Market Day problems. I hate it when somebody makes it their mission to revitalize Market Day. I hate the PFE (PTA) scenario. I got out of that years ago, with it's politics and meaninglessness. Sure it's great to earn money for the schools, (usually for parties, a beanbag chair for the library, etc.) but I've had it with sitting for 1/2 hr. while people debate whether to have water bottles or popsicles for Field Days. Ugh! I'm not Miss High Powered Career Executive who has no time for that, but I do have a job that keeps me VERY VERY busy. Even if I didn't, I think I'd rather have root canal than sit through that. Just pick one and move on. I don't look down on women who don't work, nor do I think that everybody PFE member is trying to satisfy her need for power and decision-making because this is her only outlet. But still......

Some career PFE people have taken interest in my Market Day sale site. That's right, I said 'my'. I appreciate the help, but I am used to making the decisions. I'm not talking about major decisions like money allocation, but just how things are done. If I want to pick up the forms from the schools, don't insist that someone bring them to my house. I know what works for me. I love that a Market Day customer and a person who has only been to one sale, take the liberty of meeting with the principal to design a table layout without consulting me. The weird thing is that these people never argue. I know that I am going to end up blowing up. In the real world, we would know who the boss is so we would know who has the final say. In the real world, I would say something like, "I appreciate your help and interest, but I am the site coordinator and I need to be able to make the final decision". Nobody ever says anything like that. They are all smiley-friendly. Of course, I have seen terrible fights erupt at the district meetings, but usually they are all smiley-smiley. Maybe I really don't give myself credit. Maybe these people have never had basic classes on how organizations run.

I can only hope that these people get bored or learn that this site is never going to make a million dollars, get a ton of volunteers for very long, etc.and go perform their heroics elsewhere in the district. In the meantime, I don't know how much more I can take. Since these people are not in the business-mode, I am going to have to redouble my assertive vs. aggressive communication. "Wow, it must have been hard for you to come up with a layout since you haven't had the benefit of seeing how the sales are fun. I wish I had known so I could have been there to help. I can always hav them rearrange things if..." Am I power hungry too? I suppose. I am definitely territorial. Extremely territorial. Usually people who are in the business mindset are wary of stepping on peoples toes. "I know that you would never (intentionally?) step on someone's toes, but I really need xyz to be abc". "

I'm doomed.

Of course, why do I need the hassle? What do I gain from it? Not money, that's for sure. My husband thinks that people think I get free food. My husband says that nobody volunteers because it's not a high profile position where they can stroke the principal. Worry that I'm going to overtax my legs moving boxes and worry that people will think that I'm just lazy. Calling 50+, sometimes ++++people to remind them to pick up their orders. Lugging  the orders to the freezer when they don't show up. Quieting my screaming kids who want to get home. My husband always tells me that I should offer them the position if they would like to run Market Day. I just don't want people telling me that I should do 'A' when I want to do 'B', when either is equally good. I remember from one of my early nursing courses more than 20 years ago that there is delegating, power, authority...if you are given a job to do, then you need to have the authority to carry it out. How did it go? You can delegate power, but not authority...I don't remember. But I am certain that if someone has a title/position, even a voluntary one, that it's not a good thing for people who have other titles to come in and start managing/changing things. At the very least I am going to have to say, "It is hard for me to keep track of the changes that other people are making. I'm not a major corporate person, but I am lost without an organization chart". Somehow I am going to have to take back control and stop things from getting out of hand.

I am doomed.