"Pick me, pick me!"

We live in a very small community and in that community is a very small school. It's the school that big G attends now as both her father and I did when we were kids. It has a warm, personal atmoshpere where everyone knows each other.

Parents play a big role at the school. Providing hot lunches, breakfast, activities, etc...they work with teachers on a daily basis to keep the school running like a well-oiled machine. We've almost lost our school to government number crunching, but the school community has pulled together and fought to keep it open, on more than one occasion.

Since being home on maternity leave, I have thrust myself into this school community. I volunteer for everything and anything I can possibly do, with my four month old in tow. I've almost become obsessive about it. My worry is that if I do go back to work, then won't get this opportunity again. I visualize myself sitting in the front row of a classroom, frantically waving my hand at the teacher saying "pick me, pick me" every time something comes up that requires parent volunteers.

Luckily, my daughther is still at the age where she thinks having her mom hanging around is cool.