Just as I imagined I would be married by 21 with kids by 23 (wrong and wrong), I pictured myself as the consummate Home Room Mom. You know…. the one up at school 3 days a week, planning every holiday party with gusto?
I’m not.
At all.
And, gosh…. for my sweet girl’s sake, I really want to be…. because she is still at an age where she really wants me there. And for the past few years I’ve been there, but my gusto has been a touch absent. Don’t get me wrong, my happy face is firmly in place in the classroom, but my heart simply isn’t in the planning.of.every.single.detail as it relates to all class events. And as much as I loved making these ornaments with Delaney’s class last Christmas (they are gorgeous, aren’t they?) they weren’t my idea – I had to ask on Twitter for something brilliant. Fortunately, there are brilliant volunteer minds out there. (hint, hint friends… many of them are on Twitter and Facebook – ask and they will answer!)
Quite honestly, I don’t want to be in charge.
I just want to be there.
And for the first time, with both of my small people at the same school, for the same hours, I will be able to volunteer in small shifts, on a more regular basis. I know schools need lots of hands and lots of hearts. And what is beautiful, in my mind, about volunteering at your child’s school, is that you have the opportunity to give what you can, what works best for you and your family – be it an hour or ten, twenty dollars or two-hundred.
In the past, I volunteered for large events. Events that required lots of woman hours – lots of planning. What I want to do now? The small stuff. What matters to me is what matters to my small people – that they see my face. At school. I don’t want to volunteer for the big-behind-the scenes stuff….. I want to actually be there when I can. I want to help at lunch time and recess, at school fairs and book events. When my reward is a giggle, a smile and a wave. Maybe even a point and a whisper, “that’s my mommy”. They are still at an age when it is cool to see ‘Mommy’ at the school. I’m smart enough to know that won’t last forever. I just hope it lasts through this year.
I want to take advantage of that as long as I can.
I SUPPORT MY SCHOOL.. MY WAY! And I’m joining VolunteerSpot’s sponsored Back To School campaign to help raise visibility for parent involvement in schools.
Save time {and sanity} and get more parents involved at school with VolunteerSpot.com!
VolunteerSpot’s FREE online signup sheets make it easy to organize parents and signup to help for just about anything: classroom helpers, snack schedules, carnivals, library volunteers, parent-teacher conferences and more…. No more ‘Reply-All’ email chains or clipboard sign up sheets! Please share with your room mom, teachers and parent leaders…
Plus there’s a huge Sweepstakes on VolunteerSpot’s Facebook page!
Win $500 worth of school supplies for YOUR School! Enter here
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