Tennessee ‘Venmo Mom’: The Hero We Need Or Villain?
Is the “Venmo Mom” in Tennessee the hero our schools need or is she the villain? It’s started a big debate on the internet.
A mom in Tennessee has gone viral after refusing to volunteer for any school activity at her kids’ schools. Instead, she’ll Venmo money to help when she can. Is the money good enough or does she have to volunteer her time? It’s started quite the debate online and has become a polarizing discussion.
What Is A Venmo Mom?
This story is especially weird as it’s coming out of the Volunteer State. You’d think they’d be all about volunteering whether it’s for school, the community, or some sort of militia. Instead of volunteering her time, she’ll send money. While some people believe that’s good enough as it will help with things at the school, others say it’s not about the money and she should be volunteering her time like everyone else.
Casey Neal is a mouther of 4 who lives in Tennessee. It sounds like she’s a proud Venmo Mom. In a TikTok video that has gone viral she says, “I don’t know about anyone else out there but ‘Meet the Teacher’ is super stressful because I do not want to be involved at all. I will make sure my kids obviously do their homework and get to school on time…but I don’t want to be on PTO, PTA, Room Mom, Team Mom–I don’t want to do any of that.”
She went on to explain that she gets anxious when school and teams ask for volunteers. That can be understandable. I get anxious anytime I have plans or have to go anywhere! Around other parents who are desperate to impress teachers and administrators I could get the need to not want to be a part of all the politics you likely have to deal with. For the record, I do not have children. Maybe I’d feel differently if I did but right now I can understand not wanting to volunteer at the school. So, instead of volunteering her time, she donates money–that’s what Venmo Moms do.
Now, she’s getting support from other Venmo Moms and people who agree with the perspective. At the same time, she’s getting a lot of hate from people saying she’s not above volunteering and she should be doing it and she’s a terrible parent for not doing it.
You can watch her viral video below shared on her TikTok @nealfamilychaos. What do you think? Is it okay to be a Venmo Mom or should you volunteer?