Things to grumble about...
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 09:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
auntbijouAm I ever going to see the Insane Soccer Parents and not get this massive flinch/flail reaction from them? Seriously! Yesterday morning, after I got the Impossible Son settled in his class, I was about to turn out of the parking lot, and here comes the Insane Soccer Parents, tootling down the street toward the junior high. Then Mrs. Insane sees me, flinches, her husband notices, looks, sees me, flinches, then both of them start flailing, and their car swerves. All this with their son in the back seat going, "Huh, what?"
You'd think I had six inch fangs, dripping with saliva, and I was staring longingly at their throats or something! I mean, isn't that the reaction usually reserved for spotting Godzilla just before he steps on your house??
So, this morning, I drive up to Mr. Manzie's school, and I'm waiting to turn into the parking lot. They come up, waiting to turn out of the parking lot. And again, they spot me. I decide to grab the bull by the horns and wave cheerfully at them, with a smile (because I'm evil that way).
I'll give you three guesses how they reacted.
Maybe tomorrow, I should wear a hockey mask with a little tiny drip of blood coming from one corner of the mouth. I mean, it couldn't possibly make their reactions any worse! I thought for a few minutes there that they were going to leave their car and flee. You know, this almost hurts my feelings (though not really, because they mean less to me than a gnat). I have done nothing to these people. And, you know, my husband did nothing to them, either, other than warn them that he would call the police if they tried to show up at a soccer game with the intent to harass and harangue (I'm being really, really generous here, because what Mr. Insane actually threatened to do to THO was "kick your @)#%*&!! ass!!"). I should probably ask Mr. Manzie's teacher if the Insane's younger son is in her class, because... that would be just my luck. Can you imagine field trips with Mrs. Insane? I'd have to get all Chilly Pissed Off Southern Gal on her. *head-desk*
Another thing I want to grumble about?? Yesterday, as I was getting ready to pick up my kids, my phone rang. It was E, our friend and fellow soccer parent. Her daughter and mine are best friends, so we do a lot of trading kids back and forth. So, she called and said, "Are you going to do your usual thing of parking at Bluebonnet and having Miss Priss walk there from the junior high so you can pick them both up and such?"
"Er... yeah..." I said slowly, reading This Is Going To Piss You Off, So I'm Breaking It To You Gently in her voice. "Why?"
"Well, they've blocked off the parking lot, there's a hella long line, and you might want to leave... NOW."
Oh. Yay.
So, I drove to the school. And yeah, hella long line. I thought, screw this, and parked on the street. Why? I shall explain.
There is a carpool lane at the school. In a perfect world, and at Miss Priss' previous school it actually DID work this way, one drives up, the teachers call your kid, kid hops in, buckles up, and off you go! Efficient, and all that. Same thing at the junior high. You pull up, your kid gets in your car, you go. It's not rocket science, right?
This is not how it works at my son's school. What happens at my son's school is, parents park in the carpool lane to wait for school to end. The kids come out, some get in the cars, and drive away, the rest of the cars remain parked where they are. Yeah. Nobody moves up. Nobody fills the gaps that the departing cars left. And nobody among the teachers or administrators, or even the effin' COPS who come to help out, MAKE these people move up. So what happens? Everybody who is behind these cars has to sit and wait until those idiots move in order to move up so THEY can get their kids. Some kids get tired of waiting (because it's HOT here, we're talking triple digits!!) and just walk to their parents' cars and get in, and THOSE parents drive off, and the ones behind THEM don't move up... see where I'm going here?
So, I usually drive in, go to the parent parking section of the parking lot and wait. It actually works out better for me, because my daughter is walking over from the junior high, and the parent parking lot is where she enters the elementary school property. See, even if I used the car pool line, I'd still have to park for Miss Priss, because the elementary won't allow older students to pick up their younger siblings the first three weeks (I have NO idea why, it's STUPID!).
