Parental segregation at school functions

    Being a parent of a child in school means that whether you like it or not you have functions and events to attend at school. Saturday was one of those days and we had a Fall Picnic to attend at Colin's school. The events are great, you know if you enjoy being forced to socialize with other parents while your shirt is covered in glue and some type of brown stuff that you are afraid to smell. At these events you find all different parents that seem to fall into the stereotypical categories, the list is as follows...

1. The Misfits:  The parents with purple hair and partially shaved heads and a nose ring (that's me!) Typically you can find more than one but never more than 4 in the same area. We like to go down the slide with our kids and share laughs with our significant other while shoving our face with the food we didn't have to bring. We did volunteer at a table though so we have it semi- together. These types of parents are generally the ones at risk for the most scrutiny and apparently the hardest to approach. **Side note- bringing your parents to your own child's school function will definitely acquire more staring!
2. The Leaders:  These are the mothers who are running the event. These women are really nice, typically. They are the ones who have everything together and even though they have a very packed schedule they always seem able to find time to help even more than they already do. You can generally find their kids helping along side them or having a tantrum that they have to help.
3. The Single Dads: He is definitely one of the coolest. He always seems to be just the slightest bit frazzled, especially if he has more than one child. Yet his kids are usually helping other kids do their crafts or climbing all over him. He keeps his cool and keeps up with all the other parents while doing the job of two by himself. The single dad is a good one to sit and chat with and his kids are good matches for a play date.
4. The Real Housewives: The mother who went above and beyond to make sure her name appeared the most on the sign up sheet. They like to be the center of everything but it's okay because their style is always on point and they usually drive awesome cars. Her kids can normally be found eating all the sugar they can because for once mom is too busy chatting to take it away.
5.  The Helicopter Parents:  They can be found with their hands in everything, mostly they are doing their child's craft project making sure that there isn't a single spec of glitter out of place. When the craft is done they are following their kid around either in fear of them getting hurt or really just trying to avoid interaction with other adults- We don't actually know which is true
6. The Average Joe's: Everyone else that doesn't fall into one of these categories, they are a bit average with their own sparkle- they're cool and their kids are too- schedule a play date with them!
7. The Vegan: Their vegan. Their kids are too and they want to tell you ALL about it.

 
   Generally when you walk into these things you know where your place is and you head straight there to avoid all the Others. As you walk across the playground you get caught by your sons teacher and as awesome as they are, you weren't prepared to converse just yet. Although, they do help break you in and prepare you for the mindless small talk that will commence in the next two hours.
    Alas, I really secretly LOVE these things even all the different types of parents that come with them. The atmosphere is flowing with a strong sense of community, love and shared experiences which make you feel so good inside, especially after a long week of work. Functions like this are great; the crafts are adorable- just think mini pumpkins covered in glitter and googly eyes. Then there's the homemade food! Oh the food is delicious, my husband LOVED the potato curry pastries that one family brought. Our son enjoys all the children and playing at school while not actually having a typical school day. Despite all the differences among parents, everything truly comes together at these events and your filled with such a satisfaction and parental pride. Pair this feeling with the smile on my sons face and I was in pure mummy bliss!
 
    Welcome Fall!