WWYD- coat stained at school harvest festival?

[jennilynn510]

Well that was rude.

i was trying to make light of a bad situation...geez

 

[heididun]

When you bought the coat, did you put it on a credit card? A lot of credit cards have a 90 day buyer protection plan that would cover something like this. It's really come in handy a couple of times for me.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Can you use the eraser on clothes? wicked idea!

DD14 and her friends were making shirts for Spirit Day with puff paint and would "erase" their mistakes with Magic Eraser. It took ALOT of scrubbing but it did take the paint out!

Good luck, OP. I have to agree with the others though that I would never send a kid to school or daycare in anything that I wouldn't expect to get stained. Kids are messy.

 

[mombare]

While this situation is unfortunate, I think the OP did say something to the teacher at the time. I agree that if you want to maintain a good relationship, don't call the office. Put yourself in the teacher's shoes...she obviously knows it wasn't the best judgement, she is probably already frustrated at how bad it went, and now the parent who saw her struggling (and talked to her about it already) has called the office to complain. I guess we can't even assume it was her idea - it may have been something one of the other teachers planned and the whole school did. It just comes full circle back to the teacher - who already admitted the mistake. It seems clear the school is not going to reimburse for the coat, as you really shouldn't send them to school in clothes that can't get dirty...so your complaining again is only going to make you look like the bad person here. IMHO.
Sorry about the coat, though - very frustrating!

 

[rantnnravin]

It may have been rude, but appropriate. I have a 5 year old and a 6 year old. I would never complain or be outraged if they got dirty in school. BTW, my kids wear LL bean coats, have LL bean school bags, etc. If they got dirty, I'd try and clean them. I'd never call the school to complain. There are so many other things where such energy would be much better spent. IMHO.

normal dirt and wear and tear is expected
having a brand new coat ruined in an ill-conceived activity is not. And the OP's child was NOT even using the paint!
The OP is justifiably upset. We send our kids to school in clothes that we know will get smeared, shoes that will scuff, even coats that may rip during recess. This is all expected. No parent could have expected that their child's coat would be stained by paint! Paint is used inside - where coats are not worn. If I am going to paint the outside of my house, I will wear clothing appropriate for the task and an old coat or sweatshirt. I will dress my child in clothes appropriate for the expected environment.
To say that a parent should "expect" that their child will be painting in their outerwear is preposterous. No reasonable adult would take that as an expected consideration when dressing their child for school.

 

[mikkishelles]

normal dirt and wear and tear is expected
having a brand new coat ruined in an ill-conceived activity is not. And the OP's child was NOT even using the paint!
The OP is justifiably upset. We send our kids to school in clothes that we know will get smeared, shoes that will scuff, even coats that may rip during recess. This is all expected. No parent could have expected that their child's coat would be stained by paint! Paint is used inside - where coats are not worn. If I am going to paint the outside of my house, I will wear clothing appropriate for the task and an old coat or sweatshirt. I will dress my child in clothes appropriate for the expected environment.
To say that a parent should "expect" that their child will be painting in their outerwear is preposterous. No reasonable adult would take that as an expected consideration when dressing their child for school.

But, in the event that the clothes got stained, would you call the school and complain?

 

[surfgirl]

I agree, washable paint is not always so... but every time it gets washed, more will be come out (or fade more). I've tried them all: Windex, Zout, nail polish remover, liquid hand soap, dishwashing detergent (btw, this is great for any grease stains, butter, olive oil, etc.)... just keep working it, working it, working it.

Alternatively, can you be creative ? Get a fun patch and put it on both sides ? Or both sleeves ? Put some fun trim on ? Paint or draw something that uses it ? Think outside the box... I once had a Nautica coat that I loved... got a hole in it from car battery fluid. I added a red stripe around the coat (similar to the green ones on it)... it looked great and no one could tell.

The bright side ? It is always identifiable in the lost and found !

So sorry to hear of this. I know you are frustrated. I wouldn't call the office - at this point, it is too late. If your child will be in this school for many years, you don't want to be known in the office as the complainer. Save your battles for important ones that may come later.

 

[surfgirl]

duplicate post. so sorry.

