I always joked with my friends before I got married that once I moved back to the suburbs that I’d start attending a local school’s PTA meetings because thats just what seemed like the logical, suburb-living person should do. It would seem funny, you see, because I would neither be a parent or a teacher upon first moving to the area. Well, then I married an elementary school teacher. And as of last night, I can proudly say that I did attend my first PTA meeting.

I went to visit Lauren at her school before the parents started showing up for what I thought was Open House night. I scurried my way through the insanely packed parking lot, fighting off minivan after minivan and eventually had to park on the bus route. Bus routes! Yes :) !!

I walked through the double doors at the entry (ahhh . . . there’s that smell) and looked to my left into the lunchroom to see a host of people sitting in chairs, with rather important-looking people up on stage, and all the faculty and staff standing up along the walls. I walked in thinking “Hey, this is the beginning of Open House, sweet I’m here.” Only to realize that I had walked in on my first PTA meeting. It was like I infiltrated a secret society — thats the way i felt. I always heard about this growing up, but never imagined what it must be like.

Thankfully I spotted Lauren on the opposite wall where I was and made my way over to see her. After the presentations were all over, we walked back to her classroom so she could meet the family that had come for the actual open house event.

I decided to leave so she could get alone time with the visiting parents, thus forcing me to the end of the hallway where a few nervous looking teachers standing outside their doors thought I was a parent of one of their students.

A nervous head-down “He-hello” quick eye glance and I’m gone!

Phew!