Help, I forgot that it’s World Book Day!
It’s not unlikely that my son is sitting in his normal clothes at nursery on World Book Day surrounded by kids whose parents remember things. I saw this tweet the other day: a child, clearly a gifted one, announced that they were subverting World Book Day and going to school dressed as a ‘muggle.’ No silly capes. No wig. No lightning bolt Biro’d on their forehead by a tired parent covered in cornflakes. Clever kid I thought. Followed by, “oh Yeah, World Book Day. Yet another bloody thing to remember.”
You see, World Book Day wasn’t a thing in my day. Class divides between the haves and have-nots mostly happened during ‘mufti day’, also known as the day you could show off if you came from a family that could afford Kickers or not. But don’t you think, and I’ll whisper this part, that World Book Day is just another loathsome opportunity for parent-bragging? Children divided between parents who frantically search Google to see if there is a literary character made up of clingfilm – and parents who remember things. Oh cool, you got a degree in literature in 2001 and actually, yes, now that you mention it, your child does do that character from page 492 of War & Peace justice. Good for you. Now leave me alone while I watch this re-run of Sex and The City I can recite by heart.
World Book Day costumes for kids - in pictures
There’s an assumption, when one becomes a parent, that you develop a capacity to remember absolutely everything a child could possibly need. Wet wipes. Snacks. Tissues. Distractions. Your literature degree. An outfit for World Book Day. Since becoming a parent, I’ve lost count of the amount of times a stranger has stopped me in the park and said, “oh you must have a tissue!” as they gestured towards the fresh bird faeces on their shoulder. Okay, that happened once. But the point stands.
As I said, my son is likely sitting in nursery in his normal clothes right now, surrounded by miniature Harry Potters. Well, son, you’ve just turned two and you can’t read yet. But I promise you by next year, I’ll have taught you the word muggle.
