I'm Lindsay Ferrier, a Nashville writer with a passion for family travel, exploring Tennessee, and raising kids without losing my mind in the process. This is where I share my discoveries, along with occasional deep thoughts, pop culture tangents and a sprinkling of snark. Want to get in touch? Use the CONTACT form at the top of the page.
November 7, 2011
Most parents have been new to the car rider pick-up/drop-off line at one time or another, and I’ll be the first to admit that it can be confusing. I mean, who hasn’t found themselves in Jack Butler’s situation (a.k.a. Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom) at some point in her parenting career?
My daughter’s car rider line has its own minor intricacies. You enter the parking lot and loop around the back of the school in order to drop off or pick up your kids on the semi-circular drive in the front. The loop gives everyone room to get in and out without creating a major traffic jam out on the street. Of course, noobs always want to skip the loop and proceed directly to the semi-circle, and they generally have to be redirected by a teacher or other parent– but this is totally understandable.
What’s not so understandable is the fact that quite often, parents want to argue about it.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve sat behind a parent new to the car rider system who wants it explained in detail why she’s supposed to drive around the loop — like everyone else — in order to collect her child. But the front of the school is RIGHT THERE! But if she follows all the other cars, she’ll be driving BEHIND THE SCHOOL! But why can’t she just skip the loop and get someone to let her in WITHOUT going behind the school?! Don’t we realize how IMPORTANT she is?! Does the word ‘Mercedes’ mean NOTHING anymore?!
The last time this happened, that same parent mysteriously opted to remain in her car once she at last pulled up in front of the school– despite the fact that all of the parents in the cars around her got out, waited for their children to walk out to them, and strapped them into their backseats. When the cars started moving, she stayed put. Unfortunately, I was still behind her. A teacher walked up to her car window while 60 cars waited behind her.
“I don’t have my child,” she announced.
“You didn’t get out of the car and get your child?” the teacher asked.
“No.”
Mmmmkay.
My husband takes my daughter to school most days, so I’m generally spared the drop-off line, which is a good thing because on the days that I’ve been in it, it’s been even worse.
In the mornings, parents loop around, pull into the semi-circle, and wait for a whistle to blow, indicating that all cars have stopped and its safe for their kids to get out of the car. It’s a little confusing the first time, but pretty self-explanatory if you follow the lead of everyone else around you.
How do you explain, then, the parent last week who pulled up in the line, parked her car among all the others that were idling with parents and children inside, and left to walk her child into the school and onto her classroom?
That was a nice little ten-minute traffic jam.
Or the parent who just this morning waited for the whistle and then did … nothing? Once all the other kids were out and the cars began to move, she… woke up, I guess, and refused to budge until the line was stopped again and her son could get out of the car.
Eeeeegsfffskfkrerecrckle.
My biggest pet peeve, though, has to be the parents who can’t be bothered to wait in the morning drop-off line. They’re so very busy and so very important that instead, they pull up in a tiny strip mall parking lot across the street from the school and make their kids cross the congested road and hoof it up the broad front lawn– rather than wait the extra two minutes it would take to safely drop off their child right in front of the school’s double doors. My daughter says that the teachers tell the kids this isn’t allowed, but who’s going to stand in the strip mall parking lot and enforce it?
Actually, I have an answer to that. I’ve fantasized about creating a Car Rider Justice Squad. Composed of parents wearing leather jackets and berets adorned with dog ears (our school mascot), we’d teach these errant drivers a thing or two about car rider lines and how they work. Those who insist on Doing It Wrong might think we have no way of making them pay for their hookup line crimes, but I think we could come up with ways to make them squirm, particularly if we can get the experts on parental coercion involved… the PTO.
Who’s with me?
Image via Rachael Voorhees/Flickr
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So with you on this one, Linds! I’m in!
Or the parent who expects the school to service them as if they were a parent. We had a parent one time call right after school let out and demand “Who do I talk to if I have a problem with another parent in the parking lot?”. Uh…the other parent? By yourself? Because you’re an adult? Duh?
LOL!
Raising hand.
One of my big pet peeves is the note we get EVERY WEEK reminding us NOT TO PARK in front of the Parish Hall because it isn’t safe.
I took matters into my own hands one day when the offender parked there. “Hey Cynthia!” I said cheerfully “Move your car or we’re gonna get another goddamn note!” Some other moms heard me and said “Yeah! You’re the reason we’re getting the notes.” Cynthia laughed because we all pretended we were teasing, although everyone knows we weren’t.
its not like the school administrators could have come out and told her to move or anything.
Hilarious!
I don’t find the language hilarious.
Well, I guess that’s your goddamned problem!
I hate car line drop-off. One time a guy dropped his kid off and I was behind him waiting to pull up so my child could exit. His car just sat idling. The line behind me grew. I thought maybe he was having car trouble. Cars behind me began to just pull out of line and go around, so I finally did and drove past him, he was sitting talking on his phone oblivious!!!!! Then there are the parents who stop directly in front of the school instead of pulling up to the drop off line so their “more important” child doesn’t have to walk far, as we all wait behind them. This same parent will often get out of the car, go around to the passenger side, give them a kiss and hug and stand waving as they walk in, as we all just sit in line waiting for them. Nothing wrong with the kisses and hugs, but do it before you drop them off.
I can’t believe that, and yet it sounds like something that would happen at my daughter’s school. People are CRAZY.
Oh geez I dread this! I can’t believe how complicated they have made the process of dropping off/ picking up a child at school. My parents always just drove up to the school parking lot and we got out of or into the car and they left. Why all the drama? Because we are so afraid of the extremely rare stranger kidnapping? The kids are in much more harm (statistically) just traveling to school in the car. Or is it we are afraid they will be hit by a car traveling 10 mph in the school zone? I really don’t know. But I do know I dread going through this in a few years. Doesn’t it take like 45 min start to finish? All that being said I loved your post! And your idea of the squad is very creative 🙂 I think you may be onto something…..