Well, last May, a parent was hit by a car as she walked across the parking lot with her kids. The kids were fine, if traumatized by seeing their mom hit by a car. I knew there were going to be repercussions from this, and was kind of braced for it, but... I didn't expect this.
They blocked off the parking lot. You can't even get to parent parking. Meaning, I'll have to leave at 2:45 to get a parking spot to wait for my kids.
So, I parked on the street, went and got the Impossible Son, crossed the parking lot, and stood in the hot sun, waiting for the Impertinent One. Then we walked to Junebug (which is the name of our minivan, if I have neglected to mention it), crossed a VERY busy street, and I bundled my kids into the car and we went home.
I also had even more reason to be irritated, but I wanted to check things before I reacted. I searched through the handouts we got Friday at the open house and snarled. The dismissal time at Mr. Manzie's school last year was 3:20. Miss Priss got out at 3:00. This wasn't so bad because if it was raining, it meant I could pick her up and get to Mr. Manzie's school before he got out. So, I was preparing to leave at my usual time of ten after 3 yesterday in light of that. It's a good thing I left at 3, though, because his dismissal time was changed to 3:05... AND THEY DIDN'T NOTE THAT FACT IN THE HANDOUTS!!!
The only reason parents were there early yesterday is because people are in the habit of arriving before three to beat the inevitably long line in the car pool lane!!
And there was nothing about blocking the parking lot off in the handout either. Only a plea to parents who park to please use the designated crosswalk when crossing the parking lot with their kids.
The irony in this? The woman who was hit last year? Was in the CROSSWALK!!!!
Oh, yeah, I feel REAL safe!!
I did get a chance to talk briefly to the principal, asking her why the hell they blocked the parking lot, and it was pretty much to keep parents from parking and to encourage them to use the carpool lane for safety's sake. Of course, I was watching the same old phenomena of parents pulling out and no one moving up to fill the empty spaces, and I slapped my forehead, took a deep breath for patience and said, "That's really admirable, but look at that mess out there. It has been that way since the school opened four years ago. Four years. Think of that. And another? Gas costs too much now for me, personally, to sit there, idling my car for 20 to 30 minutes while I wait for you people to get your act together and actually get these idiots to MOVE. What's endangering these kids isn't parents driving carelessly. It's parents who are impatient and completely ticked off who FINALLY get their kid in the car and just want to get the hell home and they have to pull out, because the person in front of them is PARKED. They're not moving up, and no one is MAKING them move up. So the parents who HAVE their kids have no choice but to pull out. Do you see my point?"
She actually frowned and said, "But, we have this sectioned off, first grade, second grade... the parents need to park where their children are most likely to be!"
And now you see why the carpool lane DOESN'T WORK.
So I gritted my teeth and said, "Sorry, but until this gets fixed, I'm not doing the carpool lane. I'm not wasting gas on this. I'd rather park and walk. And today, I chose to park on the street. I'm not happy about walking my kids through the traffic out there, but at least when I leave here, I'll STILL have a quarter tank of gas, instead of burning most of it up with my patience SITTING IN THAT LINE!!"
I knew this really bothered her, because I'm one of her more reasonable parents, and if it upsets me, that's a sign something is wrong. But she really had no idea why this arrangement wasn't working. You know, I think it's more frustrating when someone who is obviously intelligent DOESN'T get a basic concept, or doesn't see something glaringly obvious even to the dimmer souls among us.
AUUUUUGGGGGHHH!!!!!
Sometime this week, after I get a few things straightened out, we are switching to bicycles. We're close enough, and though Mr. Manzie is in 2nd grade, I plan to ride with him to keep him out of trouble. Plus, it's legal to ride bikes on the sidewalk here, so that will keep him off the street. The tough part will be the street in front of the school in the afternoons. We'll manage. We'll practice until he has it down, and then give it a try. We'll probably end up getting home a lot faster than we did in the car!
