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?

Which makes no difference to anyone. People wait outside the gate, then they wait inside the gate. Who gets through the gate first makes no difference to when their child is released to them.

At our school the kids come out in a line and the parents just kind of congregate. It only takes a few seconds to send out a child, if their parent isn't there they stand to the side until they are. Seems more sensible then finding a child whose parent is at the front of the queue, when they might be at the back of the children's queue (if that makes sense)

So why does she feel the need to bypass everyone waiting and walk to the front? There’s no benefit. So what’s the point?

I approach my kids school gate from the right which is the "parked the car" route. 90% of people outside my kids school gate arrive from the left so make a massive queue that side. We just filter in one by one. Even though this means everyone in the smaller queue gets in before everyone in the longer, more busy route in.

And no one seems to care. Especially not me. The outside the gates queue has no relationship to how soon your kid is out.

Exactly. What is the point in getting upset about it?

I hate queue jumpers as much as anyone but this seems like pointless queuing. Like, the whole this is comical. The jumper probably thinks the same, that it won’t make a jot of difference whether she’s last in the queue or first.

What happens inside the gate is immaterial - it's what happens outside the closed gate that matters. The queue has formed outside the closed gate, this person walks to the top of the queue, and waits for it to open.

If it makes no difference in terms of how the children are passed over them why is she so keen to be at the top of the queue when the door opens?

But no one is being held up if she does, either? It makes absolutely no difference to you or your child, and how quickly you are reunited and get to go home, whether you go through the gate first, second, or last.

That's remarkable, if true. I doubted that you'd even understand it. 😆

When someone usually pushes in a queue it means you are pushed back and therefore delayed - for example in a queue for toilets at a festival or for a coffee at a food stand. But in this instance it means the OP walks through that gate maybe 2 seconds after she expected to. It makes no difference!

Ah the typical British queuing for nothing scenario…

this would mind me up too!

This thread is hilarious!!! Why are so may people obsessed with whether it’s a queue or not and arguing with the OP who has already told us it’s a queue?!!

🤣🤣🤣

it’s totally rude of her OP!! Just plain queue jumping.

If it makes no difference in terms of how the children are passed over them why is she so keen to be at the top of the queue when the door opens?

maybe it doesn't matter to her? She's just walking to the gate like a normal human instead of engaging in performative queuing for no reason other than the sake of it?

Exactly 😂

It obviously does matter to her - if it didn't she wouldn't join the queue, she'd wait somewhere else until the gate opened or arrive after they opened and the teachers were handing out the kids.

It's a completely pointless queue - a queue for the sake of a queue - and that's why we're laughing at her, and laughing at you. 😂😆😂

Eh? Why would she wait somewhere else other than where she needs to go 😂.

Your school isn’t in Stoke Newington by any chance?

Hang about at the back somewhere - it's a pointless queuing according to you. Only it seems very important to her to be right at the top of said queue.

I was about to write the same thing! Blows my mind that people don't understand the concept of the zipper merge, and how much more effective it is for everyone!

Yes it's pointless queuing so she doesn't feel the need to join the back of it, why would she? Instead she walks to the place she's going and waits 🤷🏼‍♀️

Maybe she gets irritated with people trying to form a pointless formal queue for no reason so refuses to acknowledge it.

This whole thing is just a Covid hangover. We never ever formed a queue to collect kids when my daughter was in junior school. We would all just go up to the gate and stand around chatting in groups. Now for some reason everyone formed a line when there is absolutely no need. She’s likely rebelling against that. Don’t stress over it, just let her crack on. I really don’t see the issue.

I can't believe so many people are doing the big fake wide eyed but why queue I just don't understand😂