Moms Talk: Volunteering in Your Child's School

As school budgets shrink, backpacks arrive home stuffed with more and more letters asking for help in the classroom.

But how much volunteering is too much for parents, and how do you say "no" without feeling guilty?

In this fast-paced world where there never seems to be enough time in a day, some moms (and dads) are beginning to rebel. In this New York Times article, one mother "designed the fifth-grade T-shirt, taught art twice monthly to three different classes, and organized movie night, restaurant night and beach night fund-raisers."

As a result, she hardly had time to spend with her own children at the end of the day, so she eventually withdrew from her volunteer commitments at the school and "is a new woman" because of it.

Some moms, like the woman in the article, feel schools are too demanding of parents' time, but want to hear from you: How much volunteering is too much, and how do you say no to volunteer requests?