It is all too often in public schools that mothers are “tapped” to volunteer at school functions. And although I don’t mind giving money to the PTA or worthy causes such as buying a cow for hungry family in Africa, the thought of volunteering for certain school events goes against my New England upbringing. Beanie Baby Bingo, Ice Cream Day, and the most offensive of all—Restaurant Day.
At other schools, in the city, Restaurant Day is when the parents come to the school and the children act as waiters and take the parents’ orders, serve the food, tot-up the checks and make the parents to pay. All the money goes to the school. The kids learn, it is a change of pace for the parents and the school gets money. It is a win-win-win situation.
Here is the suburbia, because the children are not spoiled enough by being driven around in SUVs with DVD movies playing on surround sound for their enjoyment, we are also supposed to take a day off from work to go into their elementary school to act as waiters and serve them pizza.
I received a desperate e-mail from an ubermom a few weeks before the Restaurant Day begging for parents to help wait tables for the event. Obviously I was not the only parent who felt the event was redundant to life.
“Honestly” I told the eager mother--”Is it not enough that we serve the little beasts breakfast AND dinner, must we take off work to go and serve lunch to them at the school as well? ”
The Ubermom responded--”But, but...the children, the children....they work so hard at school—this is just a little gesture to tell them we appreciate them...”
“I don’t know about your kid, but I feel my child is barely challenged...how hard can it be? “
This bizarre behavior makes me wonder if my Brita water filter is really strong enough to keep me safe from what ever is causing this distorted belief that we are raising princes and princesses who must be praised, pampered, and doted on constantly.
3 comments:
I believe I just found a soul mate. I personally enjoy it when the school schedules the conferences during the day and the attitude you get when you ask to have it scheduled for a NORMAL hour. "Wait, you work out....SIDE the home?" they ask incredulously? "Uh, yes, and might I point out so do YOU!"
Send me an amount you want from each parent and then get your community-ladder-climbing perfecto-moms to work the craft table for the new rubber chips for the playground.
Hey!
Yes...not only do I work "outside the home"...My child is also "A Single" as opposed to being a spare child...I guess.
Yes... I think a dollar amount would be much more effective than having to peddle cheap holiday gifts to friends and spend hours at a bake sale table--not that I ever have.
Why on earth would parents want to send their kids the message that besides being parents, they are also their children's personal servants? This story is the craziest I have heard yet! The PTA/School should put a stop to this practice immediately!In fact, I am strongly tempted to march into the next PTA meeting and denounce the people who started this. Don't they have something useful they can do with their lives-such as driving themselves and their pampered kids to the local soup kitchen where both the parents and kids could learn to do something useful?
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