Thanks, the Riveter!

FYI — I took the essay down because a few educators remarked that I didn’t have enough insight into the inner workings of schools so my suggestions weren't feasible! Noted. I’ve amended it below.

Please Join Us

By Zibby Owens

You’re invited. Your son will be presenting… Your daughter’s class will be… Parents are welcome at…. 

I can’t take it. I’m the kind of mom who wants to be at every event for every kid and will try to rearrange everything to do it. But I also work full-time as part of a small team and host a podcast, Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books, which I schedule months out with important guests. 

All the last-minute end-of-the-year school “invitations” are killing me. It’s mid-May and in the next month, there are about 5,678 activities to which parents are, seemingly all of a sudden, invited. But maybe I just missed the announcements?!

Not only do I selfishly want to be there to see my kids at school, but if parents are invited, that means other parents will be there and my kids will be the ones without the parent, which of course will make them sad and feel bad as they wander about. I can’t let that happen.

But it is hard. 

I work. We all work. Moms who stay at home work — the hardest! We parent. Can’t these things co-exist a bit more easily? And I have four kids to juggle!

Could we possibly get a schedule of all upcoming events with a lot of notice? Schedule a “parents’ day” with all activities lumped together? Do you really have to invite us!??! (Haha, kidding. Kind of.)

Please remember: we are so beyond thankful for you as educators. 

We see everything you do and how hard you’re working. And we love you for it. As our kids do. Just maybe consider how to make this partnership really great, especially at the end of the year. Don’t make parents fear the onslaught of unexpected required activities that will devastate our kids if we can’t attend. 

Help us plan to be there. Help us celebrate you and them. 

Thank you, thank you, thank you. Now where’s the potluck sign-up?