If it's a Saturday night four weeks into build season and you're a Robot Parent, you do.
My husband and I stopped by the shop last night to see what the kids were working on and to see if we could help with anything. Many of the kids were at the basketball game since it was a "band night" so we were able to help a couple of the kids get parts ready for the rest of the team to work on after the game.
After the game 10 or 15 kids came back the shop and started working. A little bit later, another half dozen other kids who weren't on the team stopped by to see what their friends were doing. Next thing, a few more parents show up and a college-aged sibling who has been helping out walked through the door.
So at 10pm on a Saturday night six parents and mentors, 15 team members and some friends were hanging out machining parts, talking strategy, and chilling. What a great way to spend the evening.
Then, a parent who doesn't have kids on the team saw the cars in the parking lot and stopped in to say hi, another set of parents stopped by with a fresh pan of peanut butter-chocolate rice krispy treats, and another mentor showed up with his night vision goggles to check out the robot's camera and lights. Did I mention it was 10pm on a Saturday night?
And that's what build season is all about.
