Mad mother on Radio 4's today programme

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Did anyone else hear the interview with the mother who is keeping her 8 year old daughter away from school because the local education authority has a ban on children wearing earings for safety reasons?

I thought John Humphries was far too easy on her and quite rude to the school representative.

Aagghhh! What is wrong with some parents? And what is wrong with John Humphries - or was she just too easy a target for him to bother with?

Are the earrings important to the physical wellbeing of the child?

I can only imagine the grief this mother would cause the school should the darlings ears be damaged by her own earrings in school.

My particular favourite part of the interview where she suggested that the girl wear ear muffs to prevent ear ring related injury. My coffee went up my nose - it hurt!

I didn't hear the programme but I don't think she's 'mad'. She probably objects to the continual measures put in place which infringe on an individual's right to their identity, and to be themselves and not having to conform all the time to rules that seem to be there for the sake of it.

Yes, Gloria. Also, when she said that this was the second time she had her daughters ears pierced - the last time being when she was FOUR! She made it sound as if it was her daughters fault the ears got infected and subsequently closed up!

Earrings for an 8yo aren't about identity, fgs.

And the rules about children not wearing them aren't put there for the sake of it either - as the little girl would discover if hers were to be ripped out whilst playing.

I do wish people would find sensible things to rail against.

This isn't one of them.

Electra - I was using (misusing?) the term "mad". I dont think she was mad - I think she was irresponsible, stupid and deluded

I don't see how ordinary studs could be ripped out tbh. Also, I'm not saying that I even necessarily agree with her (haven't thought about t), but my point is that she is probably keeping her daughter away from school because she disagrees with certain principles rather than because she's 'mad'...

I don't see how ordinary studs could be ripped out tbh. Also, I'm not saying that I even necessarily agree with her (haven't thought about t), but my point is that she is probably keeping her daughter away from school because she disagrees with certain principles rather than because she's 'mad'...

she'll pop up at the european court of human rights about this, i'll bet,

I've just looked on the site. It's fair enough for her to disagree with the school, imo. Everyone is entitled to hold their own views about what they think are important issues and act on them where they see the need.

But if I felt the way she did I would send my child to another school where I did not have a major problem with any of the rules, not keep her at home.

Actually studs can cause lobe damage as well.

Fair enough to disagree with a school's policy but then don't send your child there. If the LEA makes a blanket policy that you don't agree with then either home ed or go private.

To deny your child an education because the LEA won't let your child wear pieces of metal in their ears to school is pretty barking, to be honest.

Oh yes, she should be seeking alternative provision.

I dont see how an eight year old not being allowed to wear earrings at school can be considered an important issue?

Was anyone else thinking "wtf" when listening to her argue that it wasn't fair that her daughter couldn't play out at breaktimes in her earrings??

The whole world seems to have gone a bit Shameless at the moment.

Agree JH should have ripped into her.

But everyone sees things differently, unavailable. What's important to one person is not to another, etc. I think that if my dd's school decided to disallow earrings I would not be at all bothered, but I respect everyone's right to their pov however irrelevant it seems to me.

School policy should be: them's the rules and if ya don' like 'em, missy, here's the door.

But she is depriving her daughter of her education. She is not sacrificing anything for her "principles" but her daughter is.

She sounded a bit dim on the radio.

Yes, I agree with that. If you don't like a school's ethical code, don't send your child there imo, and find somewhere you are happy with how things are.

Yes the muffs bit was the final straw for me too; she lost any last shreds of sympathy I had then...

Agree Humphries was rude to the school rep, and ridiculously easy going on the stupid, stubborn mother who is teaching her poor daughter that earrings are more important than education. And she whined. 'I waited a reely long time to get them done' She needed a good slap, not the oxygen of publicity.
She's probably saving for her daughter's first boob job.

I personally think that she should be prosecuted if she doesn't send her daughter to school. She doesn't need earrings but she does need an education FGS!
When I were a lass (feeling old here at 35 ) we weren't allowed to wear any jewellery to school, and in High school we weren't allowed to wear makeup. In High school our skirts couldn't be any shorter than knee length either and seeing how short the skirts are of some of the girls who go to my old school I really don't think that's a bad thing.

Thing is, there's not that much of a risk of stud earrings causing injury in the playground. So the school could be being unnecessarily tight-arsed.
However, the mother missed a trick in the first place. She should have claimed 'religious reasons' for the earrings and fought on those grounds.

The point that the school was making IIRC is that it's also a Children's Centre so tinies could be playing with the school children, easy for a tiny child to pick up and swallow an earring, or to grab the girl's earring if they are playing together and accidentally injure the school girl.

Unlikely but possible.

An 8 year old girl should not be wearing earrings.