31 December 2023 , 10:52
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The woman thought her son deserved the punishment, but she didn't.
Not all parents fully support the rules and policies that the schools their children attend enforce, and it can create difficulties when parents are not on the same team as the teachers who are responsible for their children for a large proportion of the week.
While every school's policies will differ from one another, for the most part, all schools will have some kind of rules about how and when the pupils in attendance will be allowed to use their mobile phones, and one woman became absolutely fuming when her son came afoul of his school's incredibly strict no-phones policy.
The woman took to Mumsnet to express her frustration with what she felt was a 'ridiculous' policy and ask for advice on whether or not her reaction was a reasonable one. She explained that her 15-year-old son had his phone confiscated for the third time that term by his secondary school, which she noted was "Absolutely fine, he shouldn't have had it out so deserves the punishment."
However, the school's policy meant that she or her partner had to go and collect the phone, and they wouldn't simply return it directly to her son at 3.15 pm when the school day ended.
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"Tried to explain that 1. it means one of us leaving work, and 2. he needs it to access the gym straight after school, and 3. it [is] his property but they won't budge. It stays with [the] school until a parent can collect," the phone.
She emphasised that "in no way am I kicking off about the confiscation," which she felt was deserved punishment for her son repeatedly breaking the rule, however, she added that was absolutely "fuming [that] I'm also being punished as well!"
Many other users were quick to slam the mother and tell her that she was being totally unreasonable about the school's policy. One wrote: "They punish the parents to motivate them to take a stand against their child taking their phone out in class.
"You've been inconvenienced for the third time this term by your son's inability to follow a simple rule. What will the consequences be for him? I'd suggest maybe a lovely Nokia brick [phone] for Christmas?"
Another commented: "It does seem OTT but if this is the 3rd time this term you've had to go in and get it then I suggest you come down hard on your son and tell him next time it happens he'll have to wait until its convenient for one of you to go in. A couple of days without his phone might stop him getting it out at school don't you think."
However, some users agreed with the woman that the policy was an unreasonable one because many parents are unable due to work commitments to collect the phone in the middle of the day, with one commenting: "It's ridiculous, especially in this day and age when lots of parents can't just drop everything to be there at 3:15."
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