Being a school volunteer; the thought makes you happy or gives a sense of dread.
My Summer end-school-begins sanity Tip #2 is about what you say, or rather don’t say. What you give and what you don’t. In the context of time, not money.
Tip #2: Give your best yes! Before you consider taking on any commitment to volunteer here’s how you decide if you can or should.
Picture this–school shopping and errands are done. It’s time to show up for the parent meeting.
This may also be a time when parents are asked to volunteer or you learn about commitments for the school year. This may be a point when you simply need to listen. When you may be tempted to say yes, perhaps you need to say no.
I am not talking about school events when we MUST be there. I know many a mom who became a school volunteer although they really didn’t have the time. The yes was given out of guilt. It’s hard to say no to people when it involves our kids.
No is a word that has become a big part of my vocabulary. People don’t get it when I say I can’t do something that seems simple. When I’m asked to do something, I think about what that yes will cost me. Do I have time? Will it make a difference to what I think is important?
Some of this I learned in the book The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst. Most of it came from trial and error from having too much on my plate. Sometimes, adding one extra thing can be too much.
Keep your sanity intact. Listen, evaluate and say no to the summer-ends-school begins commitment that may not be right for you. Give your best yes.
Love this Sabrina, and I completely agree. We have to be able to say no. People over- commit and then back out and it causes problems . I think it is wonderful for parents to help at the schools, but not to the point of added stress. It is ok if parents aren’t all in the PTA, or if a parent doesn’t attend every party or field trip or help with a carnival booth. I wish more people would say no in not only parenting but other commitments. If we can’t say no we are asking for extra stress and unhappiness . We need to give our best yes, and be ok with saying no.
Wow, you’ve said it so well Ashlie! I struggled with writing this post because I am always worried about offending people–especially moms. But, no is a powerful word and you are right about the fallout and problems that we don’t think about or forsee–I didn’t even touch on that aspect of the problem. Thanks for backing me up on this:).