Do you really need to attend ever single event the school asks you to?
The pressure to be THAT MUM only gets worse.
Another school assembly, another sports carnival, another performance. Literacy groups, morning teas, tuckshop duty, craft afternoons.
Fundraisers. P & C. Dress-up days. Swimming carnivals. Cross-country. And then yet-another assembly.
Once your child reaches school age it seems the demands on your time are endless.
Parent helper becomes your new job title after chef, personal stylist, therapist, beautician, chauffer, nurse, maid, sports coach and the-one-who-remembers-the-Wi-Fi-password.
My guilt reached tipping point the other day when yet another note came home asking for parent participation.
Needed: parent helpers for an afternoon of dinosaur mask making.
As I took it out of the school bag, I thought to myself I just can’t do it.
Like many mums I work and with three kids the juggle is tough. Three sets of events to be at, three sets of concerts to watch.
Three different races to cheer. Three different matches to attend.
Three sets of guilt all encompassing at times.
“But Mama, the other mums stay longer.”
“But Mama HIS mum came in to help out.”
“Why don’t you ever come in?”
“Please, Mama. Please.”
It is yet another THING TO FEEL GUILTY ABOUT.
Top Comments
Feeling much better thank you!
I am about to teach Grade 5/6 and I'm happy to offer parents the OPPORTUNITY to come and help out in class, I would never expect or demand it - my mum has worked my whole life and I can probably count on both hands the number of times she helped out in class or came to an event during school hours. When it's a choice between going to work or not, it's tough, especially if you don't have the luxury of flexibility in your work hours.
Oh and also - no teacher I know considers the parents who can't make it to activities "bad parents" or anything like that - the teachers who are parents face the same struggle. There is a very big difference between the parents who duck your calls and the parents who simply can't make it in