at nursery. This was because he had seen his older brother write some and wanted to do the samee. So i wrote out a few cards and DS2 'signed' his name. and yes, it was what you described as a scrawl!!

mollythetortoise · 09/12/2009 15:21

sme of my dd's cards (yr 2) have chocolate coins in them.

Whilst one part of me thinks "how nice" , the other part of me is slightly concerned as to what will happen next year - real coins?

wb · 09/12/2009 15:31

YANBU

Mine will send cards when they can be bothered to write them themselves. judging by their dad this will not be happening til their mid 40s.

Original poster

Undercovamutha · 09/12/2009 15:39

Molly - at the chocolates!

wb - lol. My Dh hasn't written a card in years!

OP posts:

fernie3 · 09/12/2009 15:43

My son is three and I would have to strap him down for hours to get him to even scribble in the cards let alone trace his name. He is arts and crafts challenged. I just normally write from....(insert childs name) I have about 60 this year between the two oldest ones I am dreading when the youngest start school. I cant be bothered with any other fancy bits.

CardyMow · 09/12/2009 22:26

Older 2 DC's have written their own cards from as soon as they were physically able to (Y1 for DD, nursery for DS1), yet for my 6yo DS2, I had to write to .... from, and he just signed his name (apart from the middle letter, as he still can't write 'd', bloody annoying when it's in his name!!) In his defence though, he does have a muscle problem that affects his ability to hold a pencil! The only one of mine that sent cards at nursery was DS1, and that's because he wanted to and was capable of writing them himself.

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