A Batman lunch box-related crisis

[LuckyTheDog]

Does giving my kindergartner a Batman lunch box make me a bad parent? What about Spiderman rain boots?

We just out our kid into an expensive (for us) private school that we really can't afford. And, in the FIRST DAY, I was told that his Batman lunch box and Spiderman rain boots violate school policy.

They never told us that before we enrolled, but it's in the manual -- one wishy-washy sentence at the bottom of P. 27, which I had missed. Apparently they have a "no media characters" policy. But, if this was a big issue with them, why didn't they bring it up at the interview -- or at least, put it somewhere in the first 15 pages of the parent's manual?

I really don't want to take those things away from my kid -- he loves them. And it's hard enough starting a new school without having your stuff rejected rules police.

[LeftyMom]

1. Is this a Waldorf school?

If so, the no TV/movies/etc thing is a huge deal with them and most disallow students to watch TV on school nights in order to allow kids to do thier own fantsizing and storytelling. I haven't heard of it being an issue at any other schools, though I think raising unbranded kids is a good idea generally.

[LuckyTheDog]

2. It's a Waldorf school

And here is the really odd thing.

I asked the teacher "so, if he wears a Thomas the Tank Engine t-shirt, does he get sent home"?

Her response: "What is Thomas the Tank Engine? I've never heard of that. Is it ... a ... TV THING?!"

I said: "Are you sure you have spent time around children?"

My kid loves to play with his Thomas stuff. It's great for him. He makes the little wooden steam engines "talk" to each other and plays out little scenarios as he pushes them around the track.

He also likes having the Thomas books read to him (it's an old British series written around the time of WWI). And yes, we let him also watch the videos sometimes. But, I fail to see how, overall, his exposure to that is harmful.

[LeftyMom]

4. Oh boy.

Waldorf schools are really, really anal about the no TV, no character thing. I dig the degree to which they value anti-commercialism, though I think they're a bit oppressive about it. I've heard of parents being called to pick a kid up for sending them to school in sneakers with cartoons on the side. They really should have been more explicit about the policy up front, so you could know and shop appropriately or opt for a different school if the policy bothers you.

Of course, my kid has the world's hugest crush on Dora the Explorer, one of many reasons we'd not make a good Waldorf school family.

edit: My kid's mad for wooden trains too, but he has off-brand and Brio ones and not Thomas.

[MiniMandaRuth]

3. That's about the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

I watch TV and play video games on school nights and all my teachers tell me I'm one of the best creative writers they ever taught!

Adults can be so... dumb sometimes.

[LuckyTheDog]

5. The TV thing I get

They'd like us to promise that he'll watch NO TV (even videos) till he is in 4th grade. But they also told us that they can't and don't enforce that. We said we'd do our best. We'll try to phase out his morning addiction to "George Shrinks," but allow him to watch occassional kid's videos on the weekends.

As it is, he watches zero commercial TV -- only pre-screened videos and a few innocent things on PBS and Canadian kid's TV.

But... I also like to let him pick out some things for himself. I think it builds his self-esteem. And that's where Spiderman and Batman come from.

My feelling is: if he really wants Spiderman boots (even though he doesn't really have a concept of Spiderman, having never seen the movies and TV shows), then darn it... why not?

[MiniMandaRuth]

7. That's what I don't get.

I mean, you're not sending him to school with weed or sugary snacks, right?

At least they have heros to look up too. If he wants to grow up and be like Spiderman (Which is what made me want to be Princess Leia for halloween once), then let him have the boots.

[Broken_Hero]

6. Sounds like a weird school to me

not my cup of tea. If I couldn't let my kid wear his superman, or whatever tshirt, or boots...don't know what to advise, sounds like its a private school, so I'm guessing you all ready paid money on schooling....