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Update 7/8/2015: Below is a post I wrote over a year ago after a sweaty, unpleasant night at a school carnival. It was meant to be light hearted and funny, and poke fun at MYSELF for complaining about a school event when I wasn’t up at the school helping and volunteering my own time. I highly respect the PTA at my kids’ school, the staff, and all parent volunteers. I also was in NO way disrespecting working parents. I’m one myself. Please be respectful and read the post in its entirety before jumping to conclusions. This “letter” was written to myself and no one else. Which, I think is obvious if you read the whole post. I hope you’ll stick around and realize I respect all parents, and hate the mommy wars with a passion. Thanks!

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I’m fully aware that I can be a grump sometimes. Especially when I get hot and sweaty and there are too many kids in my vicinity that don’t belong to me. Which pretty much makes the school carnival at my daughter’s school this past friday my worst nightmare.

There is something about 600 kids and their siblings running around a playground that just makes me want to curl up, close my eyes, and rock back and forth in a rhythmic motion. Unfortunately, that would end up being a little awkward and uncomfortable for the 200 parents that are also there miraculously enjoying the same event.

The thing is….it’s for a good cause, right? I mean, the money is the PTA fundraiser for the year. So, I’m one of those parents that doesn’t volunteer much. Or ever. So, I owe it to the school to pay a little something. I get that. But, can’t the PTA just send a note home that says something like this?

Text added to photo. photo credit: cindy47452 via photopin cc

Dear Parents,

We know you have a lot going on. How do we know? Probably because we haven’t seen you around much. Or ever. We get it, though. You’re busy. Especially because of that end of the year project that teachers threw on you at the last second. You know the one where you have to have your child dressed up as a famous person in history, full costume and memorize a speech? Oh, you forgot? Well, it’s due next week. My point is…we get it. You’re busy. Remember, our kids go here too? And, we’re the ones actually volunteering our time (no offense).

So, since we are the ones here at the school where you send your kids all day, and you’re at home doing whatever it is you do all day to avoid being here, we’d like to let you know that the PTA is pretty important. We do things like take care of the teachers, and make sure your kids don’t eat pink slime and stuff. But, the thing is, we don’t get paid. So, we need money.

So, we were thinking, let’s forgo the sweaty, end of the year party that gets our kids hyped up on cotton candy, snow cones, and bottle cap candies that we give out as prizes and just chill the heck out. I mean, we’re tired too. It’s the end of the year, and we just want to stop packing our kids lunches like the rest of the parents out there, much less plan an event. SO……Can you just give us $40 dollars to support our school? Thanks in advance. We know you understand.

Sincerely tired,

The PTA

I think I might even donate double what they were asking just for their honesty. And if I didn’t have to endure a school carnival ever again, I wouldn’t mind. I mean, my husband waited in the cotton candy line for one. solid. hour.

And, I only lost my five year old once.

And, my two year old only got his face stomped on the slide once.

So, maybe it wasn’t that bad.

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