I'm actually considering going to the school, today or tomorrow, to EXPLAIN to them, complete with pictures and diagrams, WHY this isn't working. I can't believe no one has seen this, or figured it out. It's STUPID. And whoever came up with this plan should be clonked over the head with something heavy. Like an anvil.
*stomps off to go work off her stress in the garden*
You'd think I had six inch fangs, dripping with saliva, and I was staring longingly at their throats or something! I mean, isn't that the reaction usually reserved for spotting Godzilla just before he steps on your house??
So, this morning, I drive up to Mr. Manzie's school, and I'm waiting to turn into the parking lot. They come up, waiting to turn out of the parking lot. And again, they spot me. I decide to grab the bull by the horns and wave cheerfully at them, with a smile (because I'm evil that way).
I'll give you three guesses how they reacted.
Maybe tomorrow, I should wear a hockey mask with a little tiny drip of blood coming from one corner of the mouth. I mean, it couldn't possibly make their reactions any worse! I thought for a few minutes there that they were going to leave their car and flee. You know, this almost hurts my feelings (though not really, because they mean less to me than a gnat). I have done nothing to these people. And, you know, my husband did nothing to them, either, other than warn them that he would call the police if they tried to show up at a soccer game with the intent to harass and harangue (I'm being really, really generous here, because what Mr. Insane actually threatened to do to THO was "kick your @)#%*&!! ass!!"). I should probably ask Mr. Manzie's teacher if the Insane's younger son is in her class, because... that would be just my luck. Can you imagine field trips with Mrs. Insane? I'd have to get all Chilly Pissed Off Southern Gal on her. *head-desk*
Another thing I want to grumble about?? Yesterday, as I was getting ready to pick up my kids, my phone rang. It was E, our friend and fellow soccer parent. Her daughter and mine are best friends, so we do a lot of trading kids back and forth. So, she called and said, "Are you going to do your usual thing of parking at Bluebonnet and having Miss Priss walk there from the junior high so you can pick them both up and such?"
"Er... yeah..." I said slowly, reading This Is Going To Piss You Off, So I'm Breaking It To You Gently in her voice. "Why?"
"Well, they've blocked off the parking lot, there's a hella long line, and you might want to leave... NOW."
Oh. Yay.
So, I drove to the school. And yeah, hella long line. I thought, screw this, and parked on the street. Why? I shall explain.
There is a carpool lane at the school. In a perfect world, and at Miss Priss' previous school it actually DID work this way, one drives up, the teachers call your kid, kid hops in, buckles up, and off you go! Efficient, and all that. Same thing at the junior high. You pull up, your kid gets in your car, you go. It's not rocket science, right?
This is not how it works at my son's school. What happens at my son's school is, parents park in the carpool lane to wait for school to end. The kids come out, some get in the cars, and drive away, the rest of the cars remain parked where they are. Yeah. Nobody moves up. Nobody fills the gaps that the departing cars left. And nobody among the teachers or administrators, or even the effin' COPS who come to help out, MAKE these people move up. So what happens? Everybody who is behind these cars has to sit and wait until those idiots move in order to move up so THEY can get their kids. Some kids get tired of waiting (because it's HOT here, we're talking triple digits!!) and just walk to their parents' cars and get in, and THOSE parents drive off, and the ones behind THEM don't move up... see where I'm going here?
So, I usually drive in, go to the parent parking section of the parking lot and wait. It actually works out better for me, because my daughter is walking over from the junior high, and the parent parking lot is where she enters the elementary school property. See, even if I used the car pool line, I'd still have to park for Miss Priss, because the elementary won't allow older students to pick up their younger siblings the first three weeks (I have NO idea why, it's STUPID!).
Well, last May, a parent was hit by a car as she walked across the parking lot with her kids. The kids were fine, if traumatized by seeing their mom hit by a car. I knew there were going to be repercussions from this, and was kind of braced for it, but... I didn't expect this.
