PTA members - how do you cope with the constant complainers?

[redandyellowbits]

I'm on the school PTA, and I love doing it, we have a great team, very small but very supportive.
However I have a parent in my DDs class who is constantly complaining/critising every event we plan - it's too noisy for her daughter, its too babyish for her, its too early, too late etc.

I have told we are all working parents trying really hard, told her lots and lots of time she can always come and help us out even for 5 mins but of course she is always too busy for that, despite having just 1 DC who is in school, and not working herself.

I am finding it really demoralising and don't want to be put off contributing to the school. How do you cope with it? Any tips or mantras I can tell myself?

My simple answer is it you don't participate and help then you can't complain. Tell her ... If you want a certain event you can volunteer to head it and the PTA will support you. Please let us know what you want to organise. Oh and shall I put you down to man the tombola at the Xmas fair, or would you prefer the cake stall???

When it comes to people like this I find the best approach is just to listen and move on. It doesn't sound like she actually wants to help or make any suggestions, just to moan. Life's too short to spend time on people like that.

I work, but I have been class rep, helped at every school fair/event which wasn't within my working day and where help has been urgently needed I've taken time off work to assist. It's just part and parcel of school life imo. Ironically, it's working parents who contribute the most at our children's school.

If you don't want to be involved then don't complain!

As a teacher, I get all the complaints. I now turn it straight back on to them. "You're right the books haven't been rotated for a while. Thanks for offering to change them around for me, grab the ones from Mrs X's classroom to swap with." "You're right, it is a late event. I'll put you on the early shift for selling raffle tickets so you aren't out too late." "You're right, there's not enough gluten free items in the tuckshop. Thanks for offering, you'll need to get your food here by 9am, about fifty should be enough." I generally find that the complaints seem to decrease when you start assuming that every complaint is a specific offer for help.