 

[Kayleebug]

I would be a little upset, but I wouldn't complain. I'd chalk it up to a lesson to learn from in the future. On the flip side, what if the teacher sent a bill to every parent of a child who broke their things in the room? I teach first grade, and I cannot tell you how many things the children have broken in my room. This is a part of life. Things happen.

 

[branv]

While this situation is unfortunate, I think the OP did say something to the teacher at the time. I agree that if you want to maintain a good relationship, don't call the office. Put yourself in the teacher's shoes...she obviously knows it wasn't the best judgement, she is probably already frustrated at how bad it went, and now the parent who saw her struggling (and talked to her about it already) has called the office to complain. I guess we can't even assume it was her idea - it may have been something one of the other teachers planned and the whole school did. It just comes full circle back to the teacher - who already admitted the mistake. It seems clear the school is not going to reimburse for the coat, as you really shouldn't send them to school in clothes that can't get dirty...so your complaining again is only going to make you look like the bad person here. IMHO.
Sorry about the coat, though - very frustrating!

I totally agree. You DID already complain, the teacher admitted it was a poor choice. So what is the purpose of taking it to a higher level -- if you wanted to keep it from happening again, it sounds like you did that. The only reason to take it to a higher level is to get the teacher in trouble or get something financial out of it, which will make you seem either spiteful or overly dramatic. Which is just going to hurt your communication relationship with the school when something truly important comes up.

Let it go, chalk it up as a learning experience and recognize that the teacher is doing so as well.

 

[disykat]

Frustrating, but stuff happens. Your daughter could have fallen and ripped the coat. Someone could throw up on her. She could inadvertantly bump against car grease. The list could go on and on.

It's very frustrating when things get ruined, but it happens.

The school already figured out the paint was a problem and removed the paint from the project area so it wouldn't continue - what good is adding more complaints to the pile going to do? It happened, everyone figured out it was bad, there's nothing you can do about it now but make a stink.

 

[rantnnravin]

But, in the event that the clothes got stained, would you call the school and complain?

OP has already told the teacher she will be stopping in to the office on Monday if it did not come out in the wash. If i were the OP, I would follow through with whatever I said I was going to do. I'm not generally one who makes empty threats. DD knows this all too well
If I were OP and this were my child's coat, I would have addressed it at pick-up time when I saw the paint all over her coat. I likely would have gone to the main office then and asked to speak with the art teacher to find out the best methods for removal - since she would be the most likely person to have to deal with such issues on a regular basis and has probably developed a number of strategies. By doing so, the main office would have been made aware of the situation and any fact-finding / offers from administration would have come then.

Ongoing communication with your teachers, school and administration - for good or troublesome issues - is important. If the OP is a regular helper mom, I doubt she'll be viewed as a "problem" parent. As long as she approaches the situation with a calm and level head, explains that she has tried to get the paint out and asks for suggestions on what course of action she should take next -while also mentioning that had she known in advance that this activity was going to take place, she would have provided her DD with different outerwear so as not to ruin her new coat - those in the school will try to help her. It's all in the attitude you approach the situation with. She might also want to be sure to mention how much fun everyone seemed to be having and how much her DD learned from the experience.

FWIW: I deal with a number of "problem" parents over the course of a given year. It never diminishes the education I provide for their children. It comes with the territory.

 

[FoundMyPrince]

Please don't try to get money or the coat back from LL Bean or the credit card company - the situation wasn't their fault!

You have complained to the teacher. Hopefully it's a lesson learned and they won't do an activity like this again. Sounds like a poor decision on the teachers part, and she knows it.

What is it that you want out of the situation? Do you want the teacher to pay for all the ruined or stained coats? Do you want the school to pay? I would doubt the school or teacher could do those things - would they begin paying for jeans that got stained or shirts?

 

[famofsix]

I guess my take on it is that I would be annoyed and frustrated that my child was outside near paint in her new coat. I would do everything in my power to get the stain out and mention I was annoyed and frustrated that no smocks were used for the activity. But I wouldn't expect or ask for reimbursement. We have a chewed sleeping bag from LL Bean but it is not their fault that the dog chewed it

The good part in all this is that your child's school is hands-on and creative. Complaining may eliminate that feature because teachers will be afraid that creativity is too much of a risk.

If you approach it that way you can go to the office and suggest that future activities have more planning to prevent a school coat being ruined (sending a note home ahead of time to send old warm clothes would do the trick). Then you can be positive in that the activity was something you support but please in the future can better precautions be put in place.

