Room Mothering

A million years ago, when I was a classroom teacher, I always dreaded party days.  I taught in the 'hood and there was never any parental involvement.  So in my mind, class party = lots of extra work, 22 sugared up kids, and no help. 

With this in mind, I have always told my kids' teachers that I would be happy to help out with whatever they needed help with.  When I mentioned this to Z's kindergarten teacher, she said the position of Room Mother was open, if I was interested.  With visions of bringing in cupcakes a couple times a year, I agreed.

Then I got a note home about the Room Mother Orientation meeting.  Wait, wha...?  Orientation?  A mandatory meeting?  WTF? 

Once I got over the shock, I arranged care for Q (Thanks JC!) and gamely attended the meeting.  How bad could it be?

Let me just say, these women are hard core.  There was a bound Room Mother manual.  With tabs.

I quickly figured out that these were the type of women who would cut you over a position on the PTA.  Like something out of a Lifetime movie.  Not that any of them were anything but nice, nice, nice!  I did have a moment of high-school-like panic about being in the room with the 'popular' girls, though. 

At Z's school, the Room Mom's primary job is to set up/run a booth at the Fall Fun Day (aka: Halloween Carnival.  Shhhh!  Don't tell!).  There is fund-raising and letter writing and money collecting.  We have to find a (cheap) Christmas ornament with a place for a picture that relates to the continent our kids are studying - for the entire grade level.  Australia, in Z's case.

Luckily for me, there is another mom on the kindergarten team who makes my alpha-mom aspirations laughable.  Before the meeting was even held, she had selected our theme for Fun Day and painted a brilliant sign that looks like it came from a professional sign maker.  Wow.

I am so out of my league.