Overwhelmed by unhelpful and overbearing parents
Im feeling so overwhelmed and I need to know if I did the right thing or if I need to apologize.
I got a phone call from a parent complaining that I spoke to their child too harshly. The parent now wants me to talk to their child about why I told her no and they want me to explain to her that I am not mad at her. This parent kept me on the phone for half an hour explaining why I need to do this.
I told the parent that I would not be apologizing to her or explaining the situation. I said that I told her no the first time and explained why she couldn’t have what she wanted but I had to repeat the no again more sternly because she did not listen the first time. The parent was present for the interaction the entire time and did not correct her. In my eyes this was not a big enough deal to warrant a follow up conversation.
This family is new to the troop but I do know them from school and know they can be difficult. I do not want to end up being micromanaged by them. I did not yell at her and did not say anything nasty but they did not like the tone of voice I used to say no.
I am so frustrated with all of the parents because they all want me to treat their children like fragile little butterflies but offer no assistance. I have multiple children of my own in the troop that do not get special treatment because I have to cater to all the other children and I feel like I have been catering to the parents as well.
I asked this family to open their digital cookie store multiple times and they never did. At the end of cookie season they finally reached out, after I had already said the season was closed, to ask how to open their store. When I told them the season was done they said they would make a donation and they gave me $5 at the next meeting.
I am feeling resentful of these demanding parents who offer no help and I am thinking maybe I should step down. Should I apologize to this little girl and her family and pack it in and leave it to another parent with more patience? I want to set boundaries but I don’t know if I did it in the right way.