I got the first PTA email when my son was still weeks away from his first day of kindergarten.

The subject line was, We Have Open PTA Positions!

(Exclamation points are necessary to convey the proper amount of excitement.)

Because withoutme, we wouldnt be able to provide so many fun activities to our students!

or the Book Fair Organizer (you’re able to spread a love of reading!)

In other words, Im simply not a super-social people-person.

When I got that first email, I was on an annual family beach vacation with my husbands family.

Which one should I do?

Um, I vote for neither, my sister-in-law responded without hesitation.

But Im home, I said.

I really should volunteer.

There are other parents who stay home, she said.

It doesnt always have to be you.

Well,thatwas new information.

She was right, though.

Just because its convenient for me doesnt mean Id enjoy it or even be particularly good at it.

Long-term volunteering is most successful when the fit is right for the organizationandthe volunteer.

And this, I knew, was not the right fit.

This is not the time for knee-jerk decision-making.

Dont let the guilt drive you toward a long-term commitment you might grow to dread.

Of course, Id be happy to chaperone the field trip to the pumpkin patch.

Ill send in plates for the holiday party; you know what, Ill get the napkins, too.

Youre out of tissues?

Im literally on my way to Wal-Mart right now to get more!

If our school PTA has a shoe drive, Ive got shoes.

If theyre collecting used books, Ive got a stack ready and waiting.

Hosting a fundraiser at the local pizza joint?

Im there when the doors open, placing an order for a large pie.

Just not join the PTA.

Grab a pen to jot down these dates.

If youve got the right details, you wont be late!

I like to respond to these sweet notes with my own poems that thank them for keeping us informed.

(I just gotta say, these emails are fun.

What a great way to check that we dont miss a ton!)

And then I follow up with a genuine, non-rhyming message that thanks them for all their work.

Look for other small ways to show your appreciation, too.

After all,someonehas to do this jobI just dont want it to be me.