The Room Mom...
Everybody has one or a few depending on the number of children in your brood. Her letters begin entirely too perky, alternating between passive and agressive. In the past, I admit to reading through flyers sent home by the Room Mom, with my red pen in hand, ready to catch a grammar error or two. I can remember one year, the room mom was a former friend of mine - and I greatly enjoyed reading her form letter flyers. The only personal touch she added was her name ... at the end.
(When I see her in the parking lot, I hum the tune to the Wicked Witch of the West (aka Mrs. Gulch from The Wizard of Oz.) Just so you get the full effect of this former friend o' mine... click here.
Well, now I am the room mom times 2.
Let me just clear a few things up. It is hard work.
Do not laugh at the room mom, she is on the verge. The verge of going crazy, the verge of complete insanity, the verge of tears, of heinous laughing. She is overworked and completely unpaid.
She is Volunteer Numero Uno.
She is stressed and she has to drag a few of you into whatever it is that she has to do - and be sure of it - she doesn't even want to do "it" herself. Appease her, thank her. Do not giggle and say, "ha ha ha - I really don't want tooooo..... , but if you can't find anyone else, I guess you can call me back...." The room mom foots the bill for a lot of things in the classroom. Cupcakes, juice boxes, decorations for the room door, printer ink, paper, the list goes on and on and on.
Did you know that room moms decorate the room door? Oh yes, you can be sure of it.
The room mom collects money for teacher gifts and usually pays for a portion of it herself, out of her own pocket over and over again. She makes spreadsheets of names and addresses - and do you know how precarious it is to assume or not that parents are still together and should be typed as Mrs. & Mrs. So and So? Because what if they are divorced, and the mom stilll has the same last name, but DOES NOT want her name on the same line as his? Oh my.
Room Mom-ing is a competitive sport. Well, maybe I am just competitive with myself. I just want to make cute treat bags ...
Somewhere around the 4th bag out of 40, I throw my hands up and question for the millionth time "Why can't I be normal and just buy cellophane bags and be done with it?" It is a constant internal struggle.
So the next time you see the room mom, or one of her entirely too perked-up and threatening letters, please know that she is over-worked. Please know that she is not paid. Please volunteer to bring juice boxes or cupcakes FOR SOMETHING. Because she means well. She wants your child to have a grand year with a few jolts of candy and cupcakes thrown in, with a door that says "Come in and stay awhile."
God bless the Room Moms!
