A mother was left questioning herself after other parents started giving her weird looks when she dropped off her 3-year-old daughter in nursery.
Taking to the parenting forum Mumsnet, the woman said she felt like being judged by other parents because of the clothes she makes her child wear.
Explaining that her daughter often gets messy from painting, she wrote: “I have never worried about the condition of her clothes or the state of cleanliness – I’d rather she has fun while I’m at work.”
She went on: “But this morning I sent her in a jumper that had paint over it – stained. It was perfectly clean, just had green paint splodges over the front.”
But when she dropped off her daughter, she received odd looks from fellow parents.
“I’m wondering whether it’s looking like a safeguarding or neglect issue. She’s always clean in herself, just her clothes could have any number of paint splodges over,” she went on.
Mumsnet users sympathized with the mother, saying they also do the same thing.
One mother commented: “Basically all of my daughter’s tops have stains on them. She’s always in clean (as in washed) clothes, but I’m not going to throw away every top that gets paint or tomato on it.”
Another wrote: “My daughter goes into nursery in stained clothing. Our nursery even ask we put them in clothes that they wouldn’t wear outside of the nursery as they do so many crafts/painting/water play/outside activities.”
A third said: “I mentally divide clothes into nursery clothes and non-nursery clothes. If it’s already stained it’s automatically in nursery clothes.”
Someone else added: “Children need to play without fear of being scolded by Mum for getting paint on their branded posh clothes. In years to come, what should their memories be? Not being kitted out in expensive clothes, unable to have fun and learn skills!”
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