Deal with unbearable parents in a volunteer situation. They’re like the crazy cousin no one wants to talk about…we all have one and unfortunately we’re stuck with them. You can avoid the crazy cousin, but there’s no getting away from the overbearing, fun-sucking parent who happens to be in the same organization.
My hats off to all parents who volunteer their time; it’s very admirable and your involvement is something I believe your kids will always remember, but why does there have to be one in every group who wants to stand out above the rest? You’d think it would be enough to just to be involved, but no….they monopolize every situation, every meeting, every event, and generally speak out-of-turn simply because they like the sound of their own voice.
Well guess what…everyone else is sick of listening to you…so shut the f**k up!!
It would be nice if it were just that easy, but unfortunately it’s not. So, how do you deal with such a situation? There is a hierarchy in this group, and even though the parent was asked not to send group emails unless they were first reviewed by someone of higher authority, the request has gone ignored, and so they question and announce things that have already been taken care of or are irrelevant and end up confusing half the volunteer parents, to which someone has to go behind and straighten out.
This is a parent who is very involved in all phases of the organization, but to such an extreme that it leaves one wondering if this is their sole purpose for living…do you see what we’re dealing with here? Do you have one in your own group? How does one reign in such a beast? I’m opening the comments box on this one and would appreciate any advice or insight.
©jillterry
Wordsmith Extraordinaire 