Overspending on Communions

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DeeFox

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http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6211594.ece

The link gives an article published recently in Sunday Times referring to parents who look for additional financial help for the "big day".

On my "big day" in the eighties I wore an outfit that had previously been worn by two older sisters and a few cousins. Some relatives called to the house and sandwiches and tea were laid on. The end.
For a seven year old I had a very nice day.

Why on earth aren't the schools making the uniform mandatory? The article refers to some schools that have a general white smock for all the students but that some girls "want to dress up" afterwards - there were plenty of things that I wanted as a child but didn't get and it did me no harm at all.

I'm amazed that the State is giving additional financial assistance to some families for the day. What about all the dosh that little Fiachra collects - could some of this be given to the parents to return to the poor taxpayer? Of course not - that would be ridiculous, but then lots of things about this day seem ridiculous to me!

What do others think?
 
My own friend who normally has plenty of common sense nearly lost the will to live when her school tried to change to uniform.

She has 3 girls and the oldest wasn't one bit bothered about it but the other two were very excited about wearing a white dress.
 
I made the grand sum of €26 for mine, so I did. I friend of my father's gave me a whole Tenner, so he did. BTW I still have it.. :)



[broken link removed]
 
becky said:
the other two were very excited about wearing a white dress.
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Were they as excited about the purpose of the day or just the dress ? It is an important day and I would agree that little girls are probably more excited than boys, but it's a pity that the meaning is so much lost in the surrounding noise & spend.

Incidentally my wife's wedding dress has had 4 airings.
- Wedding dress on the day
- Cut down to Christening robe , used twice for our daughter & son
- Remade up to Communion dress for our daughter
It's interesting to note that the other 3 in the house have all worn that wedding dress. ( I've no desire to do same in any form :D )
 
Other communion shops report that a three-piece suit for boys with matching shirt and tie are €300.
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Insanity

My 8yo son makes this Communion tomorrow, and his clothes for the day cost about half of that. After the Church, there's no stretch Hummer, no bouncy castle, no chamber orchestra playing in the downstairs loo, no ice sculptures, no caterer.

BTW, I treated myself to a suit for the day (hopefully many wears afterwards) and that didn't cost €300.
 
Graham 07- I could not tell you as my brain has an auto shut off button when people talk about weddings/communions and the colour they want to paint the walls. I do know the parents don't go to mass but were very particular about the school the kids went to.

A few years ago in Limerick one of the little girls arrived in a hummer and had a 'communion' maid to help her with her big dress. When she got her piece of bread her head piece lit up with little red lights. None of the other children had any heed in ceremony due to this great entertainment.

The priest was annoyed but as they were one of the few familied who attend mass every week as opposed to most of the others ( like my own friends) who just show up for a few weeks before the event, he said nothing.
 
becky said:
When she got her piece of bread her head piece lit up with little red lights
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This is so ridiculously excessive and frankly disgusting that it almost (literally) turned my stomach. I'm no saint (pardon the pun) when it comes to practicing my faith but I do recognize the importance of the different sacraments and take none of them lightly. This is a glaring instance of what is wrong with this country. Shocking. The parents should be put on bread and water for a year to teach them some humility, although it's generally the dregs of society that indulge in this disgusting behaviour, they probably can't spell 'humility', much less have the ability to learn it.
 
Surely making kids eat the body and blood of a man that lived 2000 years ago is wrong...?
 
baldyman27 said:
This is so ridiculously excessive and frankly disgusting that it almost (literally) turned my stomach. I'm no saint (pardon the pun) when it comes to practicing my faith but I do recognize the importance of the different sacraments and take none of them lightly. This is a glaring instance of what is wrong with this country. Shocking. The parents should be put on bread and water for a year to teach them some humility, although it's generally the dregs of society that indulge in this disgusting behaviour, they probably can't spell 'humility', much less have the ability to learn it.
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Different stokes. When I heard the story from someone who attended I had tears in my eyes laughing.
 
A friend of mine had a son making his Communion a couple of years ago. She said there was absolute uproar among the parents because the parish priest wanted to change it from Saturday to Sunday as there were several schools in the parish having First Communion the same weekend. Apparently the mothers were dreadfully upset because the hairdressers wouldn't be open on Sundays for them to get their hair done before the ceremony. There was a big meeting about it and I think it had to be switched back to Saturday. Needless to say, most of these mothers hadn't been inside a church since their child's christening.
 
The schools I presume would make it uniform if the parents agreed but its like everything that won't happen as you wont have all in agreement. A lot of children for Confirmation seem to wear uniform. Personally I think theres something special about seeing a little girl in her white dress on Communion day and little boy in his little outfit. All things can be done in moderation of course. Sadly for a lot of people the real meaning of the day is lost and the show takes over.
 
A few years ago in Limerick one of the little girls arrived in a hummer and had a 'communion' maid to help her with her big dress. When she got her piece of bread her head piece lit up with little red lights. None of the other children had any heed in ceremony due to this great entertainment.
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That is awful. Image what they will want for their confirmation, grad/debs.. wedding?!
 
My mother used to do a lot of Vincent de Paul work back in the eighties when nobody had any money. One year they had a rack of beautiful, only worn once Communion dresses which they offered to some very poor families in West Dublin. They all refused point blank to have a second hand dress. So my aunt, who had a large family, very happily took one for her daughter. I'm sceptical about what people who get financial assistance for First Communions would actually spend the money on or how much they really need it. If you were desperate you would accept charity and there was nothing wrong with those Communion dresses.
 
20 or even 30 years after making my communion (late 70's) I had a row with my sister about where our communion dresses were bought. Hers was bought in Hamills (I think it was called) in Thomas Street and I said mine was bought in the communion dress shop in Clondalkin.

My sister broke it to me that there was no communion dress shop and it was actually "the second hand shop". 30 years later I had no idea! They kept it from me for all those years. I told my mam I was highly insulted would need counselling as it proved I was a deprived child.

We were brought into town for the day, got sausages and chips in Woolworths for our lunch and were allowed buy stupid plastic snakes, badges, kaleidescope thingies you look into and Fuzzy Felt in Hector Greys. I also bought my first watch (a digital watch) in a jewellers in Thomas Street and thought I was cool. A homeless man in Thomas Street said I looked like a princess and had made his day and insisted I take a crumpled pound note which he pushed into my hand.

What a day.
 
Teatime said:
Surely making kids eat the body and blood of a man that lived 2000 years ago is wrong...?
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Finally someone making sense. A 7 year old child has no concept of what the whole ceremony of "communion" actually is.
I find the indoctrination of children at a young age, into a faith they know nothing about to be the sickest part of this whole ceremony.
 
Smashbox said:
That is awful. Image what they will want for their confirmation, grad/debs.. wedding?!
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Fake tan (orange being the preferred shade), wedding dresse so big they can't fit up the aisle, hair extentions, too much flesh on show and last of all big hoopy gold earings.

I think the reason I laughed so much was the girl who told told the story did it brillantly.
 
This has got to be one of the most bizarre excesses in Ireland. And I hate to say it, mothers are at fault for allowing themselves to be sucked in by the keeping up with the Jones' syndrome.
 
The_Banker said:
Finally someone making sense. A 7 year old child has no concept of what the whole ceremony of "communion" actually is.
I find the indoctrination of children at a young age, into a faith they know nothing about to be the sickest part of this whole ceremony.
Click to expand...

Every religion in the world does this.

Name one that doesn't.
 
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