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When my daughter was in pre-school, I literally chaperoned every field trip and attended every party. I know I was spoiled at our pre-school with all the kumbaya and devoted attention from the staff and the administration. That changed in grade school. It’s splash of cold water in the face but New York public school are not warm and fuzzy. And while there were no hold hands moments with the administration or in some cases the teacher, I continued to never miss a publishing party nor did I ever miss an after school showcase until this year.
I am more than happy to sacrifice taking personal time off from work or be late to the office to attend a publishing party or even a dance recital but for whatever reason, I just can’t deal with the after school showcases anymore. For me, attending the school is an opportunity to see my child in the environment they spend most of their waking day in and to see how they interact with other kids and the teacher.
This past week, there have been several showcases for my daughter’s after school classes. I was quite clear to my daughter that most likely I would not be able to attend her showcases because I had to work. This is true but seriously I have no interest in watching her run around the soccer field or watch her play chess (been there done that.) I know she is not happy that I wasn’t able to make it and this is probably one of those watershed moments she mentions when she goes into therapy as an adult but at this stage, I can’t justify leaving work.
Do you attend every publishing party, school event and afterschool showcase? If you don’t how do you handle it?
