The World Book Day is a nightmare for temporary working parents like me

When I desperately searched through my wardrobe, which is looking for a black dress that is small enough, not to look like a tent on my 10-year-old daughter, along with a few pantyhose and a cloak that I once carried to a Halloween party, I curse the World Book Day (WBD) for the 100th time.

You see as tired and slightly harmful mother of three years (Charlie, 16, Eddie, 12 and Jemima, 10). Halleluja!

As much as I would like to be a mother with handicrafts who could rustle a costume in the drop in a hat, I am more of a last minute 'add' to Korb 'Amazon.

And now it's WBD again and the pressure is switched on. I desperately order to order green facial color from Amazon so that my daughter can try to emulate Elphaba from Wicked and hunt for a few black tights that are not leaders.

My daughter tells me that one of the boys in her class as a magician of OZ, another girl like Wednesday and that two other classmates than teenagers from Dork Diaries go. Your BFF assumes Glinda from Wicked and has already dealt with jewelry from Claires Accessories and a wig.

The topic this year is “Read You Way”, which apparently contains either a figure from a popular book or an outfit in which you would feel comfortable.

Parent competition

And while I'm a big fan of books, I will not look back and miss WBD because I think that the value of reading in the competition return is lost. Instead, it is just another unnecessary burden for stressed working mothers like me.

Don't get me wrong, I know every mother is a working mother, but I have been self -employed since my three babies were and I have always worked around her. My working life as a freelance journalist for the national press is often unpredictable and filled with deadlines at the last minute. In addition to the school fairs and meetings, donation campaigns, information evening, meetings for the teacher and parents' evening, WBD only feels like before another I have to insert and make it together with my day job.

Where we live on the edge of the wonderful Cotswolds, I would not work about half of the mothers in my daughter's elementary school, which means that they have more time, energy and tendency to devote themselves to all school matters. And well for you, I say, because it is just as good. My three are all at different schools and sometimes stay like a full -time job.

And don't let me start with the fathers at home (Sahds). They are really competitive. I think it's wonderful that you want to be so committed, but some obviously see WBD as your chance to shine. Of course, these parents have temporary working mothers like me ashamed.

Mom blame

In an outstanding year there was the mother who opened a Matilda dress for her daughter and the Sahd, who made his son a costume that was covered with small silver pans – Mr.

In contrast, my daughter wore an old jacket and some old iodine tracks (far from Charlottes Webb) and my son was in a Willy Wonka -Top hat that I bought from Sainsbury's costume department and a massive vest that I was borrowed from my father (which was probably last in the late 1980s) (in the late 1980s).

Then there was the mother in the class of my daughter, who would have looked as queen of my daughter, as the queen of the heart with a crown, a white rabbit toy and a beautifully embroidered bodice that would not have looked out of place in a BBC production by Elizabeth 1st. It made my poor daughter, who basically only suppressed her night, à la Sophie from the BFG.

When I picked her up on that day, I was hit by four feet of pure nasty. “I had the worst costume,” she said. “Why couldn't you make me like the other mothers?” I promised to get better next year.

Bend the rules

It could be worse, I assume. I remember when all three of them were in primary school and it was a nightmare that I wanted to think of. My medium is autistic and has sensory problems so that he hates to wear itchy costumes, or something with labels that scratch it. I would have no choice but to put him in what he would wear at that time.

I think he probably made about two or three WBD as storm troops and at least one as Batman and Spiderman. Not exactly literary heroes, right?!

“Bless him!” I remember a mother whose daughter was disguised as a gangsta grandma and said when I waved my son in front of the school gates. In the flood of the morning I found that I also wore my slippers at school. Oops!

So I will be very happy when everything is over and I don't have to pretend that I would take care of the World Book Day. This year I will set the alarm a little earlier, so I have time to help my daughter cover up in green color. Let's hope that this is the last one I ever have to do.

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