Opting Out of the End-of-School-Year Scramble

Do you ever consider it?  Just packing up early and heading out of town simply to avoid the last two weeks of school end-of-year parties, end-of-season parties, recitals, movie nights, award ceremonies, field days, and all manner of other excuses for another juice-box and pizza-filled celebration?  By this point in the year, it's not like there is much learning going on.  So why not just head to the hills - or Yosemite - before the summer crowds arrive?

Lisa Belkin - who always seems to be reading my mind ;-) - recently addressed this in her Motherlode column in the New York Times.  I had been griping about the end of year craziness all last week to anyone who would listen, and then I saw it in print, in her May 31st column called The End-of-School-Year Scramble.  I enjoy reading her brief pieces, yet I often find much more entertainment and enlightenment in the comments section where all sorts of opinionated, and often quite witty, people from across the nation and world chime in with their own personal perspective.

On this topic, I'd put the bulk of commenters into a few categories:

The Harried Helpless: those who are genuinely overwhelmed by it all, yet somehow feel powerless to make a change or stop the madness for fear of upsetting their children (or their friends) in some way.  Many of these commenters seem to come from Northern Virginia and the Midwest.  Hmmm.

The Bitter Breadwinners:  More than a few people pointed a finger toward their nemesis, the bored "SAHM" contingent who some of these commenters suggest sit around all day dredging up parties and events to fill the ample time "they" all seem to have on their hands. **

The Artful Avoiders: Those who manage to cherry pick a few of what they deem the most meaningful events and avoid the rest.

So where does your family fall?  Or are you - you unique person you - not so easily categorized?  I'd like to think we are Artful Avoiders, but since I don't work for a salary anymore and we are still establishing roots and friendships in this area, I fear we are often one of the Harried Helpless; that is, part of the problem itself.

To that end, I am trying to do my small part to curtail waste generated by many of these events in which we participate.  In addition to voting "no" to trophies, goody bags, and other trinkets, I've increasingly become a bit of a commenter (not quite a crusader) against all the juiceboxes, juice-pouches and snack wrappers generated by these events.

While I know my comments are not always welcome, and I am sure there are plenty of other more important causes to take on than juiceboxes, there does seem to be a growing awareness in our community about "going green" at more of these events.  Not quite as much as the evergreen Seattle community we left, but it is here, too.  Tonight, my son is attending a potluck where families have been asked to bring their own dishes and utensils.  I applaud this group for that, even if that is exactly what one should expect from the Cub Scouts.

The other conversation I'm starting to hear is that of opting out of the less meaningful parts of this end-of-year bonanza.  Of the trophy.  Of the goody bag.  Of the entire party in some cases.  The family calendar is saturated and wise parents are realizing that all meaning is lost on a child once they reach their seventh pizza party of the month.  When your child says "Can we just stay home tonight?"  That is the time to opt-out of the scramble.  Your family, and the environment, are likely to be all better off when you do.


**  I was a full-time working mom for 4.5 long years and am sympathetic to the pros and cons of both "sides".  That said, it is fun to try out a little dramatic prose for the sake of entertainment.