World Book Day.
I donβt know about you, but those three little words are enough to make my heart sink and have me reaching for the wine.
I know it’s designed to get kids reading and I know it’s a charity initiative all in a good cause, but my goodness I could do without it.
SoΒ I’m adding World Book Day to my ever-increasing list of things they don’t warn you about school,Β alongsideΒ half term hellΒ and school run stress.
5 things I hate about World Book Day
1. It always seems toΒ fall midweek, when everyone’s getting tired and ratty. Why can’t it be on a Monday so you have the weekend to prepare and the rest of the week to recover?
2. Meltdowns are inevitable. Itchy and scratchy costumes, hair styles they expect you to copy exactly and tails attached to bottoms – there’s bound to be a meltdown at some stage. And if it’s not them itβs you.
3. The expense. Ok so you don’t have to buy a costume – you could make one. But the fact is that making one a) probably wouldn’t be good enoughΒ inΒ your little darling’sΒ exacting eyesΒ and b) cause aforementioned meltdowns – both mine and theirs. So spendingΒ Β£20 to avoid all this is a small price to pay. I’m just not looking forward to when we’ve got all three at school.
4. It can wreck your make up.Β Using eyeliner to draw on Tabby McTat’s whiskers because you were too mean to invest in properΒ face paintsΒ is a false economy.
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5. The pressure. There’s no getting away from the factΒ their costumes are a reflection of yourΒ parenting skills. OrΒ lack of. Even a TV clipΒ entitled ‘5 no-sew World Book Day costumes’ managed to make me feel inadequate, with kids stepping out in intricately painted Alice inΒ Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory costumes. I can just about manage a stapler.
Did you have to produce an outfit for World Book Day this year? Did you love it or hate it? I’d love to hear your view!
Linking up with…
Ha ha! I’m so with you. My problem is I have a very creative brain, but my hands are not creative at all. Therefore everything looks like a Pinterest fail! #TheList
Luckily my daughter just had to take in a favourite book this time! #thelistlinky
Oh yes I am most definitely with you and I used to organise the world book day. Thanks god we don’t do it in Holland. I hate dressing up and as a teacher if you don’t get involved you look
Miserable!!! I hate it too! #thelistlinky
My little one is only 14 months so we are not there yet re costumes for world book day but I completely get what your saying. I was looking at all the instagram pics and on the news and people seem to go to great lengths with the costumes, which fills me with dread already! Lol #thelistlinky
I completely get this. We have just survived our first World Book Day with playgroup π I cheated and made Little Button pick out one of her dress up outfits she already had, so no late night stitching for us hehe #TheListLinky
I have three at school and I hate it when they have to dress up for anything.
#TheListLinky
It is a delight to read this post. With 6 I used to dread it. Only now with all of mine through primary school can I sit back and smile at others stressing over costumes! #KCACOLS
Now I feel super bad. I just bought my son an off-the-shelf Harry Potter number from Sainsbury’s and he forgot the scarf part of it. I didn’t even realise it was a parenting competition.
Luckily L wasn’t in nursery on WBD this year but I did dress him in his Gruffalo outfit for the novelty, it lasted all of 3 minutes so I’m glad he didn’t have to go anywhere in it. All the teachers at my work were asked to dress up but I wasn’t involved as it was my day off – I was a little gutted about that. Chance to live the dream of being a Hogwarts teacher I’ll probably hate it once L gets to school age. #KCACOLS
Im not going to lie this isn’t something I’m looking forward to! It looks like you did a pretty good job by the photos though! #KCACOLS
I love it but I totally agree with you about the pressure x
I am so pleased that this year, and last year, my son’s school went down the ‘bedtime story’ route, so we just had to send them in their pjs for the day. I like the idea behind world book day, but I’m just not sure dressing up like this actually encourages children to read more, and does seem to cause so much stress! x #TheListLinky
hehe you are really selling it to me for when b starts school in sept! argh – I am crafty but even so, I just don’t often have times to be sewing blinking gruffalo costumes! id prob end up buying something too! #KCACOLS
I HATE WBD too! It was even worse when I worked in a school and had to come up with an ‘inspirational’ outfit. I am not at all creative so always dread dress up challenges. My son’s topic homework this term is to make a superhero costume. MAKE! Arrrgggghhhh! #kcacols
we had a whole week of this. Some of the days, like mis match and crazy hair were OK, but I struggled a bit when we had to dress up like a Dr Seuss character. That seemed a bit much #KCACOLS
I so get your point! Another way to give so much pressure on busy mums and as you said, it can be so expensive in the end. I am not crafty and not looking forward to the days I will have to do it… Love this ‘grumpy but true’ post. Thanks so much for linking up at #KCACOLS. Hope you come back again next Sunday.
My daughter started senior school this year and they don’t dress up for world book day, hooray!!! I cannot tell you how happy I was about that lol.
#KCACOLS
I’m with you! Our school did a Roald Dahl theme this year so I couldn’t even send her in an outfit we already had! #kcacols
I’m probably a little sad but I can’t actually wait for world book day! I love making fancy dress but I do think there’s a lot of pressure on parents #KCACOLS
I hate how many kids go as characters that are not from books. #kcacols