We had just moved to NC and the kids started a new school. A small Christian school with a fabulous vintage playground that all the kids adore. I was waiting in carpool line and since that can be more painfully boring than listening to a refried lecture on Old Testament hermeneutics I decided to gawk at all the kids on the playground. I quickly noticed that Mitchell’s class was outside playing and he was walking the perimeter of the playground. This was unusual for Mitchell. He was more into playing than exercising so this move was catching me by surprise. He made several laps without ever breaking for a quick ride down the tall silver slide or a flip on the monkey bars. I waved to him and he smiled and waved back. His class was eventually called inside and they soon lined up for carpool. He jumped in the van along with his highly verbal little sister who gets in the car talking incessantly and only comes up for air once we tuck her in bed. So we never discussed the walking thing. This routine happened several more times but I always forgot to ask him about it. It wasn’t until one day that I noticed another little boy doing the same thing and I off handedly said something to a friend about ‘kids today’ and how they exercise on their recess break. She laughed and said, “Exercising? You really think that’s what they’re doing? Ha! They’re actually in trouble and they’re walking it off.”
Lovely. Our son had probably done three months worth of walkathon training before I knew they were “punishment laps”.
My view from the carpool line was totally skewed. Maybe it had to do with dead brain cells from inhaling exhaust from the car in front of me. Not to be pulling the victim card or anything. It’s just how it is.
So all in the name of fun here’s a top ten list of ways to spice up your carpool wait
- Wave at all the children who are doing punishment laps on the playground.
- Eat an apple while you wait (I swear I think this is how I brought down my cholesterol last year)
- Get there ten minutes early and read one chapter out of a book that you keep in the car.
- Stick your tongue out at the kid on the swings. When he points and tells on you look down like you’re reading that book you brought. Lift your head ten seconds later and repeat the process.
- Pray for forgiveness
- Have your side door open and ready to receive your kiddo’s. My friend does this – it’s welcoming and inviting to have that door open even though a few cars are in front of you.
- Surprise your kid/s occasionally with a slushy on hot days or hot chocolate on cold days.
- Wear a crazy hat and glasses to pick up your preteen if he/she was a horses #@* that morning. It won’t happen again. Promise.
- Instead of pulling forward in the line wait a few seconds to see how long it takes before someone will honk their horn.
- Try to break your record the next day.
It’s all about the sanity folks. Do what it takes. And take what it does.
Yeah, I don’t get that either.
🙂 sometimes i open my classroom blinds so the car line parents can see what we’re doing! ummmm, but if you want to be as great as them, it sounds like you’re not getting to your car line early enough. they start lining up 40 minutes before dismissal where i teach.
yeah, those are the really good Moms who don’t want their kids to have to wait. There’s some status in being the “first mom in line” ya know! But I’m more like the dead beat Mom who comes screeching in on two wheels half the time.