to think that if school make Mother's Day cards with kids . . .

[zisforzebra]

they should also do Father's day cards.

I know some children won't want to make them, but the ones that do should be given a chance to. The school always do Mother's Day cards but never do anything for Father's Day and it seems really unfair.

AIBU?

Um, many schools have two thirds of children who have no known father at all, let alone living in their home.

You sound very insensitive.

And Father's day is a Hallmark holiday in any case.

Oh why am I bothering?

Nope. I can remember making Fathers' day cards at school. Though as it happens I think I wasn't allowed to make a card one year because I wouldn't follow the template that the teacher had - the class were making cards that looked like a shirt and tie, which my dad never wore and I wasn't allowed to make a different card.

But to not even offer a chance is pretty bad. Is it just a "bad" teacher or the school's policy in general?

Father's day is made up anyway, isn't it?

And most children will have a mother or mother figure, lots don't have a father.

Yabu

Every child in my class either lives with their biological mother or foster mother. On the occasion that I had a child who had no contact with his mum(or any other female parent/guardian figure), he made a card for a female member of staff. About 50% do not have any contact with their father. Mothers day has a much longer tradition - 'mothering Sunday' and all that. Fathers day is just about selling more cards/socks! When you have a child/children in care, etc, you can make a big point about it being all about saying thank you someone who looks after you. I don't really know how I'd go about Fathers day (manybe other teachers can give me an idea for next year???) because I'd feel it was like "today we're going to make cards for your dads, those of you who don't have dads can just make another card for your mum, those of you who don't have a mum can...

Oh... and what about the crazy notion that those kids who want to make their dad a card could make one at home? Just an idea!

Some schools do. DS came home on Friday with a beautifully (for him) made Father's Day card.

Milady - I recognise that some children won't have fathers. My own father died when I was child but I didn't begrudge my fellow classmates making their cards. What I did resent was them whispering in corners and not mentioning the 'D' word around me.

Tott - I think it's school policy. My children haven't made one in the 5 years they've been there.

Ds was asked if he wanted to make a card for fathers day at preschool, he made one for his best friend, some kids made them for mum, some for dad.

My DD came home from nursery with one so I think some places do, maybe it depends on specific classes/schools. If a child in the class has just lost a father for example, one could see how it might be easier to give the whole made up holiday a miss this year.

Nothing stopping you making a card with your kids.

I agree with OP. If a school makes mothers day cards it should do the same for fathers day.
However, personally, I'd rather they did neither so as not to cause the discussion in the first place.
There are plenty of other excuses to do 'arty' things without bringing someones home set up into it.

Oh zis, how awful, I do feel sorry for you.

But don't you see that for you to not have a father was unusual back then and now most, not some children in certain areas don't have them and have never had them?

That's what I was trying to say.

Plus it also probably has a lot to do with the fact that most teachers are female and so remember Mothers Day! To be honest, it hadn't crossed by mind to even think to make a card with my class - my dad'll be lucky if I remember to ring him

Plus it is report writing time so EVERY teacher that I know is putting in at least 3 hours a night trying to get the bloody things written (never mind weekends)

Plus my school have almost completely run out of materials at this time of year - so don't think I'd even be able to find 30 pieces of card.

Plus we're so busy rehearsing for end of term concert, whilst still having to fit 30 hours of curriculum time into a 25hr week, so don't know when I'd find time to make them.

But I promise that I will try harder to make them next year (if someone reminds me).

DS made one at his school, but it is getting near end of term in Scotland so I was surprised!

Father's Day:
"Father's Day celebration had a modest beginning. The history of Father's Day dates back to 1909, in Spokane, Washington. Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a Mother's Day sermon, at the Central Methodist Episcopal Church. The lecture inspired her to have a special day dedicated to her father, William Jackson Smart, who had brought her up and her siblings, single-handedly, after their mother died.

Sonora could realize the greatness of her father and wanted to let him know how deeply she was touched by his sacrifices, courage, selflessness and love. To pay a tribute to her great dad, Sonora held the first Father's Day celebration on 19th of June 1910, on the birthday of her father."

I've posted what I think on the other thread, but basically, YANBU and small children don't understand 'Hallmark holidays' they just knwo they were not allowed to make anything.

They do things at home anyway, for both, but it is not the point.

Mine haven't come home with Fathers Day cards although I did get a Mothers Day card, so it is a bit unfair.
Tbh when I went in the card shop today I was amazed at how busy it was with lots of people buying fathers day cards. I was queing for ages at the till and was very surprised. Although they could have been buying cards for "Godfather" "Son" "grandad" "step-grandad" or any concoction of male relative/slight relative cards which i saw on sale.

Its another case of political correctness gone mad.

Why should schools make a point of giving the kids the opportunity to make a Mothers Day card and not a Fathers day card. Luckily at my son's school they do both and quite rightly so.

I feel sometimes Fathers get a raw deal.

One of my neighbours is a single Dad and has brought both his kids up from a young age, when their Mother walked out. How do you think he would feel if his kids had the opportunity to make a Mothers day card, but not a Fathers day card, for fear of upsetting the kids who's fathers are absent. There are also kids without Mum's - should schools therefore not allow the making of Mothers day cards for fear of upseting these children.

So if schools do make Father's day cards they are insensitive to children without a father figure and if they don't make them thn they are insensitive to the kids who do....just another example of how schools can't win and will get flamed no matter what they do.
If you want your child to give a Father's day card to someone (Dad, uncle,Grandad) then buy/make one yourself. Schools are not there to ensure that Mums/dads or anyone else feel special or excluded. They are there to educate children.
(and I have 2 DCs, DD, 3, did not make one, DS, 1, did...will give him the one DS made and the one we bought and DD wrote her name in....it's really not hard to do it YOURSELF!!!

Very tricky for schools to be sensitive to everyone's needs.

I lost my DB recently and of course am worried about how his 5-year-old son will cope generally and specifically with issues such as Fathers' Day. My SIL told me that the school handled it well. He was encouraged to make a card along with his school friends and brought it home to put it next to his Dad's picture. Better than the whispering in corners that poor zisforzebra had to bear; that must have been awful.

muminthemiddle I noticed too that there were lots of different variations on fathers day card. I bought my DH a father-to-be card as am due any day.

Also little ashamed to say I bought one that said 'Happy Father's day from the cat'! although it was mainly for a joke and also a bit of hormones going mental too! I think it will get a laugh tomorrow and he does look after them very well and worries about them like they are our children too!

I once asked my class, at about 2.30 on a Friday afternoon that if anyone wanted to make a Father's Day card then they could come over to the art area and we would do some. If not they could have free time. I had done this before in different schools.

Only when they ALL charged over did I remember that I was teaching at a school on an army base.......

I had to haul in some TA's from other classes to get finished.

Sports Day was sight to see too. They had about eight heats of the father's race.

Doubt they not 'allowed' to make cards. Is mad time of year in schools.

we get mother and father days cards. maybe i'm at a strange school where the kids are still living with both sets of parents!