Feeling the school stress already.

[Anonymous]

I'm with you, OP. We are at one of those highly regarded FCPS elementary schools with the multiple events like you describe (teacher basketball game, crazy hair day, family fun evening, bingo, movie in the open, dine a different place every month, etc.) I work full time, and have two younger kids, and have so far considered these optional, but DC wants to attend everything because his friends are. Both me and DH dread most of them, and I felt probably even more anxiety about the beginning of the school year than DC. I know I shouldn't complain, because it is better to have events and choose not to go, than not have them at all, but this is how my gut feels - overwhelmed because of all other aspects of life, guilty that I don't want to attend/don't enjoy them, yet pressured to do them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you, OP. We are at one of those highly regarded FCPS elementary schools with the multiple events like you describe (teacher basketball game, crazy hair day, family fun evening, bingo, movie in the open, dine a different place every month, etc.) I work full time, and have two younger kids, and have so far considered these optional, but DC wants to attend everything because his friends are. Both me and DH dread most of them, and I felt probably even more anxiety about the beginning of the school year than DC. I know I shouldn't complain, because it is better to have events and choose not to go, than not have them at all, but this is how my gut feels - overwhelmed because of all other aspects of life, guilty that I don't want to attend/don't enjoy them, yet pressured to do them.

Does your DC have to go with you? If his friends are going, perhaps he can tag along with them instead? Some parents love these nights and would be happy to take along an extra kid.

[Anonymous]

I'm a teacher who gets one personal day per year so I can't do any activities at my kids' school during the day. I have chaperoned one field trip each while they were in ES. As they get older, they don't want to go to the school events as much- fall festival, spring fair, etc. They each have one activity after-school and the one who plays soccer has games on Sat. That's it. Sometimes you just need to say no. I would come home from my school on Friday nights exhausted and tell then I was too tired for the winter movie night at school. If they really wanted to go, I'd have them ask a friend if they could go with them. That's how I learned that they weren't really dying to go either. I'm a single parent so I don't have any help. I have enough stress from my own job so I definitely won't add to it with their activities.

[Anonymous]

School activities spike in Sept, Dec and May. It'll die down.