Playground politics: who are you at the schoolgate?

We’re going on our fourth year at “big school” and with three in the system, I’ve met all sorts at the school gate. From the Keen Mum to the Now-You-See-Me-Now-You-Don’t Mother, here’s a description of some of the characters you will encounter on the primary school playground…

The Keen Mum — With her first child of many starting the system, this mum is new to the school and her main goal is figuring out how things work. After four years of having a child velcroed to her hip, she wants to know what the heck Johnny is doing all day in that hallowed building. She attends every school function, is the class rep, does lunch duty, and is navigating her way around the PTA. Amazing as she has two little ones at home.

The-Over-Did-It-Mum — Probably started out as a Keen Mum, and now that some of her children have reached upper juniors, she wants to take some time off from school activities and let some of the other mums pull their weight (this is me, BTW).

The Working Mum— Not wanting to miss out, the working mum often volunteers for mundane events even though she barely has time to keep the fridge full of ham and yoghurts for packed lunches, let alone source and wear a pumpkin outfit and pass out sweets at the school Halloween Party!

The PTA Mum— This mum is truly a domestic goddess, turning out baked goods as readily as counting to ten. She is full of fab ideas on how balance fund raising with fun activities for the kiddies. She always has a smile on her face and the latest Boden coat.

The School Governor Mum— has moved on from PTA mum to more important matters, like trying to understand and improve an archaic, bureaucratic school system. All you can do is wish her luck.

The Class Rep— spends most of her time with a clipboard chasing down mums and pleading with them to volunteer for school functions. In fear of this, most of the other mums either run when they see her or avoid eye contact.

The Now-You-See-Me-Now-You-Don’t Mum — Often a working mum (but not necessarily), this mum only turns up at high-profile school functions, is highly vocal about school policies, and then disappears for months on end.

The Token Dad — Either a stay-at-home-dad, “in between jobs”, or just filling in because mum is elsewhere … the Token Dad adds a bit of variety to the school gate. They make a point of saying hello to the other males (even if they don’t know them) and provide a bit of fun for the mums by giving us something to talk about.

So who are you at the school gate?