Worse: The Carpool Line

If you have sat in a carpool line, you may wonder how it could be worse?!?  Oh it is possible! 

The girl's school only has a drop-off line in the morning.  In the afternoon you have to park and walk up to collect them in the afternoon.  The girls look like little refugees standing in a holding pen searching the crowd for their mummy, daddy or nanny.  Back to the mornings...

When the weather is warmer, the girls arrive at least 15 minutes early so they may play outside.  This avoids the nonsense I am about to describe.  But now it is cold and I understand wanting to be just in time.  In the last two weeks I have witnessed mothers get out of their car then:  

Brush and fix hair - twice (how does this save time?)

Tidy their trunk

Sit down in the car, fumble around and get out again to hand money to another mother

Hand a phone to her daughter and waited patiently while the daughter chatted 

After the daughter walked away, opened the back door and walked a dog around the car to the front seat

And this is merely a sample!  Truly maddening.  The problem is there is no policing of the drop-off line.  In the US the principal would call you out in two seconds with a bull horn.  There is ample parking.  If a child is not ready to jump out as you slow down, park the car. 

Another factor is most parents have to get out of the car to open the door on the side were the traffic is moving.  Plus the cars are smaller the school bags may have to go in the trunk or other side of the car.  So parents have to get out to help.  I get out too but I kiss and dash.  We do not hurry but we do not jack around either. 

In their defense, there are not many drive-thrus in the area.  Perhaps this is their only encounter with this type of thing.  I find the lack of common courtesy incredibly rude.  How self absorbed is a person to leave a half dozen cars waiting as you braid your child's hair?  

What am I going to do to fix this problem?  Well, I asked my class rep to bring it up with the parent's association.  However, it is not an issue in which I feel strongly enough to try resolve personally or take a turn at working the line.  The girls will have to actually zip their coats, put on their gloves and tough it out on the playground to beat the rush.  But I could be swayed if they gave me a bull horn...