Dear Mary…
Q. My son attends a school where all the parents, apart from his own, appear to be either Yummy Mummies or Superdads as well as multimillionaires. Since most of these mothers don’t work, they are all very competitive with each other, and the key competition of the year is coming up in the last week of term, the PTA-arranged tennis tournament. I dread the thought of being ritually humiliated both on and off the court. When confronted by the PTA member who will shortly be standing outside my son’s classroom asking me to put my name down for singles or doubles, how can I decline without seeming antisocial or unsportswomanlike?
Name withheld, London W11
A. Do not cringe in anticipation. Instead surge potently towards the PTA member to praise her for getting involved, adding that you know what a nightmare it is trying to round people up to participate in something because you yourself are hosting a fund-raising lunch on the very same day.
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