A Valentines disco? For Reception?????

[nearlythree]

The school PTA have organised a Valentines disco - well, two in fact, one for 4-7 year olds and the other for the rest of the school. Apart from the fact that it finishes after dd1's bedtime, I am furious that the school thinks this is appropriate for such young children. I know that Michelle Elliot of Kidscape has spoken out about this trend and I am shocked that dd1's school aren't more clued up. Dh is backing me on this and wants me to see the head about it. Whatever happens dd1 won't be going.

But 'discos' are for kids now. Even when I was at school the word was considered childish. They were crisps. We sneered if anyone said they were having a disco.

I really don't think the word has unsuitable adult connotations any more. It hasn't had since the late 70's/early 80's.

Nearlythree, by saying you should volunteer just to put your mind at rest wasn't meant in a patronising way whatsoever, it was merely an idea that i was putting foward, that to me sounded like a good one. I dont think anyone is trying to put you down, i'm sure that is not what people are on here for

I haven't commented on the clothes issue, as my DD has never been into too grown up clothes anyway. And the boys, well, they don't care what they wear. But whilst on this subject, yes, it is horrible seeing little girls dressed too 'old'. But again, it's a personal thing, some parents are fine with it, others like myself, and most on here, aren't so we just say no to clothes like that.

Also, FWIW, I don't think Valentines Day is tacky. I think that having a day when we are encouraged to celebrate loving relationships is a good thing.

So we'll probably have to agree to differ.

MummyPenguin, to be fair to nearlythree, she didn't mention pairing off - I did (with light-hearted intent).

From the Oxford English Dictionary:

DISCO: a club or party at which people dance to pop music (sooooo stuffy the OED!)

I don't think discos have the seedy "Saturday Night Fever" connotations they used to have. I'm 37 and we used to have junior school discos every Friday night - hot dog & beans, can of coke, spend rest of evening avoiding/fighting with boys.
I don't think you need to be furious with the school - perhaps they just chose the wrong wording - and as it's been said, St Valentine is the patron saint of love - not necessarily adult love.

I agree with you entirely about not rushing through childhood - but maybe one day soon she'll be invited to a party, turn up and there's a disco.

You could always tell her that fairy balls are the 'special' parties and discos are for just dancing to and not as much fun.

PLEASE don't think I'm having a fo or patronising - I'm just thinking of how I was when I was yhounger and how some of my other friends were

Oh alright, I knew someone did, and thought it was nearlythree. Couldn't be arsed to scroll right back down the thread to check!

Last week I would have got myself into a right old state worrying that a valentine's disco might possibly involve encouraging children to pair off, kiss and throw their precious childhood down the drain.

But this week I feel that DS's new preferred activity when playing with one of his best freinds is showing each other their bottoms and then trying to sit on each others tummies with no pants on has kind of taken care of the potential valentine disco worry.

But in any case, having been to Ds's school disco, where the choice of music was ferosciously policed by the PTA for any dubious lyrics, and the riskiest the dancing got was lines of helper-Mums doing the macarena (sp?) and the boys and girls were mostly engaged with keeping the greatest distance between them, I wouldn't have viewed it as more than a fundraiser...and anyone helping out would have got my thanks!

Gosh haven't got so fired up over a thread in ages. A disco is a party is a ball is a bit of after school fun. Lighten up.

lol at your DS Blu. I've got it all to come.

Lol at your ds's new pastime Blu.
I do see where you are coming from nearlythree, I really do. I don't have much to say about the mattyer except you are a great mum and you will do the best thing for your dcs.
It has made me remember my first 'disco' at 11 years old, when a boy tried to kiss me. I kept my eyes and mouth firmly shut and couldn't understand why I was getting licked like a labrador. shudder. Just a bit too young.

i volunteered as a helper for ds1's school disco when he was in yr1, purely so i could see what went on. it really is just as they say, the girls all dancing and admiring each others hair bobbles etc and the boys running and skidding on their knees, and buying as many penny sweets as they could with their 10 pence the were given!!

its all just fun and gives them time to play without the restrictions of school playtimes etc. if she doesn tlike this one, then she wont wont to go to anymore and your not seen as mean for not letting her go.

Starting to get paranoid about no boys wanting to kiss me when I was 11...

so I understand disco party is a norm for children? so what kind of parties do they have when they are 14?

They go to the park and smoke when they're 14.

Or they talk their deluded parents into having a house-party, and sef-conciously chat each other up all night.

Many children's parties have disco elements to them, especially if done in big halls, and a fair few soft plays have disco rooms or at least the DJ/music/lights when parties are going on. DD's 4th birthday party had a disco section - a firend of ours is a DJ so brought his equipemnt with him for us - was only way we could think of getting the music amplified enough to fillthe hall!

I think as they get older it tends to be sleepovers, more/bigger discos, meals out, cinema, bowling, ice skating, ski slopes, etc.

I stand corrected cat64 .

What is the big fuss about a disco?It is music, and flashy lights, FGS. Unlees your child is a depraved axe wielding freak they will probably just pogo about a bit with their mates or slide around on their knees, or like my two dive bomb the crash mats in teh corner!

Parties at 14 ?

My DS's are 14.5 & 13 and they don't really 'do' parties anymore...

LOL @ the idea of an infant school disco being like a coke-fuelled night at ChinaWhite

Or they talk their deluded parents into having a house-party, and sef-conciously chat each other up all night.

feel better already, as that sounds much more like I used to do, while discos at 5... no, that really doesn't belong to my past.

a house-party! brigns back so many memories....

But didn't anyone seen 'Skins' last night?

No more house parties? No more snogging on the sofa with your friends asking you what it was like afterwards?

I'd like to say that it isn't just little children that spend the duration of the party avoiding the opposite sex and sticking entirely to gender stereotypes of running around like loons and dancing around their (metaphorical) handbags. The last disco DS2 (13) went to at secondary school was EXACTLY the same !

Or possibly nostalgically

Yes, there was a houseparty every weekend when I was 14/15. If a harmless disco upsets so much then a 14y.o. unsupervised houseparty would have you flipping completely

N.B. I am not leading by the example set by my parents or the parents of my friends. No houseparties here yet