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Duvet Days for the kids?


Posted by School Run Mum on 22/11/2011. Tags: School Run Mum Parenting

text re imageWe’ve all had that awful, sinking feeling on a cold, dark, winter’s morning – oh no…….work. You know, those mornings where you just cannot face work and just want to turn off the alarm, roll over and go back to sleep. And, of course, it’s the same for the children. They wake up groggy, grumpy and just don’t want to go to school.

For adults, the concept of ‘duvet days’ was developed for those days when you just can’t face the office, and rather than faking a terrible illness and coughing uncontrollably down the phone, the duvet day (or mental health day as it is sometimes called) allows employees to have that quiet time at home you desperately need to get back on track.

For most parents, when the kids try the ‘I don’t want to go to school’ routine, they arepacked off regardless; nothing less than an outbreak of tropical, infectious disease being considered reason enough to take the day off school. But some parents see things differently and allow their children to take the day off, to take their ‘duvet day’ and have some down-time at home.

The parents who believe in the concept of duvet days for their kids argue that, just like adults, children sometimes just need to re-group for the sake of their mental health and after taking a day off will return to school feeling much more positive, confident and ready to engage in social interactions and learning again. Other parents see this as teaching children that it’s acceptable to decide you don’t want to do something, and argue that this approach sets a bad example for their working life and for life in general.

It’s an interesting debate. What do you think? Is an occasional duvet day for the kids acceptable, or do you think they should be taught that school simply isn’t optional.

Let me know what you think and I’ll ponder your responses from the warmth and comfort of my duvet.


Comments

Anne Matthews

(01-12-2011 23:26)


The concept of 'duvet days' is nothing but an excuse to get a day off to do something you want to do when you wont get the time off any other way.
If a child is avoiding the day at school the first thought should be 'why?' It's more likely to be an attempt to avoid a subject or a teacher that they're not overly fond of, or they haven't done work that is needed for that day. Persistent avoidance attempts probably mean something more is worrying them, and it's would be far better to find and sort the problem rather than just delay the worry for another 24 hours.

Ann Balfe

(02-12-2011 11:53)


'duvet days' should be kept for school holidays - the school calendar is structured so that the longest term is approx 8 weeks and then a full week off - so there is really no need to miss a day of school for a 'duvet day' .....

Mary T

(24-01-2012 11:13)


I think duvet days are fab...occasionally when i have slept in and dont want to rush the kids out the door, i insist they have a duvet day...great fun seeing their little faces, the excitement, an unexpected day off....it is only very occasionally though!!

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