This seems to be a chronic problem of past presidents! Having been on both sides, let me assure you it is not easy to look back at the "progress" you may have created while president, only to have someone come in and change everything you set up! People have different ways of doing things and as long as the kids are benefitting from everyone's efforts, let it go. Someday you'll be the one looking at your successor changing things and hopefully you'll offer her support and guidance when she needs it. It's a labor of love doing this stuff!!!!
Boy can I relate...now that I am president it seems that I can do nothing right, every new idea, any variation in the routine that we try our former board tries to "bust our chops" for it. My response has been, "I'm sorry you feel so negative about the things we are trying to do, but the new board is trying very hard and by the responses we have been getting the majority of the people are in agreement with us." It seems our former president has real issues with letting go...and a few times I have wanted to trip her in the hall...but always give her my best huge phony grin instead:)
Your last years president was probably feeling left out, or was jealous of your success. You can't please ALL of the people ALL of the time, and it is hurtful to hear negative things, be proud of your job well done, and keep up the good work. It is very hard to NOT take it personally, but TRY, after all, you didn't do the carnival for HER you did it for the KIDS and I bet THEY LOVED IT! And remember, kill 'em with kindness...
We had our Spring Fling last weekend. The kids had a great time and I thought it was nice. We were very short on volunteers to help decorate and set up. About 4 of us worked very hard to get everything we could done. The next day at the carnival some of the game rooms did not have instructions . The previous years president was to work in the POP TOSS room. She came to the office and was being hurtful about having no instructions there for her. Her oldest is in 4th or 5th and she has done many of these games. Instead of just taking control she decided to spen the time it would take to write them out and proceed she chose to come to me and complain. I was not in charge but being the president she thought I had to know. After her shift she proceeded to come into the office at least three more times to complain about something else. At the end of the night she came in and said she planned to come over sometime and discuss a few things with me, and then left. I ended up feeling very hurt about this. Last year she was very nice about things, but this year it is like she sees things as just horrible. I am not sure how to take this. The problems we had at the carnival are the same petty things that always happen at spring flings. It is like she has forgotten that this is for the kids, and they dont know if a room has three people instead of four. Am I talking this too personal?
