Pre-Christmas school-related grumpiness

Anyone who follows me on Twitter may have noticed a long rant about a school event and the totally dire communication about it from school and the PTA.

But it’s not just the official communication, it’s also the attitude of some of the PTA. They assume that we can read between the lines and guess what’s going on. They seem to think they have the right to suggest ways for us to fit our lives around their events and meetings and whatever else. Every question I ask someone has an answer for that’s belittling and each time I’m confused it’s my fault, not theirs.

And then there’s the seemingly interminable demands for donations and smellies and any item a certain colour and a bottle of booze and so on and so on.

And the expectation that I attend every event. There are several PTA mums with children in large boy’s class. They regularly try to encourage me to join in. I’m theoretically interested, they do an amazing job and could do with some help with clear and properly spelled fliers. But when the meetings are at 3.15pm, sorry that’s during work hours. When the meetings are at 3.15pm and the PTA kids get to attend after school club for free, that rather annoys me.

And the please bring a jam jar (but we won’t tell you who needs it or why – answer my child for the carols, but apparently I don’t need to know that).

And the Christmas crafting session at 10.30am on a Monday morning.

And send in a pale or white tee shirt to decorate.

None of this accommodates the working parent who’s already only just got everything under control dealing with every day life. Normally I pull out almost all the stops and make sure that the kids get to join in all the events and we do our but with donations and contributions and everything else asked of us.

Yeah, so I’m in a pretty pissed off mood with everything school related at the moment. I’ve had a good vent now, in the privacy of Twitter and (somewhat foolishly) in response to some threads on the class Facebook group.

It feels like all the PTA mums have an answer for every question. They’re informed and, whether they intend it or not, dismissive. They don’t seem to get that a 45min turn around is horrid. They might have to do it occasionally, but we deal with it every week so that large boy can go to Beavers.

I won’t choose to do it more than necessary.

I won’t choose to do it to accommodate chaotic, badly communicated and pressurised event that’ll probably get rained off anyway.

So roll on mummy guilt, welcome annoyed kids missing out on sweets and tombola, and lay that disapproval of the PTA mums on me. Because none of that matters compared to giving the kids an easier ride, just for once, in the run up to Christmas.

Disclaimer: PTA people are actually awesome. You do what the rest of us don’t or can’t. I’m sorry I’m cross with you right now.