Today I had the chance to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time- volunteer at my kid's school. Many of my clearest memories of school are set in the background of my Daddy's constant presence. For as long as I can remember, my Daddy was a parent volunteer at my school- not just any volunteer, but The Volunteer. You know, the one that knew all the parents, all the teachers, all the janitors. He would get off of work after a long 3rd shift, take me to school (Shannon too) and then volunteer. He would copy papers, run security back when the biggest threat to school safety was that there "might" be some vandalism in the boys bathroom, run the PTO- anything that he needed to do, he did it. It never occurred to me to be embarrassed because my dad was always at school. I just remember being proud to walk down the hall of Daniel Morgan Elementary School and peek into the copy room and see my dad there. And when I left elementary school and he left 3rd shift for the 1st shift, we adapted to our new surroundings. He would show up at my junior high and direct traffic. He would come to my marching band practice and volunteer to run the concession stand. That was just the parent he was- the one who was there to help. And since Zachary has started school, I have desperately wanted to be that parent myself. But being pregnant and/or caring for an infant made the logistics a little hard- until this year. At our new school, the PTO provides a Preschool Co-op for parents with children too young to be enrolled. And today was my first day. Sure, today I just manned the co-op but soon, hopefully soon, I'll get to stand in the copy room and make copies. Just like my Daddy.
