Wednesday, October 18, 2006

A Need to be Needed

Today's the day Little Brother and I volunteer in the lunchroom at Middle Sister's school.

I've done lunchroom for 5 years and I really do enjoy it. Little Brother enjoys it too. It's a good way to see my own kid in her school environment, meet her friends, meet the teachers, meet other parents, and maybe just be a positive influence in some child's day.

Working in the lunchroom is not something to feed my own ego. Certainly there's no glory in wiping tables and chairs and counting out milk cartons. It's not the sort of thing you get the "PTA MVP Award" for, and that's fine.

But in this school, my help in the lunchroom seems less necessary. Last Wednesday there were the 3 of us Regular Lunch Moms, 3 Pretzel Moms, the janitor, the gym teacher, and at least 3 Hot Lunch Moms. That's 11 people to feed and clean up after 300 kids in 3 feedings. Last year there were 6 of us for 200 kids in 2 feedings, so the same Kids Per Feeding Ratio applies. I spent an awful lot of time hanging around in there with nothing to do. And there's plenty to do here at home. I don't need to leave the house to find something to do.

Granted, I did get the chance to check up on Middle Sister, congratulate her on a good grade on a test she'd gotten back that morning, and get a big hug from my godchild in second grade (which got plenty of raised eyebrows from the other 10 adults in there, until I informed them that yes, I DO have a relationship with this child where hugging is OK). I did get the chance to chat a bit with two other second-grade girls from "the Old School" who are happy to see my face each week, and they come over to tell me some random thing about their day.

I just feel like--if they don't NEED me, why should I go out in the drizzle right now and head over to school?

No comments: