The Sanctimonious Father And The MTA

There is no way to say this without sounding self-righteous and arrogant.

So screw it.

I went to my first PTA meeting on Monday evening. There were about ninety people in attendance. Care to guess how many of them were men?

40? Lower.

25? Lower.

10? Try 3. Me and two other guys.

Three men. What the hell? It's the Parent Teacher Association, not the Mother Teacher Association.

Apparently, three is an above-average showing. The PTA President noted at the meeting that there were three men in attendance. She went on to say, "and I'm excited to announce that we've had TWO men volunteer for the book fair!"

I started looking around the room, trying to figure out which one of my fellow male attendees would be working aside me at the book fair.

I read all the time about how today's fathers are taking a more active role in their children's lives than previous generations did. But after what I saw on Monday evening, I'm calling bullshit.

There's really no excuse for this kind of turnout. I know Monday Night Football's a big draw, but come one. I went to the PTA meeting, got groceries, and was still at the bar by the end of the first quarter of that snoozefest.

I realize attending a PTA meeting or volunteering for a school function is not as sexy as coaching your child's soccer team. But parenting isn't sexy.

I hope next month when my wife attends (we're taking turns), the men will outnumber the women 87-3. But somehow I doubt it.

Rant over.

Song of the day: The Chain by Fleetwood Mac