Reply to Did Covid disrupt the parent volunteer pipeline

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]the hiding in the cars thing is pathetic[/quote]

It seems like something only a deeply burned out parent would do. One who is probably asked to do 10,000 “extra” things and the scoreboard is one too many (they probably need to take a work call or write five emails during the game).  They got their kid to the game, that has to be enough. [/quote]

Do you not think the person doing the asking also has work calls, five emails (some about the league!), and 10,000 extra things to do?

Volunteers don't magically have more bandwidth than everyone else. They just make room.[/quote]

Sometimes volunteers genuinely have more bandwidth than everyone else. But your attitude is very common among the over-achiever parent types that populate PTAs and rec sports leagues in this area. They think "I have a demanding job and my spouse works and I have three kids and I manage it -- why can't everyone else." What they don't realize is that they are extremely high functioning and also may have hidden supports (that demanding job comes with a both a high salary that pays for outsourcing and a lot of prestige and accolades that makes them more confident). They don't get that not all marriages are functional and people in marriages quietly falling apart from the inside genuinely do not have the same amount of bandwidth. They may come from families with high functioning parents and siblings whereas other parents are dealing with a parent who is no longer self-sufficient after the death of a spouse or may have siblings with serious mental health issues or substance problems and the stress of dealing with this stuff can seriously diminish the energy you have for "Teacher Appreciation Week."

If you are able to volunteer extensively without your life falling apart good for you. Consider that there are people who simply do not have anything to give. And you can't just assume that because their family looks similar to yours on a very superficial level that you have the same bandwidth. You don't actually know you are just trying to force people to do what you do. They have other priorities and you need to let it go.[/quote]

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