Since I was never able to stay at home to raise kids (I had a day care business but this isn't "at home" - it's often more work than a job and you don't often spend time with your own kids) I never did the FT Volunteer Mom thing. I remember, though, feeling a little resentful of moms who camped out in the volunteer center - they raised the ante to a level to which wage-earning moms could never aspire. The elementary school our family went through was, and probably still is, a good school but like every other organization, it takes what it can get. There were a few times when a particular child would be given a special privilege or reward for no apparent reason other than the fact that Mom put in 80 hours that week. It's not supposed to happen but of course, organizations being run by imperfect humans, it does.
Even given the elevated status of gold-star school superfamilies, I don't think I would have been a FT Volunteer Mom even if I'd been able to "stay home" - the life offers too little time at home.
And after reading this article, I believe I made the right decision for me. I'd bet a lot of other parents out there feel the same way.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/02/garden/02parents.html?src=me&ref=general