They blocked off the parking lot. You can't even get to parent parking. Meaning, I'll have to leave at 2:45 to get a parking spot to wait for my kids.
So, I parked on the street, went and got the Impossible Son, crossed the parking lot, and stood in the hot sun, waiting for the Impertinent One. Then we walked to Junebug (which is the name of our minivan, if I have neglected to mention it), crossed a VERY busy street, and I bundled my kids into the car and we went home.
I also had even more reason to be irritated, but I wanted to check things before I reacted. I searched through the handouts we got Friday at the open house and snarled. The dismissal time at Mr. Manzie's school last year was 3:20. Miss Priss got out at 3:00. This wasn't so bad because if it was raining, it meant I could pick her up and get to Mr. Manzie's school before he got out. So, I was preparing to leave at my usual time of ten after 3 yesterday in light of that. It's a good thing I left at 3, though, because his dismissal time was changed to 3:05... AND THEY DIDN'T NOTE THAT FACT IN THE HANDOUTS!!!
The only reason parents were there early yesterday is because people are in the habit of arriving before three to beat the inevitably long line in the car pool lane!!
And there was nothing about blocking the parking lot off in the handout either. Only a plea to parents who park to please use the designated crosswalk when crossing the parking lot with their kids.
The irony in this? The woman who was hit last year? Was in the CROSSWALK!!!!
Oh, yeah, I feel REAL safe!!
I did get a chance to talk briefly to the principal, asking her why the hell they blocked the parking lot, and it was pretty much to keep parents from parking and to encourage them to use the carpool lane for safety's sake. Of course, I was watching the same old phenomena of parents pulling out and no one moving up to fill the empty spaces, and I slapped my forehead, took a deep breath for patience and said, "That's really admirable, but look at that mess out there. It has been that way since the school opened four years ago. Four years. Think of that. And another? Gas costs too much now for me, personally, to sit there, idling my car for 20 to 30 minutes while I wait for you people to get your act together and actually get these idiots to MOVE. What's endangering these kids isn't parents driving carelessly. It's parents who are impatient and completely ticked off who FINALLY get their kid in the car and just want to get the hell home and they have to pull out, because the person in front of them is PARKED. They're not moving up, and no one is MAKING them move up. So the parents who HAVE their kids have no choice but to pull out. Do you see my point?"
She actually frowned and said, "But, we have this sectioned off, first grade, second grade... the parents need to park where their children are most likely to be!"
And now you see why the carpool lane DOESN'T WORK.
So I gritted my teeth and said, "Sorry, but until this gets fixed, I'm not doing the carpool lane. I'm not wasting gas on this. I'd rather park and walk. And today, I chose to park on the street. I'm not happy about walking my kids through the traffic out there, but at least when I leave here, I'll STILL have a quarter tank of gas, instead of burning most of it up with my patience SITTING IN THAT LINE!!"
I knew this really bothered her, because I'm one of her more reasonable parents, and if it upsets me, that's a sign something is wrong. But she really had no idea why this arrangement wasn't working. You know, I think it's more frustrating when someone who is obviously intelligent DOESN'T get a basic concept, or doesn't see something glaringly obvious even to the dimmer souls among us.
AUUUUUGGGGGHHH!!!!!
Sometime this week, after I get a few things straightened out, we are switching to bicycles. We're close enough, and though Mr. Manzie is in 2nd grade, I plan to ride with him to keep him out of trouble. Plus, it's legal to ride bikes on the sidewalk here, so that will keep him off the street. The tough part will be the street in front of the school in the afternoons. We'll manage. We'll practice until he has it down, and then give it a try. We'll probably end up getting home a lot faster than we did in the car!
I'm actually considering going to the school, today or tomorrow, to EXPLAIN to them, complete with pictures and diagrams, WHY this isn't working. I can't believe no one has seen this, or figured it out. It's STUPID. And whoever came up with this plan should be clonked over the head with something heavy. Like an anvil.
*stomps off to go work off her stress in the garden*
