WordPress Daily Prompt: Bone of Contention
Pick a contentious issue about which you care deeply. Write a post defending the opposite position, and then reflect on what it was like to do that.

Issue: Volunteering at the school, with the PTA, or other Activity your child participates in.

Defending the Opposite Position:

I swear every time I go up to the school or get a communication from my kids teachers or the PTA they are asking for something. We need somebody to help with this, or we need someone to take care of that. There are plenty of other parents who can help – ask them! Don’t they know how busy I already am? I have [insert number here] kids, I have responsibilities and priorities and cannot possibly fit one more thing into my day. Between taking the kids here and there and yonder and keeping up the house, and feeding everyone and working or whatever else it is I do, I am too busy to waste my time on something for which I won’t get any payback. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

REFLECTION:

Ok. I’ve been there before. I’ve thought those very things. Occasionally one of those thoughts still flickers across my mind. I understand from whence you have come, so defending the opposite position was pretty easy.

But…. (yup, there it is….)

While I can easily write out a paragraph defending it, it is so incredibly clear to me how utterly ridiculous the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse really is!

In my experience, too many parents fall back on the ‘I don’t have time’ excuse or the ‘someone else will do it’, and more often than not, the teachers and group leaders and the scant few parents that will help are the ones who end up doing it all.

I work. I have 3 kids. We stay super-busy running around to and fro. I don’t have time either, but guess what? I choose to volunteer whenever I can. I choose to make time! It’s a choice I make. I choose not to get wrapped up in shows on TV so I can use that time in the evenings planning for PTA or working on props for the school play. I choose to spend about 4-6 hours a month on PTA meetings and plans and functions.

Because of these choices, I stay involved in my kids education. I enjoy a closer connection with the teachers and administrators at their schools, and my kids are learning that giving of your time and talents is something to enjoy and take pride in.

Sure it would be easier for me to leave it to someone else. I’d have more time on my hands and wouldn’t have to deal with the drama that sometimes comes along with volunteering.

Just don’t lie to yourself and others. It’s not about the time. You are making a choice. You are choosing to remain uninvolved.

So when you are asked to help with something, at least be honest. No more of this ‘I don’t have time’ crap. Because really, ain’t nobody got time for that!

“The person who really wants to do something finds a way; the other person finds an excuse.” – Author Unknown