As May comes to a close, we?re hurtling toward the end of the school year and all the madness it contains. There are field trips and three field days, teacher appreciation activities, fundraisers, school fun fairs, wacky hair day, pajama day, choir and orchestra concerts and all kinds of end-of-the-year programs that parents are invited (expected") to attend.
As I drag my heels and follow my three kids (7, 8 and 10) into this brief, breathless season that comes back around every year, I find myself thinking that there is so much more expected of parents today than there used to be.
I?ve confirmed with my mom: Her schedule was not as crammed or as stressful as mine?and she was a single parent of three.
I had one end-of-year event in elementary school?when I graduated the fifth grade. My sons" Every year they have a reading awards ceremony, a dance-off, a moving-up-to-the-next-grade celebration, an end-of-the-school-year party, and a Physical Education Day. And they?re all on different days of the week, for each kid. At this rate, I should just camp out at the school. Fortunately, I work for myself, from home, which makes attending these festivities possible?what do full-time working parents with less flexible schedules do" Every time I turn around, someone is asking me if I want to volunteer for something. Someone is inviting me to an after-school event. Someone is telling me about another award ceremony that?s scheduled?an award ceremony for passing standardi...