School isn't doing a Book Week parade this year. I'm glad but I also miss it

"I love what the school is doing instead to honor Book Week, but I'm still longing for the draaamaa of the parade," Mum of two Shona writes.

For seven years I have been a Master Book Week Parent (MBWP), the special title I have appointed myself with for the effort, time, money, creativity and stress that has gone into costumes for my two daughters every year while attending both pre-school and now primary school.

 

Like thousands of other parents around the country, Book Week and the usually associated costume day/s that go along with it can either be ‘super fun’ or ‘kill me now’ events in a household with younger kids.

Or like in my case, start as ‘super fun’ and then slowly transform into one of the most dreaded school weeks on the calendar without even realising this is the case until you are simultaneously crying while gluing a frog, bird, dog and cat onto a witch’s broom at midnight.

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RELATED: Mum nails Book Week with pass-agg costume creation

"Definitely puts pressure on the mental load"

Over the years my husband (he’s the sewer) and I have definitely paid our Book Week dues and created everything from a lava-spewing volcano (a volcano-obsessed, non-fiction book phase), the Room on the Broom Witch, Slinky Malinki, Dr Dog, to more popular (and easy to buy options) including the ‘cool’ raptor from Jurassic Park and of course, Waldo from Where’s Wally?

Such good memories for my girls especially.

While some years have definitely put pressure on the mental load (i.e., the times when I thought making costumes was going to be fun) more than others (a quick trip to Big W), the weeks are usually still quite taxing on organisation and often the hip pocket fronts.

So, this year, when I read my daughters’ newsletter to find Book Week, was soon approaching, the automatic dread that filled the pit of my stomach was very quickly replaced by a sense of joy that nearly had me tapping my feet while jumping into the air (if only I had the coordination): there was to be no costume day for Book Week this year!

Shona's daughters in previous Book Week years. Image: supplied

RELATED: I’m a lazy mum and here’s my genius (free) Book Week costume hack

"The school had a new event"

After reading the section several times (just in case my past trauma had me subconsciously skipping that sentence), I was assured that yes, I had read it correctly and that no, there was no need to plan for two book character costumes in 2023.

Instead, the school had a different event. (Uh-oh) I hear you say (and don’t worry, that was my reaction too) but there was no need for concern because this event was actually one that I (and everybody for that matter) can get behind- a book swap!

The idea behind it is that your child takes a book into school that they have read and no longer want and in return, they take home a book from another child that interests them. It is like a book rehoming day for all the unwanted books out there to find a new life and really, what better way to celebrate books and the love of reading than doing that?

As well as being a very clever way to encourage kids to pick up a book, it is eco-friendly which is a bonus too. But perhaps the best thing of all is that an event which once used to be near the top of many households’ mental load come August, is (well, at least at my children’s school), now not so much, and for that I am eternally grateful.

But I can't help but miss all the behind-the-scenes drama of the parade. Yes, I can't believe I'm saying that, either. I guess I'm feeling sentimental about seeing the joyful end product as the girls paraded with their classmates, so impressed with the results of the planning and effort, blissfully unaware of the negatives.

Isn't that why we did it, after all?

"Book Week in 2023 has been different"

In 2023 there will be no brainstorms of which book character is cool enough to wear and actually feasible to make (or buy), and there will be no Spotlight shopping sprees where an entire weekend is dedicated to sourcing the correct colour red for lava, or what glue will actually stick specific types of material without forever gluing your hands to it too.

No more late night sewing the day before costume day because your child thought it’d be fun to try on the costume the evening prior only to accidentally rip an ear off Dr Dog’s ear headband.

For this year at least, there will be no more stress, no more crafting, no more blood, sweat and tears and oh my, I have never been so happy to see Book Week in the school calendar.

It's been nice to have a break... but I'm ready for a parade in 2024!

Originally published as School isn't doing a Book Week parade this year. I'm glad but I also miss it