Will your four-year-old be signing his/her own Xmas cards to classmates?

[LeavesLeavesEverywhere]

Because I am intending to sign DS's for him. He's interested in reading, but writing? Nope. If I push him, there'll be an almighty fuss and it's just not worth it IMO. However, I'm feeling a bit edgy - because it's cards for the children in school and his teachers - that eyebrows will be raised if I sign his name for him when they know he can (just about recognisably and MASSIVELY) write it himself.

What d'you reckon?

If he wants to sign them himself, let him sign them himself.

If he doesn't, then don't.

He's 4. I very much doubt that his mates will care

Mine will (and my others did too) but they loved writing at this age, it was a treat to them to be let loose with a selection of coloured pens and a pile of cards

I would recomend that you pick your battles wisely ad wear a dark pair of glasses so you can't see any raised eyebrows. (TBH I doubt there will be any though!)

Mates, no. Teachers and other mums - possibly. I'm picturing one mum in particular. Sigh.

Thanks, Plonker. I need to stop my late-at-night fretting and get to bed!

am i being bah humbug to think cards to classmates are not necessary?

Thanks too, NCbirdy.

god I wouldn't bother sending cards for a 4 yr old

Erm. Maybe they're not, LovelyDear. You could well be right with that one. I'm wondering this year if cards to anyone are necessary.

But I'm feeling a bit duty-bound. He got them from kids at pre-school so we're anticipating them. Xmas cards have become a bit of an expected reciprocity thing, haven't they?

BUT, I have a speedy cheat's plan. Won't be so bad.

< Leaves slinks off to check current AIBU thread about not sending Xmas cards >

Tis true, why not get ds to make his own big card for "all of class X" that way you save the planet (well part of a tree at least) ds has involvment (and he may be more open to writing his name on something he has made) and no parents can give you the look

Then just ask him to sign the card that 'one mum in particular' will see The rest won't care anyway and at least you'll feel better

No, Christmas cards aren't necessary when you're four, but my little dd's faces have always lit up at receiving cards ...and even more so when handing them out

ok this may sound a bit poncey but you could get your ds to write his name once, you trace it (on the reverse) onto a slab of playdough or clay, and then he uses it as a stamp to 'sign' all his cards. any good?

Could you make/buy a little stamp with his name on - or some name stickers - instead of writing?

Who cares what the other mums think? Really not worth worrying about - if you do it then some mums (of children not yet writing their names or struggling to do this) might think that you're showing off. Don't do it, and some mums might think that your child can't write - if you worry about what other people think, you can't win! But at the end of the day, do you really care what the other mums think? I sure as hell don't! Get your child to do what he wants to do and stuff everyone else - he's your only concern not the other mums!

HTH

I am certain my 4yo will insist on it. Would be massive tantrums if I tried to do it. We often have arguments between DS and DD over who writes which bit of joint birthday cards. DD is uber compretitive with her big brother. [sigh]

At 4 I forged some of ds's cards, at 5 I didn't have to.

At 4 (nearly 5 ) mine didn't. I got a stamp with his name on it and he stamped them. He couuld write his name but hated writing and there was no way I was forcing him to write his name 30 times...life (mine) is too short!

my dd1 is 4.2 (but still at preschool as a September birthday) and she'll sign her name in her teachers card and maybe about 5 of her bestest mates after that I'll probbaly do them (theres 39 children in preschool it would take forever for her to do all of them!!)

Dd has been signing hers since 2.5, but sometimes i get fed up of waiting for her to sign each card so i sign some in her writting.

my take on it is:

if they want to give cards to their class mates, they have to write them themselves.

I have anough cards of my own to do without writing other people's as well!

we are not sending any.....and i dont give a flying fu** what the other mother s think.

May send 1 to the whole class and teach to be put up somewhere in the class so that they can cut them up or whatever next year in crafty type lessons.

Nah, defo not sending them all one each.They can "expect" all they want, tis a waste.

i'm thinking one to the whole class too, girls. my DS (just 5) would sign one happily and get excited about it; he would definitely balk at 18. i definitely wouldn't register/give a flying f**k whether any of his classmates had signed their own card to him by the way and i can't believe there's a mum in your class who would - poor you!!

he will be but because he really wants to write his name lots,,, he has been writing letters to his friends over the weekend ..
last year - he had no interest at all in writing so I wrote them for him and he did some colouring in the ones he wanted to.

bit like others have said - we wont' do them all at once. there are 24 in his class so will probably do in batches of 5 (ish)

Just do it yourself in wobbly hand-writing

When dd was a bit younger I wrote the cards for her (obviously!), we made a potato stamp of her initial and she had a great time stamping them all. Last year I wrote them and she scribbled her initial or a kiss inside every one.

Of course if she didn't want to I wouldn't have bothered her with it..I dont think it matters.