To wonder how volunteers cope with parents' stupidity?

[MeghanThyStallion]

My DC are involved in various clubs so I'm on a few WhatsApp groups used by the volunteer leaders to coordinate with parents. My goodness, but I roll my eyes so often. Some examples since Christmas:

• Trainer: "Happy New Year everyone! Don't forget we're back on Wednesday, 5pm at local leisure centre." The next few messages, all from parents: "When are we back?" "Is it usual time?" "Are we still at local school?"

• Coach: "Home game this Saturday vs Man U, meet at 10 for a 10.30 kick-off." Parents: "Is there a match this weekend?" "What time?" and my personal favourite, the parent who text in at 10.45 on match day to say their DC couldn't play because they were injured

And so on and so forth, every siglngle week. FML but I would have lost it by now. "Well, numb-nuts, if you bloody read the message I JUST sent you, you'd know the answer to that question!"

How do they do it?!

The comprehension skills of many people are appalling!

It can't even be laziness. It takes longer to type a question than it does to look up at the previous message.

I suspect some stop volunteering. Then those who are part of the cause complain that activities are not available.

Op I think we are in the same group! (Not really, but my God it winds me up too).

Just after lockdown when sport was allowed again, Coach posts a message saying card only, no cash accepted (as a lot of places did). Literally less than 5 minutes later "Can I pay by cash on Saturday?"

I got called rude for replying "Please read the message directly above yours. Coach posts these for a reason."

People hide their laziness behind ditziness/forgetfulness. They would rather pretend they didn’t see it and get someone to repeat themselves rather than scroll back through the chat and find the answer to their question. My sister does this and it drives me nuts, that fake ‘oh guyyyyys 🙈 I know we’ve said 6 times when we’re meeting up but when is it again and what’s the plan?’

Once I just refused to answer, said we’d agreed it higher up in the chat and wouldn’t repeat myself for the millionth time. She threw a strop.

I reduced my volunteering commitments due to the behaviour of some parents and kept going with the ones where the parents read their emails, don't mess us around or take the mick.

Remember… these people vote in elections too!!

Some people are just thick and lazy, there's no other explanation.

Our scout leader sends a reminder on WhatsApp every first session of the month to bring subs.

The ones that ask stupid questions rarely bring subs on time.

You're not wrong. Although often it's not stupidity, it's laziness. The amount of times I've sent all information to parents via both email and Facebook, and I still get questions that can all be answered in the information already sent. Drives me bananas! If only people could read back through the emails/Facebook before messaging me. It's definitely the case that they value their time far more than they value mine!

Sometime volunteering for a kids club would be a doddle without the parents!

Goes both ways, football team posts the lists of kids playing yesterday. Jake s and Jake f
my son is Jake Z say so I was like sat morning off yey, I didn’t question it as there were quite a few new people joined recently, then son says oh dad was annoyed I wasn’t at football?!
if they can’t be bothered to get his name right then that’s not my fault, we have to confirm they Can play so when I didn’t no one followed it up so I forgot about it. They are too full on for a kids football team, going on about laser focus etc

From first hand experience the coaches have a separate WhatsApp group where they take the piss out of the parents 😂

Constantly. I ran brownies and would send out a letter "we're going camping x date to x date. Cost £x, to include XYZ adventurous activities. 15 places, first come first served".

It was usually a matter of minutes until "when's the trip and how much is it?" 🤦🏼‍♀️

Fortune I'm not leader in charge nowadays, I'd have less patience 😁

I run a Brownie pack and coach a rugby team, I get so fed up with parents asking questions on the groups where I've just posted the info. Luckily some of the other parents have started to respond with the things I would like to say. I volunteer for both things, which takes up a fair amount of time, plus work full time with two kids and a seriously ill husband. I don't have the time or inclination to post the same info multiple times so tend to ignore the stupid questions now. Between that and the responses from sane parents, I am hoping they'll get the message eventually.

And this is exactly why I gave up volunteering with a local scout group.

Not really the same thing. That's poor communication from the club, presumably an accidental typo. But when the same parents ask the same questions over again, when they could just look up the answer, that's laziness.

Not just groups but on school groups too.. sometimes someone will say they have just emailed teacher to clarify x, yet x was in a letter to us.. why not just check through your emails 😭

As someone sending the whatsapps and setting the teams up, it's a complete pain and hugely frustrating........ I'd give it up if I could but am counting the days to the end of the season.

Oh yes 🤣

just the parents, not the kids though

often followed oh fuck did I post that on the wrong chat

Parents are the worst bit of running youth groups. Its the parents that drive us to distraction 😆

You always have the knowledge that whatever you do won't be good enough for at least one parent.

But the kids make it worthwhile. Thats why we do it.

(And remember... any help you can give, even a small amount, does make a difference.)

It's the same in schools. You can send out a very clearly laid out, plain English email giving every scrap of information they need and within less than 4 minutes, the phone is ringing.

Every single time.

@Forth oh god yes! The 3am sweats that you’ve shared your thoughts about the Billy Big Bollocks in the parent group with the entire parent group 😩😬!

@NeverDropYourMooncup or you tell them the information was in the letter and they tell you they don’t have time to read the letter 🙄🤬😩🤦‍♀️.

It’s absolutely soul destroying. I am resigning my PTA position of treasurer as I just can’t deal with all the bollocks. It’s exhausting on top of work.

Can I also add:

"Can anyone give Colin a lift on Saturday?"
"Yes, we can take him, are you in X village."
"Yes"
"Pick him up at 10:30?"
"Could you make it 10:33?"
"That's fine. Pick him up by the garage?"
"Is that the one next to Tesco?"
"Yes, on Station Street"
"He'll be there. Do they need trainers?"
"I think so. I'll take them for a burger on the way back"

And so on... for every other parent it's ping...ping...ping...ping and the original details are now 45 messages back.

JUST MESSAGE DIRECTLY. 😂😂😂

I work in a school and this is the same for me.

However my son’s school is shocking and the comms are so poor I’d be fired if I sent out the shit they do.