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These days there are so many variables, it's probably impossible to please everyone, and the best you can hope for is to offend the fewest number of people and still get and retain volunteers.
As someone who plans these sort of things all the time I can tell you that no matter what day/time you pick there is always someone who can't make it. The OP says there are only 2 parents who work during that time. If I had a day/time that worked for everyone except 2 people that is the one I would choose.
We were recently had a fundraiser at our school. We planned it for Friday afternoon. The plan was also to make the fundraiser available to the lower school students who are in aftercare. We sent a flyer home to the aftercare parents to let them know about the fundraiser which would require their children to have money.
Don't you know that we got a note from one of the lower school parents that we should have had it on a different day because there are a handful of parents who don't work on Fridays and thus their kids are not able to participate. Honestly, the school has 2500 students (PK-12). No matter what day we picked there will be somebody who likes our fundraiser and wants to participate but can't. We picked Friday because if there are games/shows on Friday they are usually at night so more students are free on Friday afternoon. Plus Friday is a good day for the teachers/staff.
While we would love to have a day/time that works for everyone it just isn't possible. As soon as you involve more than about 3 people you are bound to have multiple conflicts. That's just the way life works.
^^^ Absolutely correct. There will always be someone who has a problem. Even in our mostly-working-mothers Girl Scout troop, one of the moms worked in an office during normal business hours, the same as most of us, but she also waitressed at a diner on weekends. We did what we could to make sure her kid was included when she couldn't be there or get her daughter to the activities.
I have a normal work week Monday thru Friday nothing out of the ordinary but find a lot the stay at home moms or teachers that have off when kids are off school schedule events such as girl scout outings during the work week that would either require me to take off work, which I cant or hire a sitter to take my child. If kids did not talk which they normally do I could skip it and hope she doesn't find out. Recently they picked two days for everyone to choose from both during the week to go to a water park over an hour away (we also have one 10 min away not chosen) to take our 8 year old child to as a special outing for the extra money from selling cookies etc. I understand majority rules and you cant make it work for everyone but by them not even considering a weekend date to choose from they are eliminating the working parents kids. My child did the same cookie sales that everyone else did more then some but now will be eliminated from this because I would be extremely nervous to send with a young sitter to drive her 2.5 hours to spend at a water park. Am I being unreasonable to suggest they think about people that work.
Aren't there any other parents in this same troop willing to take your Daughter. You could offer to take theirs another time?
Parents sometimes have to make sacrifices...it comes with the territory. Get used to it.
I was the SAHM my kids friends all tagged along with, and chauffeured around, when the working parents couldn't make it to something (hint: make friends with a SAHM!) Usually though the working parents had a system of taking days off/half days/etc. for things that were important or special, but it was never expected that all parents could do everything. Even as a SAHM I didn't do everything! Some things can't be done nights/weekends but most things are. There were only a handful of things that required daytime, M-F, participation and if it couldn't be done it couldn't be done, it's not the end of the world.
As someone who plans these sort of things all the time I can tell you thatno matter what day/time you pick there is always someone who can't make it. The OP says there are only 2 parents who work during that time. If I had a day/time that worked for everyone except 2 people that is the one I would choose.
We were recently had a fundraiser at our school. We planned it for Friday afternoon. The plan was also to make the fundraiser available to the lower school students who are in aftercare. We sent a flyer home to the aftercare parents to let them know about the fundraiser which would require their children to have money.
Don't you know that we got a note from one of the lower school parents that we should have had it on a different day because there are a handful of parents who don't work on Fridays and thus their kids are not able to participate. Honestly, the school has 2500 students (PK-12). No matter what day we picked there will be somebody who likes our fundraiser and wants to participate but can't. We picked Friday because if there are games/shows on Friday they are usually at night so more students are free on Friday afternoon. Plus Friday is a good day for the teachers/staff.
While we would love to have a day/time that works for everyone it just isn't possible. As soon as you involve more than about 3 people you are bound to have multiple conflicts. That's just the way life works.
Wow, the "special snowflake" children and their "special snowflake" parents.
I laughed out loud. The day & time works out well for most of the 2,500 students and their teachers & staff members but parents complain because it doesn't work out for "a handful" of their kids.
LKB0714 She has an eight year old. You would be fine with another mom taking your eight year old that far to a water park. All the other moms not working are taking their kids no one will pass them off that far to someone at a water park. That is even worse in my eyes. What if something happens everyone will come home if she gets hurt, sick etc. Really this isn't like they are 15 and going to a water park around the corner they are 8 and going 1 1/2 hours away.
Yes, I would be fine with my 8yo going to a water park with another adult. If you let your child play with other children at their parents home what is the difference? If they are a responsible adult around the corner, they don't suddenly become an idiot just because they drove an hour away.
Yes, if one of the children gets sick of hurt, than everyone comes home.
I understand what the OP is saying about not wanting someone else take her child to a water park. I just feel bad for her, my Mom ran my brownie troop when i was little, and she made sure, events were on the weekends, so working parents could attend also ( this was over 30 yrs ago also)
I understand what the OP is saying about not wanting someone else take her child to a water park. I just feel bad for her, my Mom ran my brownie troop when i was little, and she made sure, events were on the weekends, so working parents could attend also ( this was over 30 yrs ago also)
Still doesn't work. People with jobs just don't work M-F. Then there is also little Jimmy's ball game on Sat, Susie's gymnastics on Sat., Aunt Sally's wedding on Sun. after church and so on and so on. Working parent or not, when it comes to your child's activities, there is going to be a day that just doesn't work with your schedule and you are going to have to either sacrifice a day at work, day at another event, reschedule that doctor appt, find someone else to take child, or just tell child "Hey, this is how it works in the real world"
Still doesn't work. People with jobs just don't work M-F. Then there is also little Jimmy's ball game on Sat, Susie's gymnastics on Sat., Aunt Sally's wedding on Sun. after church and so on and so on. Working parent or not, when it comes to your child's activities, there is going to be a day that just doesn't work with your schedule and you are going to have to either sacrifice a day at work, day at another event, reschedule that doctor appt, find someone else to take child, or just tell child "Hey, this is how it works in the real world"
^^^ Don't be ridiculous. NO KIDS are named Jimmy or Susie anymore.
You meant "Jaydon and Emmabelle".
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