What does this school mum actually think the rest of us are queuing for??

[aperolspritzbasicbitch]

In general I arrive at my child’s school for pick up about 5 minutes before the playground gate is opened. Not on purpose, it just happens that sometimes the walk is quicker than others. Sometimes I’m the first one there, sometimes there are a few people in front, and others join the queue behind me.

One particular mum will turn up bang on collection time (fine) and just walk past the queue of people patiently waiting and stand right in front of the gate.
As if we aren’t all there for the same reason.

It actually baffles me that she seems to think that her need to collect her child is any greater than the rest of us, but so far haven’t said anything because I can’t be arsed with any playground drama, although yesterday I was tempted to side step in front of her just as the gate was open.

is this not just straight up rude behaviour?

You're posting here about it but not prepared to challenge the big lady.

You should surely stride up to her and say: "This is your first and only warning. The police have been notified about this behaviour and if it happens again, you'll have to explain yourself in custody."

When she challenges that, you should be ready with many more damning if even less convincing rejoinders.

I remember a mum who, when the kids were lining up to go into class, always took her 2 kids to the front of the queue. It was their god given right to be first.
Her daughter was a brain box. One of those kids that teachers loved. As she got older the other kids caught up with her. I remember another mother being totally in awe of the daughter because she was so clever.
We eventually lost contact. I sometimes wonder how the kids got on in life. But they knew from the age of 4 that they were more important than other kids and must always come before them.

I'm first in the queue for the follow on thread, line up behind me please.

This is a delightfully British thread.

She foreign? I notice how foreign some Europeans are the moment I am not on British Airways and the staff are German, French, etc. They are just so different. I think only Brits and North Koreans know how to queue.

Queuing to get into the playground, nah it doesn't matter how the order goes, you only get you child when they come out. Its not Disney World lol

I can’t imagine being that oblivious more than once or twice.

But why would there be drama? There's no need to be rude, aggressive or dramatic - you could just say politely something like "I expect you didn't realise, but we have a queuing system".

The gates must open before pick up time to give everyone time to get on the playground. Just get there a few minutes later if it bothers you so much. It’s not a queue that makes a difference, you can be at the front or the back and still get your child before someone further behind. It really wouldn’t be something that I could get worked up over. Perhaps everyone walks slowly to the playground and it drives her mad, who knows, who cares? 🤷‍♀️
I don’t understand people who get there before the gates open, but I don’t think too much about it. If I was there early and saw a friend, I’d go and join them, would that annoy you? Would I have pushed in?

😂😂
No, I am neither jealous, threatened nor uncomfortable about this total stranger than I only see on the school run.

Crazy, I know…but my only issue is the one I included in the thread.

It doesn't really sound as if there's much point the school making people queue up outside the gate. Suggest to the school that they open the gate something like 5 or 10 minutes early so people can just go straight in to wait in the playground.

She really ought to consider parachuting in, within the grounds, so she can raise the middle finger at the hapless parents beyond the gates.

Or if she's a helicopter mum, just land directly outside the classroom.

What have I just read?

This is ridiculous. Why are you queuing? It sounds like a bunch of lemmings waiting to jump off a cliff. The woman is totally reasonable imo.

This

Frankly, it's kind of ridiculous to join a queue for a set of gates that will swing wide open and everyone will head off to different classrooms to collect their children.

It’s not a real queue, you’re just waiting to go into the playground. We have a similar set up in our school, there is a ‘queue’ before the gates open but also some people just stand to the side on the grass. Also, a lot of overtaking the folk faffing around when the gates open.

It makes no difference to how quickly you pick your children up so I really don’t know why you give it any headspace.

Haha! Well I always arrived slightly late and the road I walked down joined the nursery at an angle. There was always a scrum of people so I just stood where the road joined, which happened to be near the front of this unofficial queue. It was easy to be mistaken. At the school gates it's even more hazy, if it's anything like my kids school it's loose groups of people with plenty of space between them, so it would be easy to think you could weave around them to get closer to the front without realising you were "queue jumping".

My school run nemesis does exactly the same!! It boils my piss but I never say anything.

What confuses me most is, unlike a lot of us. She's doesn't need to collect from the upper site, 5 minutes walk away. Most of us are in a bit of a rush because lower site always let's them out late and we need to get our children in Upper site.

She’s a person who gives no shits about anyone else. She knows people are not going to start a confrontation so she cracks on with her entitled and rude behaviour. Scum.

It’s entitlement. She couldn’t give a shit about the queue.

Mine are at secondary now but I did this because I have an invisible disability that means I find it hard to stand for any length of time. So I couldn't stand and queue. I waited on a bench nearby,.then went to gates when they opened, then found a bench to sit on. I had to get in when the gate first opened to stand a chance of getting a seat while I waited.

A lot of parents have to get back to log into meetings or answer calls/emails, not many WFH jobs are finished by 3pm.

What a juxtaposition, immediately after @Angliski’s “This is a delightfully British thread.” (Not sure about the “delightful” aspect, myself.)

Quite rightly. The queue is an illusion. Once the gates open, no-one pays any attention to it.

So what gives you the impression that the queue is "real" and serving any kind of purpose?

Funnily enough, that’s what I have to do.

i don’t walk past people who have been waiting in a queue though.