It doesn’t take very long, as long as everyone follows the rules. What makes it take longer is when these PEOPLE hold up the LINE! GAH. Clearly, I have a little pent up rage issue with this! ;D
I’m went to public school and all this drop off/pick up terminology is completely foreign to me. Why aren’t all these kids taking the bus (or walking)? I feel like my school didn’t have official rules b/c there weren’t that many drop offs and pickups to warrant a system. I can’t believe you wait until all cars pull up and then let your kid(s) out when the whistle is blown. Sounds like too much coddling.
That’s my question, too. Why don’t the kids ride the bus?
Now you know why the kids of these parents are the way they are. As a teacher, I’ve observed this for years: parents who don’t follow rules have kids that don’t follow rules. Sadly enough in some cases, it’ll be Mr. Policeman that will be teaching the kids that the rules apply to them too.
This is so true!!!
Agreed!
Our school has avoided all of this by requiring that every parent park their car in the parking lot and the parent must enter the school to pick up their child inside. If dropping off, the parent must park the car and walk the child to the door.
At least 85% of the kids at the school are bused so this means there aren’t a huge number of kids being picked up.
For some reason, there are no problems with pickup, but dropping off is another story. There are many parents who don’t bother and drive up to the school door and drop their kids off. There are a lot more kids being dropped off in the morning than picked up. I think between the time I exit my car, walk my girls to the door and walk back to the car I have to dodge at least 5 different cars dropping their kids off.
I talked to the principal and she said she is equally frustrated, but thinks that after so many written notes home, nothing will change this behavior. Plus she can’t stand outside yelling at parents every morning.
We don’t have a loop. The parking lot goes right up to the door so it would be difficult to use your system.
I think drop-off is always going to be worse because you have a lot of people doing it who are going to work and are in a big huge rush. Pick up is always more relaxed- It’s people who have gotten off from work, SAHMS or WAHMS who set their own schedules.
car rider line is the bain of my existence…i now have a high schooler and i can tell you it gets no better…i may die of a heart attack in car rider line one day, or be arrested for someone else’s death
Oh yes. My stepdaughters’ high school car rider line was actually worse. They were part of a carpool and it was a NIGHTMARE. Sometimes I sat 10 minutes waiting for one of the girls to say goodbye to her boyfriend. Other times, my stepdaughter was sick, but since it was my day I STILL had to drive 30 minutes across town with my then baby daughter and bring the other two carpool members home. AWFUL.
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Those parents must have one of those special driving passes. You know, the ones where you have priority in the drop off line and you are also allowed to put your hazards on while waiting for your passenger to be picked up in front of the mall. I want one of those…
Jenna
callherhappy.com
I’m sure you’ve seen this one, too-the driver stops at the top of the drive and waits until the line is almost full (with cars having to go around to actually get in line), then they pull into the “prime spot” right where the kids come out. What the heck? Is your baby so delicate they can’t walk the extra 10 feet to your car? Or is it your sweet baby is just to dim to remember what the car looks like to find it on their own? I vote the latter-the apple probably doesn’t far from the tree.
YES. We have a good half-dozen of those in our pickup line. AAARRRGH.
Our car rider line was crazy and out of control until the school principal finally got the police involved. Now a cop shows up at random and writes tickets for people who park illegally, and instructs newbies on the proper drop-off and pickup procedure(s). Also, we have a “Watchdog” program, comprised of school dads who periodically don reflective vests and personally greet drivers and manage traffic in front of the school. They even open car doors so kids can get out. Amazing. It’s helped a lot, but there is still the occasional self-important parent who parks in the drop-off line and snarls everything up. ;^)
My daughter is now in middle school now and always rides the bus. last year however, I dropped her off once or twice a week. There were never any issues with the drop off line and everything was organized and orderly. There were cones showing where the kids could get out of the car. Parents never got out of the car at either dropoff or pickup. The kids notify their teacher when their parent’s car is in the front of the line and walk over. We never had a problem at her previous elementary either.
Consider yourself LUCKY. 🙂
Super easy. The Car Line Fine. Basically the school has a security guard issue tickets. If your fines aren’t paid, grades are withheld. Of course, this is a private school….
At our elementary school you can always tell the who are the newbies… and I feel a little sorry for them. 🙂
LOL!!!!
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I’m with you. Sign me up! I’ll take on some Entitled Mommies! Bring it!
And I wondered about that traffic jam the other morning. I was cranky, since I had to be back at my house to do an interview, and what on God’s green earth was taking so long? Ack!
As a teacher, it is no more fun to monitor the car rider drop-off/pick-up line than it is to be sitting in it:) And yes, parents do really stupid and unsafe things to save a little time. We have parents drop kids off anywhere and everywhere and make them walk in busy traffic. We also have parents who instruct their children to sneak out of unauthorized doors to leave in the afternoon so they can meet them somewhere else or have them try to sneak into locked doors in the mornings so they can drop them other places. These same parents refuse to let their children ride the bus because they feel it is unsafe. Our school resource officer does actually issue tickets for this type of behavior (as well as speeding through the car line, seriously?, illegal parking, etc), but he can’t be everywhere at once so most of the parents just chance it.
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I, for one, am sick and tired of seeing my wife come home having lost her voice because of idiot parents like these (she’s a teacher) or having an impatient parent almost run her down. Thus, I’ve been dreaming the impossible dream and searching for an alternative to car rider lines.