- Parent Teacher Club: Good moms go to meetings, volunteer, donate dinero and sew/bake/craft things for fundraisers. Not so good moms go to meetings, volunteer ideas they have no intention of seeing to completion, might buy something from a fundraiser, but wouldn't be caught dead running a carnival booth catering to rabid honey-badgers on
cracksugar. - Room
MothersParents: Good moms volunteer in the class weekly if not more. They closely resemble helicopter parents disguised as helpful classroom assistants. They organize class parties and solicit donations from all the other parents for said parties. Not so good moms wish they could volunteer, but are more afraid of their boss than they are of damaging the rep of their 1st grader because mommy never comes to school. They will send party donations to school with the kid, but areunwillingunable to bring said donations in person for the same reasons they don't volunteer. - Kiss n' Ride: Good moms avoid this line, and actually park the car, remove all children and walk them to their individual classrooms despite the loud protests of those too 'cool' for such treatment. Not so good moms rock the California Stop, flinging open the door while simultaneously shoving the kids out of the car, blowing kisses, sipping a caffeinated beverage, shouting reminders and tossing out the miscellaneous crap the kids forgot.
- Good moms chaperone every field trip, regardless of the snore factor. Not so good moms chaperone field trips they might find interesting, which, coincidentally, are the very same trips the kids do NOT want mom at. Go figure.
- Good moms pack a healthy, appetizing, nutritious and visually appealing lunch every. single. day. Not so good moms throw a lunchable, some packaged drink and sugar-laden snack in the bottom of the backpack and call it good. On really bad days,
weTHEY throw money and hope the kid remembers to give it to the lunch lady.
***Just so we are all clear here - this is me making fun of the stereotypes I find in the school my kids attend. I am not pointing fingers or labeling anyone, nor am I passing judgements. Besides, I'd be the pot, since I totally fall into the "bad" mom group here. So sue me for attempting to instill a little self reliance, integrity and work ethic into my kids. I don't find it necessary or healthy to fight battles for my kids at this point in their lives - failure shapes the lessons we learn about life, teaches us coping skills, and helps develop a sense of self-worth and pride, once the tears and heartache subside. Sorry dudes, I am PARENTING, not befriending.
I am so familiar with this good moms versus bad moms comparison especially at school. I don't think you really want to know what I think of it. Yet in spite of the fact that I am one of the "bad moms" according to this list because I juggle a 12 hour night shift job as a NICU nurse 3 days a week along with the care and feeding of my 5 children one who has been for years dependent on a g tube continuous feeding and supplemental oxygen when his older siblings were school age which is why I never did conform to the "good mom" criteria. yet somehow my family of five children has grown, thrived and excelled well past the typical "good" PTA moms' little darlings. Their kids now work at the local Walmart while my grown children are excelling in their own business, in universities near and far and on the stage.
ReplyDeleteIt is very easy to make assumptions...I know I am guilty of those myself with my own snarky opinions of the PTA moms, the dance moms, the cheer moms, the park moms and on and on but then time and walking a mile or two or more in their shoes makes me think twice before I pass on my assumptions and judgments.