peskypippi.comBecause I have a lot to say…

Today marks the first day I will volunteer in my six-year-old’s classroom this year. I am excited to see him in his element and to help with the last-day-until-Winter-vacation festivities where we will play board games and partake in hot cocoa.

I only seem to volunteer on special occasions and field trips. Why? Because I’m a party girl. There’s that, and:

1. I work.
2. I play soccer two mornings a week; my “me time.”
3. I trust that the teachers are doing their jobs.
4. I am confident that my children are independent and can handle their classroom time without me overseeing.

I asked my two youngest kids the other day if it was OK if I don’t volunteer in their classrooms much. They both shrugged and said, “It’s OK. Other Moms are there.”

Do I feel guilty? Well, yeah, don’t we all? I volunteered in my oldest son’s classroom A LOT when he was young. He is now 12 and I asked him the other day if he liked when I volunteered so much. He said, “It was kind of embarrassing.”

Enough said. Do we mothers volunteer because the teachers really need us or because we think our kids really need us or because we feel guilty if we aren’t ever-present every second?

Do children really want us ever-present every second? I’m thinking no. Yeah, my kids really need me…at home. During homework time. During reading time. During hang-out time. During just-talking time.

And why is it that mothers need to judge other mothers?

So when this new-faced Mom walks into the first grade classroom with a heartfelt smile, maybe the other mothers can pass the judgment, and simply pass the cocoa.

Are you guilty of uttering, “Sorry, I’ve been soooo busy” as your excuse for not calling or making a plan with a friend or getting the kids together for a play date? And then you ramble on about your to do list and all the crap you have had to do?

Not guilty of that? Well, goody for you.

Most of us are soooo busy. And many of us have uttered those words. Lame excuse. (Note: Friends who say they are too busy might really be just-not-that-into-you.)

I think it would be better to say, “Hey there! It’s great to hear your voice. I’ve missed you.” And leave it at that. No excuses. No ramblings. No lists.

But “busy” is just life in the fast lane for Mothers who juggle. Or Mothers who jiggle. Or Mothers who juggle and jiggle.

It’s about prioritizing what’s important in your day. We each have 1,440 minutes in a day. Make every minute count. Usually a good portion is used working or child rearing–or trying to do both. Then you squeeze in food shopping, food preparation, and cooking. For me that only takes five minutes because we like grilled cheese sandwiches around here–or “cheese on toast,” I’m told they are called outside of the United States.

Then, there’s shuttling kids to their activities. Shuttling yourself to your activities and your commitments. Don’t forget exercising. And personal hygiene and grooming (see related post on tweezing).

Oh, and housework. But, that generally drops down lower on my priority list.

So why are the all-important connections–we women need to make–also dropping down lower on the priority list? Down low, along with the scrubbing of toilets.

Pee in the toilets happen. Every day. But don’t piss away friendships. Because, without proper tending, friendships just might get flushed down the toilet.