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I (35M) have two boys, 9M and 5 M. This year, my youngest is starting kindergarten, and the excitement in our home is off the charts. For years, he’s tagged along with his older brother on our annual school supply shopping trips, picking out arts and crafts supplies for home. But this year, he’s finally getting his school supplies, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
AITA for Not Following the School Supply Standards for My Children?
In our family, we cherish the tradition of allowing our children to make their own choices when it comes to school supplies, within reason. For example, if one of them selects a 120-count box of crayons, we might steer him towards a 96-count box for practicality.
Other than that, we let them choose freely. This ritual not only kicks off the school year with joy but also alleviates some of the “my baby is growing up” fears for my husband and me.
We also make it a point to include items from the teacher’s wish list, wrapping them up as a special thank-you gift from our kids to their new teacher. It’s our way of instilling gratitude and respect for educators from the get-go.
However, this year’s supply list came with an unexpected twist: a note specifying that all supplies should be exactly as listed because they will be shared among the students. This puzzled me, as I’ve always bought supplies specifically for my children, ensuring they have what they need and love.
Undeterred, I decided to continue our tradition. We wouldn’t get anything less than what was required, but I wanted my children to keep their chosen supplies in their backpacks. When I shared this plan with others, the reaction was less than supportive, although my husband fully backed the idea.
AITA for not adhering to the school’s supply-sharing rule?
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I’m Jake, 35, and a father of two boys, aged 9 and 5. This year, my youngest starts kindergarten, and we’re all thrilled. For years, he’s joined his older brother on our annual school supply shopping trips, picking out arts and crafts for home. Now, he’s finally getting his supplies.
We have a tradition of letting our kids choose their supplies, within reason. For example, if they pick a 120-count box of crayons, we might steer them to a 96-count box for practicality. This makes the start of the school year joyful and eases our parental anxieties.
We also include items from the teacher’s wish list, wrapped as thank-you gifts to teach gratitude and respect.
This year’s supply list, however, stated that all supplies must be exactly as listed because they would be shared among students. This puzzled me, as I always buy supplies specifically for my kids. I decided to stick with our tradition, getting what’s required but allowing my kids to keep their chosen supplies in their backpacks. My husband supported me, but others didn’t.
AITA for not following the school’s supply-sharing rule?
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