Calling all parent taxi-services! What do you do in the hour you are waiting outside a club?

[CatNamedEaster]

It's my first venture into the world of taxiing as up until now clubs have either been at school or a 5 minute walk from home.
I'd planned to go to the cafe at Sainsbury's but it shuts early.
I could do the food shop but I'd quite like to do something not so useful or boring. There's nowhere around to go for a walk either.

What do you do? Read a book? Do the finances? Knit?

Go on Mumsnet

Take a hot water bottle and warm drink, and then read my book or watch a TV show or 2.

Sharing lifts doesn't always work out depending on the activity but even so, I love some quiet time!

I used to do my food shop and if I had time grab a coffee and MN or read my kindle.

Well here I am mumsnetting waiting to pick up one DC… In reality I’ve been to the local retail park and then Sains and I’ve another 15 mins to go. I tend to walk in the summer or DH and I alternate drop offs and pick ups so one of us isn’t hanging around (even better if it’s on the way home from work so not an extra journey). One activity lasts long enough for me to fit in a gym class between drop off and pick up. That day, I feel like I’m winning at life 😆 Otherwise make some calls or life admin I suppose.

Read a book or go to the gym. Sometimes I even get a sneaky nap in.

I ended up reading poetry because I'm rubbish at stopping and starting novels. Having a wee notebook for writing lists is another one.

I've written my Christmas cards in the car tonight whilst waiting for my 5 year old to come out!

Always Mumsnet or very rarely reading a book. Never ever anything useful!

Long past sitting outside clubs now but I used to always have an audio book on the go and a sudoku book in my handbag!

I have so much of this.

Constant matches, music lessons, training.

I do a shop, MN, watch Netflix's.

A hot water bottle is a great idea whilst sitting in the car.
I feel guilty keeping the engine going, so the hot water bottle is very cosy.

Flask is a great idea.

It depends on what event it is, music lesson is only 30m so just play on my phone.
The gym is 90m so I drop off and go home, dad goes out to pick her up. Rugby training, I chat to the other parents and catch up on my team admin.
Roller derby, again I chat to the other committee members and parents and try to do admin.

@rightsideoftheroad

I thought you meant nightclub too. Was going to suggest going in and asking the DJ to announce on the mic that their mums here to pick them up

🤣🤣

My best tip is to sit in the back of the car (assuming it's spacious and without car seats!)

Feet up, blanket on lap, mug of tea.

Ha Ha, I love that lots of you were picturing middle aged mum waiting patiently outside a nightclub, calling out to my baby boy to come home. Give it a few years....

I think I will actually use the time for boring stuff like food shopping or admin. It sounds tempting to treat it as an hour's solace but the reality is I shouldn't have to take a morsel of me-time in a freezing industrial estate car park so the time I save now means I have a spare hour for reading or knitting on a warm sofa at the weekend.

When it's swimming I sit inside, it's my favourite hour of the week as it's so beautifully warm on the balcony and I sit there uninterrupted in warmth and peace for a time in what is a manic week. Other clubs I do drop off for friends and their parents do pick up or I might pop home anyway if there's time. It's ok sitting in the car in summer but in winter it's cold and I'd generally find something to do

I run, it’s the only way I can carve out time to do it. To be honest it’s fairly rare that I haven’t got somewhere else to be. If I do have extra time it’s work emails in my phone or occasionally my Kindle if I remember and am feeling grumpy about work!

I must admit it's horrible in winter. I live rurally so there is not much else to do. Take a hot water bottle and a blanket.

@rightsideoftheroad

I thought you meant nightclub too. Was going to suggest going in and asking the DJ to announce on the mic that their mums here to pick them up

😆

I usually go for a walk, it is one of the few opportunities I get to exercise.

Mostly attempt to befriend a parent to share lifts with. With three kids all with different it’s the on my way I can manage it. In the summer go for a walk, take the younger one to the nearest playground. Or go home and send the husband to pick up on the way back from his work.

I watch old TV shows on Netflix

I usually go to the gym, as they’re quite close an hours dance lesson gives me 40 minutes in the gym.

Pre-covid I'd sit in a nice warm waiting room with a cup of tea for 50p from the on site cafe.

Now I sit in a cold car having called at Maccies

Read and listen to podcasts. DS is currently at a 2 hour activity. I can't drive so we walk here but it's a 30 minute walk from home so it's not worth me walking home and then coming back!

Until recently one of my teen dc's went to an hour long after school club 20 miles away, there was no way I was going to drive home and back again.

Sometimes I went for a walk, sometimes mooched round the shops and sometimes read. Or a bit of all three.