This post is inspired by See Mom Run by Beth Feldman, a compilation of funny parenting stories by bloggers and writers, and the latest book choice for the Silicon Valley Moms Blog book club.
It was my first, real, Parent Teacher Night. Sure, D’s preschool had a Parent Meeting in the Fall where the teachers talked a little about what happens in their class. But this Parent Teacher Night was the big leagues. My baby was no longer a baby. He was a kindergartner. An opinionated, independent, backpack toting Kindergartner. And I was the mom in a new land. A private school that we only toured twice before signing up. A private school that cost more than my first year of college tuition. A private school that had way more parents driving luxury vehicles than parents like us who sacrificed to send out son there.
Darius had survived the first two weeks of school. I was still feeling like a strange man in a new world. Navigating drop off and pick up, learning the intense homework schedule. Between the afterschool clubs, the school uniform policy, and a parent handbook that was thicker than a college freshman textbook, I felt like I had more to learn than my son did.
So there I was on Parent Teacher Night. I knew this was my opportunity to finally size-up my son’s teachers. But I also knew this was the teacher’s night to size-up the parents. So I tried to dress nice, but not too nice. I squished my child-bearing hips into a chair fit for a five year old. And I waited for the teachers to tell all about their class. His teachers talked about what the kids would be learning and how to organize the homework folder. But shortly into their presentation is when the sales pitch for parent volunteers began.
