Preschool extortion

Am I the only one irked by pleas from other parents and school administrations to "recognize the contributions" of my kids' preschool teachers? Usually this takes the form of a donation (big surprise, money is involved) but we've also been dunned with having a thank you letter ostensibly penned by our four year old to express undying love & gratitude.

This has happened in both the Lutheran preschool our boys attended and now the Catholic one our daughter just got out of. So smarm and emotional armtwisting must be everywhere.

Yesterday as I picked up our girl from her final class of the year the other parents & children wandered by the teacher to drop off gift bags, exchange hugs and teary eyed farewells. We waved bye-bye from across the room and called it good. My girl was just happy to get into the car where I gave her the dessert she never seems to eat during lunch.

Maybe it's a "woman" thing, since I'm the stay-at-home parent I get all the cutesy emails, that would include the mandatory guilt trip for making a show of gratitude to the teachers. I know not too many "dads" get these things, they're part of a mass mailing and obviously NOT written with retired sub sailors in mind i.e., no risque remarks with double entendres, just empty headed chatter I'd think more appropriate for the Bobbsey Twins or Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. No, I don't fit in. AT ALL!

But I don't get these sort of things from the school my two boys presently attend. The administration there seems grateful we actually insure the homework gets done and back up the teachers when our little darlings screw up. Boy,can they screw up too. It's a bad thing when the Vice Principal knows you by name, and he does.

Maybe the lack of cloying extortion is the difference between public & private schools, I don't know.

I'm just glad my daughter's school year is over. Now maybe I'll stop getting the "too cute for words" emails that come out. For the next few months I won't have to suppress the temptation to reply with a mass mailing of dirty jokes.

Okay, I'm a sour middle-aged crab. Sue me.