Live and Learn.

 

[Green Tea]

Please don't try to get money or the coat back from LL Bean or the credit card company - the situation wasn't their fault!

I agree not from the store. And not by chargeback on the credit card. But what the PP mentioned is a special "insurance" type of thing some credit cards offer. Items paid with the card are covered for loss or breakage, etc within a certain period of time.

 

[mombare]

if it didnt' come out I would be visiting the office in on Monday to complain
These are the exact words used by the OP, and they are emotion words...and we say things when we are upset that may not always be the best course of action. In my opinion, this is one of those "threats" that is not it always appropriate to follow through on. I agree with a pp about not making empty threats, but with your kids things are very different because you are the higher power. Using that style of communication with another adult is taking things in a different direction. I have not seen the OP comment again through the 4 pages of posts, but I think the situation depends on what she intends to accomplish by talking with the office.
If her intention is to be reimbursed for the coat...Good Luck. I think that has been discussed.
If her intention is to not have the situation happen again...that was accomplished during the activity because the paint had been removed.
If her intention is to voice her frustration with what happened...she has already done that with the teacher during and after school. It doesn't seem productive to be a squeaky wheel, as that will only impair communication.
If her intention is to find a solution to get the stain out...calling the office to "complain" doesn't seem appropriate.
That being said...it woudn't be inappropriate to have a nice conversation with the teacher and just let her know the stain did not come out. Ask if she has any suggestions or if others in the school may have suggestions (like the art teacher ).
It does make a difference what the intended result will be.

 

[jessica52877]

I really need to weigh in on this. I feel that this is the reason that so many activities get stopped! A parent complains, or 2 or 3 and suddenly no more paint at school. No going outside at recess because of other complaints. I don't want my kid to be bump on a log, I want exercise and creativitiy.

Would I be upset, yes, more so with myself for sending my child in such an expensive coat!

DS5 came home the first week of K with a shirt ruined each day. One day it was milk, another paint and who knows what the 3rd day was (thank goodness they only went 3 days that week). Although they were all very nice name brand (tommy, gap) shirts, none of them I paid more then $10 for so it wasn't the end of the world and I do send him to school in them still.

I specifically bought him a coat for school this year (clearanced from disneyshopping for $15). He has a beautful sweater coat from gymbo he wears out and the other is for school and play.

 

[ZuZugal]

WWYD- complain to the school? I know there are more serious issues in the world but this irks me that it was an inappropriate activity to do w/ the winter coats on.

First, yes I would let the school know that this particular activity (paint and winter coats) do not mix well and if paint is present than so should smocks/old sweatshirts, etc. I am also very big on "don't complain unless you can be a part of the solution." So...along those lines you may want to let them know you'd be happy to coordinate finding the smocks/whatever for the next activity if needed.

As far as the coat, it's a lesson learned. My youngest is in kindergarten and he does not go dressed in his best clothes, ever. I know this is a "different" situation being outside and all, buy you are correct, there are more serious issues in life!

 

[seashoreCM]

Not that LL Bean is at fault here, but if it was brand new...I think that LL Bean would take it back & give you a new coat or credit you.
My brother purchased a backpack from LL Bean. Three weeks later for his Birthday he got a bigger size bag that his laptop fit nicely into so he returned the first one. He went to put it in the box to ship it back & noticed some marks on the bottom so he tried to get the marks off & ended up bleaching the bag a little. Well, being a broke college kid he returned the bag & got a new one. (which wasn't what he was going for, he wanted a credit) LL Bean is really good about returns & I'm sure they would help you out. ...

Good people don't do things like this.

Occasionally a child has to go to school wearing good clothes due to some formal activity before or after. A good teacher will keep that child away from messy activities. Otherwise the next time a good parent will have the child change as needed which may result in a tardiness or an early pickup dismissal or even an absence.

OT: Every so often wipe the latch area of car doors and door frames clean and dry so people don't get grease and dirt all over their clothes. Contrary to what the owner's manual says, don't put grease or silicone there.

 

[brekin67]

Get some more paint out and let your child make handprints, designs, anything they want on it, then the green paint will blend in. Try to be creative with the coat, I bet you can come up with something.