When I had my daughter, I promised myself that I would not give up my volunteer work. And so it was that I trundled off to a meeting when she was six months old and proceeded to bounce her on my back throughout the meeting as she napped. Luckily, I have always been on boards and in groups that are accommodating. My daughter is the honorary member of several organizations and recently snored through another board meeting of our local gardening group that encourages people to grow food for those in need.
Often, people think that I am crazy for bringing a preschooler to board meetings or adult-oriented events. It is true that this carries a higher stress level than keeping her at home. I am responsible for managing my daughter’s behavior in public, and sometimes it isn’t pretty. Then again, I do think that she gains from having a variety of experiences in adult-oriented environments. What are the advantages of going outside your comfort zone and inviting a preschooler to a meeting?
For you, the advantage is that your preschooler’s presence definitely softens the tone of the meeting. Everyone becomes more human when there are children around. It’s easier to see the humor in a situation. Kids give us common ground.
Your preschooler gets practice learning how to sit, watch, and play quietly, accompanied by some social pressure to do so. While I’m all for uninhibited childhood play, learning how to behave in social situations is a good skill for children to learn. Tried to talk on the phone lately?
Your preschooler experiences things that other children do not. We get into interesting discussions about adult topics, and my daughter meets a wide variety of people who she would not have met otherwise. It’s easy to stay within your comfortable social circles when you’re socializing with your preschool, but it can be good to move outside those circles and expose your child to new people and events.
Your preschooler becomes beloved of a group of people. My daughter has been coming to gardening meetings and community gardening events since she was six months old. People ask questions when I come to meetings without her. They really enjoy her presence.
Would you volunteer with your child? Would you bring your preschooler to a meeting?