I'm done volunteering at my kids' schools. Now I'm planning to give that time back to myself.

The author, who has spent many years being a room parent, is passing on the torch to other volunteers at her kids' schools.

Courtesy of Jamie Davis Smith.

My kids now range in age from 11 to 20.

I've spent the past two decades being a room parent and volunteering at their schools.

Now, I'm done.

It's time for me to pass the torch and focus on my own interests again.

For years, I was an active elementary school volunteer .

Although I never dove headlong into the often intense world of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), for more than a decade, I dutifully served as a room parent for one or more of my four children's classes.

Now, my youngest child is moving on to middle school , and my days as a school volunteer are coming to an end.

I enjoyed all of the memories and connections being a school volunteer allowed me to make, but I have to admit, I'm a little excited about not being the one to put together the class list at back-to-school night this year.

I loved being a room parent There was a lot I enjoyed about volunteering at my children's schools for so many years.

I loved having a closer, more regular relationship with my children's teachers, which came with an open line of communication that wasn't always available to parents who did not volunteer.

The author enjoyed volunteering a lot when her kids were in elementary school since it gave her extra access to teachers and events.

Courtesy of Jamie Davis Smith Each of my children's elementary school teachers was an important adult in my kids' lives, someone who sometimes spent more time with them in a given day than I did.