School drop off

Dear mom in the school drop off line,

I know that it is hard to say good-bye to your children in the morning, I do it every morning three times over, but please just do it. If you want to prolong the agony you have multiple choices: (1) walk to school, (2) ride bikes to school, or (3) park your car. With any of these choices you can spend a few more moments with your child and drag out the inevitable – your child departing from your presence and going into the school building for the several hours.

However, let me point out a few obvious points. You making every car behind you stop again just so your child can get out on the sidewalk right underneath the covered walkway to the doorway is infuriating. Why? Well, we’ve already stopped multiple times for everyone’s kid to do the exact same thing when the teachers have asked our kid to get out of the car 200 feet back down the sidewalk. Excuse me but what makes your kid so special? Nothing really. Your kid’s legs are not broken. The last time I checked, unless you are the Wicked Witch of the West, your child is not going to melt if it is raining. Yesterday it was not raining. Today it was only sprinkling, but wait this is not Oz (or Winkie Country) and we are not in Kansas (or like I said, Winkie Country) so I think we’re safe unless you really are the Wicked Witch of the West and have immigrated from any of the three previously stated locations.

I promise that even if your child gets out of the car the 200 hundred feet down the sidewalk like the teachers really want to help speed up the unloading process in the morning because there are a lot of cars to get through the drop off line with 800+ students and very few of which ride the bus, none of them will let your child wander off the curb and into said oncoming traffic. They are pretty attentive and are just as interested in getting your child into the school as you are (well except for those that would just assume prolong the agony of saying good-bye in the morning) so that they can get paid their daily bread for the day. See most of the teachers are there because they want to be there – they actually want to teach your children during the day. They want to share the joy of learning.

So please the next time the teacher waves your child to get out of the car will you please just tell your child “I love you. Have a good day.” Then unlock your car doors and tell them to get out of the car and walk the 200 feet down the sidewalk to the doors like the rest of their peers are doing so the rest of us can go about our days? Please? If you need to help them out of the car, please pull out of the car pool drop off line and into one of the many available parking spots and help your child out of the car and walk them across the now flowing drop-off line where those same teachers will be happy to stop the flow of traffic to help you and your child cross at a cross-walk. You’ll be amazed at how much faster you’ll get through the line as well.

Sincerely,

Your fellow school drop-off mom
(Ready to get back on the bike, but injury keeps me in the car for a little while)