I Wish I Could Quit You
How I came to hate the PTA
by Juanita Perez
December 1, 2008
Here is a short list of the grievances that have come across my desk: The phase-in process is too long, or too short. There isn't enough stroller parking. The full-time school should really be part-time. Then there's my personal favorite: the yearly fundraiser "exploits our children." And don't even get me started on the "baby wearing vs. the rest of them" brawls. Is this what I have to look forward to for the next eighteen years?
It's hard, but I don't see an alternative yet. My overdeveloped sense of duty and thirst for all news of my son and his friends keep me from throwing in the towel. And the dread I feel on meeting night is tempered by the reports we get from the teachers letting us know who is potty-trained and who has learned to eat with chopsticks.
If I don't show up, I'll never find out what new and exciting things my kids are learning. And if I sit in the back, I risk letting crazy, collage-obsessed people take over. For now at least, I'll continue to be the beleaguered mom at the wheel.
©2008 Juanita Perez and Babble
About the Author
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Juanita Perez is the pseudonym of a writer in New York City.
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