Would this annoy you? Does your nursery do this?

[AnnieLobeseder]

Or is it quite normal and I'm just being miserable?

DD2 is at full-time nursery, and on the whole I'm very happy with them. But they keep having 'parties' every couple of months, starting at around 2:30pm, ending at 4:30, and they invite the parents to come. So not only does this mean that nursery effectively closes at 4:30 on those days, but we're also expected to take an afternoon off to attend. So I'm paying until 6pm, but have to take time off work and take my child home at 4:30.

Of course I have the option of not going, and I have missed a couple because of work commitments, but then I arrive to a lonely tearful child who is all sad because her mummy was the only one not at the party and all her friends have gone home!!

I put DD2 in a nursery because I work and need her to be looked after, from 8pm to 6pm. These parties are a major inconvenience and it really bother me when they have them.

So do I have a point or am I just a miserable old trout?

Sounds daft to me and I would be really annoyed if my nursery did this. They have 'fun days' on the weekend a couple of times a year which seems a much better option.

DD's nursery used to do this sometimes (and we were also amazed at how early everyone else seemed to be able to pick up - DD was often the last one there at 5:45pm ).

I think whether it is a "bad" thing or not depends on how they handle the DC whose parents can't come. DD was never that bothered about that (or about being the last there) because the staff were very good at making a fuss of her, and getting her to "help" with tidying up, etc if she was last there, and were always cheerful and not even slightly resentful at being still there with only one child. In this instance, a gentle word with the manager warning when you can't make it and asking that they keep a special eye on DD would not be unreasonable, IMHO.

'The nursery is part of a chain of about 4 or 5.'

Are you in Surrey? My DSs old nursery used to do all sorts of things like that - drove me mad and I was quite flexible!

The events that really annoyed me were the cake sales which fundraised for a charity - so most mums would buy cakes, then would be sold for less than they were bought for, and the nursery doesn't actually benefit. Not a problem as an occasional thing but it did seem to happen quite regularly!!!!

amular - so because it suited you to leave work early it's OK to make other people feel like shit when they can't be there for their children? And OK for children to feel left out and that their mummy isn't a nice as other mummies?

If they wanted to have a party at 4.30 I'd be more understanding. But to take all afternoon? No, not right.

It's bad enough with DD1 at school - schools in this country are completely geared towards one parent being at home to jump through their every hoop. I don't expect it from nursery too!