Parents and school involvement

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-17-2003
Parents and school involvement
2586
Thu, 08-23-2007 - 8:49am

My question stems from a personal experience. My middle child is starting kindergarten next week. I've become fairly close with one of my dd's friend's moms- this is her first child entering the school system. She WOH, I do not, plus I have experience with the school, so she's been calling me with questions and comments.

It started to go bad when she called to complain that the kindy orientation is during the day- when she is working. Then it led to complaints about the parents' read aloud program (when the kids are in library) and other opportunities for volunteerism in the school. I get that these things aren't convenient for her, but I'm getting annoyed with the complaining. How can the kids have an orientation at night when they go to school during the day? None of these events are mandatory for parents or kids. And plenty of activities are scheduled for evenings: Back to school night, the PTA picnic, etc.

She thinks because she can't participate, no one should be able to, apparently. Plenty of WOHP do show up for these things. I think she's being unrealistic if she thought she could put a couple of kids through school without ever taking a vacation day. Am I wrong? Am I missing something here?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 3:57pm

I was?

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 3:59pm

As it has been pointed out, not all work experiences out there correlate exactly or even close to

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2000
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 3:59pm

Dh was just grumbling to me yesterday about someone in his office.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-04-2003
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 4:00pm

No he doesn't have a set schedule like that.

 

Shari mother to

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 4:00pm

Right but if I had a need to tell my dh to be home at a certain time, there would be some communication in there about the pros/cons of working past 5 or coming home at 5.

Choose to work 80+ hours a week every week would be odd to me also. My dh does choose to take any overtime he can get that doesn't mess up other things that are already scheduled. But it does not reach anywhere near 80+ hours a week. If my dh did that, he would not see me or the kids that much & there would only be 2 reasons that would continue. A--that it was temporary or B--that we got along better if we didn't see eachother much or he wasn't a good father anyway when he spent time with the kids, so it limited his exposure to them. That would be 13 hours per day for 6 days a week. I prefer my dh home more often and involved in me & the kids' lives/schedule etc.

VickiSiggy.jpg picture by mamalahk

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 4:00pm

I have told dh before that he needs to be at place xyz at a certain time.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-15-2006
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 4:00pm

imo and experience,if one has strong convictions about sah or woh,it's usually shared with the world in a general way. i.e. i sah,i love sah and i think everybody should do it if they can afford to do it. and that's what i've taken from shari's posts..instead of declaring to her why sah isn't workable for you,it appears you're challenging her convictions and that's what confuses me about your tactic. why not defend why sah doesn't work for you instead of challenging her convictions?

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2000
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 4:02pm
In dh's business, often things can't wait until tomorrow or it means pissing off
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-1998
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 4:07pm

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Possibly, I can see that.

PumpkinAngel

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-04-1997
Tue, 08-28-2007 - 4:09pm
I think the way you are treating Shari here is at least as nasty and judgmental as she has treated WOH by choice women. People have all kinds of different ways of living their lives, and as long as they are happy and not hurting other people, why do we feel the need to be so nasty?

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