PARENTING CONFESSIONS: 'My son's school is having a bake sale. There's a big problem I can't overlook.'

Let me preface this by saying, I am a good person. I give my spare change to charity and offer to chaperone excursions. And I always wait my turn in the school drop off zone.

But my son’s preschool’s latest request is one I just can’t seem to overlook.

This weekend, my three-year-old’s preschool is holding a fete. There’ll be games. A petting zoo. Clowns, even.

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There’ll also be cake, thanks to the 30 odd families like mine who opened their child’s backpack and found a letter stating each child will need to provide baked goods for the cake stall.

Now, I love cake as much as the next person. Maybe even more. And I would never object to something that makes my child happy. No, I’m not one of those ‘I Quit Sugar’ mums, and my son is 100 percent not gluten intolerant, or anything intolerant for that matter. I would also love to bake with my son. He loves cooking and licking the bowl, and I love spending time with him.

But my problem here is with where the money raised from these cakes will go. It won’t be going to charity or the local community. It’ll go towards funding my son’s education.

But, isn’t that what I pay school fees for?

My partner and I made the decision to send our son to a private preschool. We want him to get the very best education possible, and we’re willing to pay a hefty fee to make sure that happens.

So why, when parents like us are paying hundreds of dollars a year to send our kids to a privately funded preschool, are we being politely told to not only donate our time and money to make these cakes, but also to buy them back from the cake stall?

If it was a public school, or an not-for-profit community preschool, I’d be completely fine with fundraising. I am not a scrooge. But to me, there is no difference between my son’s preschool asking me to raise money for their private business than if my boss at work asked me to buy ingredients and bake cookies for them, and then made me pay to eat them.

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Am I being difficult, or worse, a tight ass? The worst thing about it all is that I really freaking love to bake, and I love being involved in all these fun things, like the fete, that will enrich my son’s school experience.

But to me this just seems like a money grab, like interest on the school fees I’m already paying that was hidden way down in the fine print when I signed on the dotted line.

So should I suck it up and just bake the damn cakes? Or should I say something?

Feature Image: Canva/Mamamia.