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Suck-Up Parents
Creed's middle school had a Sock Hop Friday night. It was for parents only.
That's right. This is for parents who are so involved in their kids' schools that now they go dancing there on Friday nights and leave their kids at home.
I don't want to criticize the parents who went.
I just want to raise the question: Do the kids of ultra-involved parents get treated better in school because their parents buddy up to the teachers, volunteer at the school and otherwise create an obligation of be-nice-to-my-kid? And let me take it further: Aren't most of these moms the stay-at-home version? And, thus, we arrive at the conclusion: The children of working moms are discriminated against.
Is there a lobbyist I can hire to suck up to teachers for me and my children while I'm at work?
I noticed a while ago that the PTA meetings are in the morning during work hours, at 9 a.m. I think that speaks for itself.
I never realized that in order for my child to be treated fairly, I would have to become a PTA mom. And I regret that I can't. Well, regret might be too strong a word.
I could probably end these nuisance phone calls from Creed's teachers about him throwing a noodle or making jokes in class if I showed up on Saturday to plant begonias in the front lawn.
But why should I have to?
Unrelated strange Lily (5) comments this week: "Do you know how to play a guitar while you're driving?''
And while holding a golf ball: "I'm so nice to Daddy cuz I didn't throw this in his face.''
bw
Gretchen Day-Bryant has a son in high school and a daughter in middle school. She’s lived to tell about the struggles of juggling little kids and work...
Joy Oglesby has an infant daughter and a sister 13 years her junior, whom she babies to the now-adult...
Cindy Kent Fort Lauderdale mother of three. Her kids span in ages from teenager to 20s...
Rafael Olmeda and his wife welcomed their first son in Feb. 2009, and he's helping raise two teenage stepdaughters...
Lois Solomon lives in Boca Raton with her husband and three daughters...
Anne Vasquez is the Online Editor in charge of overseeing SunSentinel.com. She is the mother of a 5-year-old boy and a newborn daughter.
Georgia East is the parent of a five-year-old girl, who came into the world weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces...
Brittany Wallman is the mother of Creed, 13, and Lily, 6, and is married...
Chris Tiedje is the Social Media Coordinator, and father of two boys and a girl all under the age of seven.
Comments
The only difference would be that the teachers would have an opportunity to tell you to your face of your child's bad manners as opposed to having to use the telephone.
Posted by: Renee | May 1, 2007 12:45 PM
If a school and /or teacher is giving preferential to the children of "active parents" you should contact the school administration. I have never noticed a difference at my kids school and there are some uber-involved parents there! I know this type of preferential treatment would not fly with our school.
Posted by: DadofTwo | May 3, 2007 1:59 PM
I am a stay at home Mother and I know how you feel. I help occasionally, but I don't feel it is my duty to constantly suck up to the teacher or help out with the needless parties that seem to happen every other week at my children's school. I also don't want to put my very active 2 year old in daycare every time the school needs help. I think the uber-parents are helping to create a bunch of self indulgent, self entitled kids, who are going to work unless someone gives them a party every week! I don't want to be involved in that. It also does seem at my kids school that the uber-parents kids get treated better, by the teachers too. Also just how much does the PTA want to "help" the school. There is a fund raiser EVERY month at that school, and no one every really clearly states what the funds will be used for. I think this is getting out of hand.
Posted by: Kerri | June 19, 2009 12:29 PM