Stay at Home Moms are not the school's free workforce!

Okay, when I sat down to type this post I thought I had so much to say on the subject.  But, I think the title pretty much says it all.............

When I decided to give up my career and to stay home with my first born it was a financial sacrifice.  I try to offset this sacrifice by saving money where I can.  We do not have a maid----I am home so I clean my house.  We rarely eat out---I can grocery shop during the day and plans meals for the family.  I have the time to be a savvy shopper and get the best deals for the items we need.  My husband fixes things himself around the house and does all the landscaping/yardwork as well as maintains the vehicles.  Time and energy are commodities in our household and we are on a strict budget for both resources!

We do not have family close so my husband and I have not been able to take a vacation alone together since we became parents over 13 years ago.  We do not have built in help taking care of the kids.  My only respite has been while the kids are in school.  I run my errands, clean my home, plan dinners etc during that time.  And, most days I have an hour or so all my own before the kids get home and the homework and activities begin before and after dinner at which point I start on lunches for the next day (that is, after I go through the backpack, sign the necessary documents and recycle the most rest of it).  I just finished cleaning all the toilets, scrubbing down a shower, baking a loaf of banana bread for the family, sewing a button back onto a pair of my son's shorts and I am tired. So, no---I don't really want to spend time down at the school if it isn't absolutely necessary.  What makes the school think we would jump at the chance to come down there and work for free?! If I wanted to work I would do so, and collect a paycheck for it---like the teachers, staff and administrators do at the school.

So please, stop sending out emails asking if we are bored yet because you have a 'volunteer opportunity' for me.  BTW, you're not fooling any of us with this new term.  The word opportunity implies your'e doing us a favor, ha!  Actually, it's kind of insulting............

So stop insisting on things like putting up an eyesore of a marquee in our neighborhood (that was rendered obsolete prior to even purchasing it due to technology: mass emails and mass recorded phone calls) claiming that, "It will be okay, we will just have a parent volunteer change the messages."  Hint: If your staff doesn't want to do it, most likely we don't want to do it either!

We are not stay at home moms to merely be at your beck and call whenever there is something that you would like to have done.

Stop trying to tell us, "Your kids are going to be so happy to see you in their school!"  We aren't buying it Mr/Mrs School Administrator!  Where you got the idea that we are your free workforce is beyond me.  And that you have perpetuated it to such an extreme is obscene!!

You need to be asking yourself some serious questions.  Like, why is volunteerism down?  What is my part in this?  Why have the parents become resentful?  The ones that volunteer all the time are even becoming resentful of those of us that realized early on: volunteering is a choice, I can say NO! For my sanity, for my happiness, for balance in my family and life in general.


Let's take a look at the word volunteer:

vol·un·teer

ˌvälənˈtir/

noun

1. 1.

   a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertake a task.

   synonyms:

   subject, participant, case, patient; More

verb

1. 1.

   freely offer to do something.

   
   

1. 
   

   
   

   By definition, free will is implied in volunteering.  Please stop the coercive nature of recruiting volunteers and furthermore, stop the expectation that every parent should be involved at the school.  I know everyone's situation is different.  And some parents really enjoy being there and or being in charge.  More power to them.  But, I beg you, please be cognizant of what you are asking of all of us; of how your expectation of volunteers is growing year to year.  And stop the insanity!