My daughter playing Donkey for school play

[sperit]

Dear all,

I needed your advise.

I am extremely upset with the my daughter school teacher that has assigned my daughter to play the donkey on the Christmas school.

She was previously attending a different school where she was being bullied so I looked for a private school.

My daughter is a girl of colour and on the previous school she was being called ugly and that her hair was not beautiful. So I enrolled to a private school. I did this as I had the same issue when I was growing and my father looked for a suitable private where I was extremely happy.

When I enrolled My Ella to the private school I mentioned the issues.

So I found out 2 days ago that my daughter has been assigned to play the donkey and wearing a dark brown suit. I feel upset to the that they could not assigned Ella with a different role.
So I had a discussion with her teacher and I told her how disappointed I am and whether she could find a different way for Ella to contribute on the play such as being on the choir. Her response was no as at this stage she cannot find nothing else and I know it looks but is not what I am thinking and the that is going to be a funny show.

What do you guys think should I still allow my daughter to play the donkey????

You what? My friend's blonde, blue eyed daughter was the donkey. She had a solo! Her mum had a real hassle with the costume though.

I organise a nativity and several children requested to be the donkey! I think it was actually the most requested part....

I would have loved to play the Donkey. I adore donkeys and the part is a proper 'character' role.

DS always got the character roles and he loved them because he could be funny in there whereas the other kids had to play their roles 'straight'.

I hope she is ok with this part (people do love donkeys) and that she is having a good time at school. Bullies are the lowest!

Primary years are behind me now but in all the many plays I had to sit through it never occurred to me that the donkey was in some way a bad part. I don't get why parents take it so seriously, it a bit of Christmas fun FFS, I thought this kind of thing was a comedy caricature.

Ds was a donkey. He even had to say a line -‘are we nearly there yet’ like the donkey from shrek. It was so funny!

Anyway, he asked to be the donkey, was hugely proud of being given such an important role in the play and looked fabulous in his tights, hand knitted pullover and balaclava. (This was back in the olden days when costumes were provided by the school and stored in a cupboard for the other 11 months of the year).

What does your dd think of being given the role?

I used to cast children's plays

Stars/snowflakes were always children (usually girls) who took ballet lessons.

Mary was usually a quiet, shy girl who didn't have to remember many/any lines and could mostly just sit there or be led around.

Joseph was usually someone reliable with ok spatial awareness

Innkeepers/narrators/wise men had nice clear speaking voices

Angels were usually the best singers or the ones who could stand nicely without too much fidgeting

Animals were usually the ones who had a bit of character especially if it was a script that required them to speak.

My daughter is a cruel innkeeper that turns out the pregnant woman about to give birth to the saviour of mankind.

What should I read in to that?!

Start worrying about your future care home - it may be the street!

I was the donkey.

No one bullied me for it.

I have managed to cope so far without counselling.

@newname12

Same here. Nobody believes me when I tell them that's what happened.

I did a dance and everything.
But I was really proud to do it and didn't think it inappropriate at all.

In later years, I asked my parents if they had had an issue with it at the time and they didn't seem bothered at all. I think causing a scene would have made what I believe to be an innocent situation worse.

You haven't mentioned anywhere that your daughter has actually said herself that she doesn't want to be the donkey. It just seems to be all about what's in your own head.

Even if she had actively expressed not wanting to be the donkey, that's no bad thing really. When I was in a play it was about ocean creatures and all my friends were cast as beautiful fish, interesting parts. I was a human and my only role was to pretend to feed some dolphins. I was a bit gutted that I wasn't a sea creature but it taught me that in life you don't always get your way and that's a good lesson for a child to learn.

. My G'son is an angel this year. Talk about mis-casting

Last year he was a donkey and loved it.

If it's an RC school she'll have a head start, Donkey stars in the sequel too.

My daughter is a cruel innkeeper that turns out the pregnant woman about to give birth to the saviour of mankind.

What should I read in to that?!

Start worrying about your future care home - it may be the street! This made me 🤣🤣🤣

My DD was an Angel for every year they did a nativity play - she wore the same costume every year so bonus for me but a bit boring for her.

I read somewhere that anyone who plays livestock go on to have great careers and earn top dollar whereas Angels have the least earning power or something like that

Please don't read anything more into it than your DD has got a role in her school play, and it is a great role.

Sorry meant to bold what BigFatLiar said about the care home 😂

I was the donkey almost 50 years ago, in a brown duffel coat with ears sewn on and some brown tights. I never realised that it was a bad thing. My stage debut spoiled for ever

What is wrong with the donkey? Am I missing something?

Dd turned down the role of Mary, I've never emotionally recovered 😂

She was usually a star.

I think the donkey is a perfectly good role?

my son would have LOVED to be the donkey! I don't know what you're getting at with your post really? I think you're looking for an issue where there isn't one, perhaps because of the issues at the last school. Try and relax, don't think too much into things and if you're daughter is happy, then it's all good! x

Dd2 is the camel this year. I am desperately resisting the temptation to ask her teacher if it's because she gets the hump so often 😂😂😂😂
Seriously OP - you might be over thinking this. Unless your dd1 has specifically said that she's concerned about the ramifications I would reframe it as how exciting that she's been chosen in such an important role and overlook your adult concerns.

You must surely know, that most children love donkeys, so let your daughter be a lovely one.. My friend tends the donkey sanctuary near me, and all the donkeys are of different colours.

DD2 was a servant in her first play. She carried the King's gifts and followed them around.

My daughter was a sheep last year. She has suffered no ovine related bullying. Donkeys are generally more loved by children than sheep. You are overthinking this.

My kids have been donkeys, camels, Mary, shepherds, angels and stars all sorts.

Are you sure it's a race issue?

My DGD was an angel in last years play - she was pleased to have quite a few lines but the donkey did a really long solo and some lines.

This year she really wanted to be the donkey as it was such a character piece.

She’s not she is a King.

I really doubt it's a race issue. Rather there are usually 30 kids in a class and considerably less than 30 roles in the nativity, and so a good chunk of kids usually get cast as animals, stars, angels and narrators. You are reading waaaaay too much into this.