Uncle!
Enough. I call uncle. No more.
Since earlier this fall, it seems everyone wants something all the damn time. It started with school supply lists that seemed out of control. Then a fundraiser sent home at the end of the first full week of school. Since then, it seems almost weekly, someone has wanted some small item sent in. A box of graham crackers. A plain white t-shirt to make racially offensive “Indian” shirts. A package of turkey. Twenty dollars for field trips. A bag of marshmallows. A dish for a teacher luncheon. A fundraiser for a dozen different worthy causes that I want to support. None of these items is a big deal individually but taken together it is starting to feel like too much. Add in car maintenance and 2 (count them TWO) furnace repairs in 1 week and a winter wardrobe for my children and now Christmas gifts. I call uncle.
I’m saying right now that if the school sends home one damn request for a MLK party contribution or whatever other reason they can think up, I will scream my damn head off like a fool. Please everyone, no matter how worthy your cause or how fun the school activity, give a momma break for a few weeks in the new year.
We are fortunate to have the ability to give. I know that. I will be the first to tell you how blessed we are. I enjoy giving.
OMG I could have written this post myself. I’ve had it with school fundraisers and requests for this or that. Seriously – it’s been a fundraiser every week since Hannah started Kindergarten, plus snacks for 20 kids every three weeks. Gifts for the weekly “surprise box.” And could I please volunteer five hours a week to make copies??? I actually closed my blinds and hid when the boy scouts came around selling popcorn because I was tapped out. I started feeling guilty, but remembered I didn’t buy any girl scout cookies last year either. I also feel blessed that I can give back but am still crying “Uncle!” I need a fourth job just to pay for all this “giving” stuff.
If I were rich I’d give 1/2 away to people who really need it and I’d be so happy to do it! Right now I’m trying to hold onto my house so my pockets are pretty empty. Don’t even get me started on the donations I’m asked for at my business. Every school within a 10 mile radius along with churches, organizations, charities etc. I honestly wish I had $1000 at least to donate to everyone who asks, EVERYONE, but I’m tapped out. I do what I can. I so get what you’re sayin.
It never ends at school, but I do think it gets a little better as they get older. For some reason there are a lot more cutesy things needed for every party at the younger ages. Oh course in my case, just when the school stuff died down he got heavily in to soccer and baseball, which are club sports here, which cost lots of cash (and have their own parties). Ugh!
And there’s there the crazy ones like me who volunteer to be the room mom. Yep, the one that gets those lists from the teacher and then has to be the one to ask…. And the one who was foolish enough to think doing a group gift (and asking for max of $5 which seemed cheaper than everyone doing something on their own) was a good idea. The one who now gets to present a group gift that is really only from just over 1/2 the class. Somebody shoot me now