Go on then, be a dinner lady

I volunteer as a dinner lady at my daughters’ school.

I did it out of sheer desperation. I had no idea what was going on at that hallowed institution – my daughter offers very little insight.

Before being a dinner lady, this is how our conversations would go as we made our way home:

Me: “how was school today, sweetie?”

Daughter:  (looking around to see if any of her friends were still on the school premises; she spots one) “Hello Ella!”

Me: “how was school today, sweetie?”

Daughter:  (looking around for more friends to say “hello” to on the playground, even though she has spent all day with them)

Me: “I asked how school was today. Did you learn anything new?”

Daughter: (eyes fixated on Ella) “Mummy, Ella has a new Polly Pocket. Can I have one?”

Me: (feeling some sense of achievement that she has acknowledged my presence) “You can pick one thing for Christmas, honey. What did you do at school today?”

Daughter: (blank look) “Nothing”.

Me: (decide to change tact) “What did you have for school dinners today?”

Daughter: (face lit up like a Christmas tree) Fajitas! I ate it all. Yummy, scrummy!

So I decided that if I wanted to find out anything about what goes on at school, I should just be there when she is the most receptive: when her tummy is rumbling.

Being a dinner lady is easy. It only takes an hour of your day, and at our school you can be on a rota to go as little or as often as you like.

I bet your school is looking for dinner ladies, they always are. Go on, give it a go, and find out what really happens at your child’s lunchtime.

And have our conversations on the way home changed? No, not really 😉