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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Why do some people have a problem with parents driving their kids to school?

136 replies

VolkswagenBeetle · 31/05/2012 11:47

I realise this up there with P&B spaces etc. but I'm bored so...

I'm not talking about people who park right across the school gate (who are annoying as hell), but people who drive their kids to school and park (properly). My dds' school is 2.2 miles away (just checked that on Google maps ). Atm DH drops me and the kids off at my dad's house (who lives around the corner from the school) at about 7.45am on his way to work, and we then walk the 5 minutes to school from there. But come September when he's being made redundant we'll go straight to school in the car.

It would take well over an hour for my youngest dd to walk to school, so it makes sense to use the car. I usually get 2 buses back home cos I'm a lazy cow walk back home when they're in school, and the same going to pick them up.

OP posts:

Ithinkitsjustme · 31/05/2012 11:52

I don't have a problem with people using the car to get to school, when they take longer to walk than to drive. Round here there are loads of footpaths and hand on heart it takes longer to drive around the block that it would to walk. (about 5 minutes!!) I also have a problem when people do park in stupid places, stop to drop off, because they are only there for 1/2 a minute on yellow zigzagz/ double yellows and generally make it more dangerous for the kids who are walking.

Megalosaurus · 31/05/2012 11:56

I don't have an issue with parents driving their kids to school, more with parking stupidly when they get there.

So if you live too far away from school of course driving makes sense, but parking a few streets away and walking the last 5 or 10 mins makes the immediate school area far more child-friendly and less stressful all round.

TrinityIsAFuckingRhino · 31/05/2012 11:58

I have had comments about driving to school before

THEN they found out we live about 3 miles away and got over it

Toaster24 · 31/05/2012 11:59

Seems fair enough to me if it's 2 miles.

'round our way' some people drive very short distances - like 500m or less - which seems silly to me. bad for the car too. also bad for the kids. and the planet. so I guess that summarises the objections people might have.

TheUnMember · 31/05/2012 11:59

I used to drive, despite being a 5 minute walk away and a 10 minute drive because then my car was on the right side of all the school chaos to get to work. Walking home and then driving to work involved the same route but would extend the earlier 10 minute drive to half an hour minimum (3 schools to get past) and was the difference between getting to work on time or being late.

Sirzy · 31/05/2012 12:00

I don't think anyone expects young children to walk 4.4 miles a day. What people tend to have a problem is is when people are 5 minute walk from the school yet still pile into the car to do the school run when there is no other trip being linked to it.

Bennifer · 31/05/2012 12:02

I suppose it's just a reflection of "things that are wrong with the world these days". I think most of us remember growing up and walking a few miles to school, or going by bike, etc, and it does seem crazy to drive a few miles to school

Ormiriathomimus · 31/05/2012 12:07

Usually they have a problem with it when there is limited parking and huge twice a day influx of parental cars causes chaos.

ShatnersBassoon · 31/05/2012 12:07

Avoidable pollution, adding to already large volumes of traffic, children missing out on a bit of exercise and fresh air.

Those are some of the reasons people might raise an eyebrow at others making unnecessary car journeys. Nobody's bothered about those who use the car out of necessity though.

kickingking · 31/05/2012 12:16

I don't know. We walk to school, unless it's pissing down, which is a mile away. So DS (5) walks 2 miles a day, and I walk 4 miles (there and home, twice) with a buggy. Been told I am insane for walking and cruel for making DS walk.

Sonatensatz · 31/05/2012 12:16

I don't know why people get so het up about other peoples choices especially as they may not know their reasons for them.
I drive to school even though I live within a reasonable walking distance, on days when I have to drop my youngest off at her grannys after dropping older ones at school. Or when I have to get my ds to his music ensemble at a different school from the one he attends which starts 5mins after he gets out.
No-one would know these are my reasons for driving so they may assume that I was just being lazy and get themselves all in a tizzy 'cause they've got their judy pants on

FoofyShmooffer · 31/05/2012 12:19

I don't care especially except about the mum who drives to school when she lives one street away and can see school from her house.
Then my judy pants are well wedged.

AdventuresWithVoles · 31/05/2012 12:21

I struggle to have an opinion, but I was involved in the school travel plan & one thing the council advised (I agree with) is that even a 5% reduction in traffic can be noticeable in terms of making the school run safer for all. So it is a worthwhile aim to achieve even small reductions.

Lots of drivers make the area near the school dangerous & busy. I can say that hand on heart because almost all the traffic near the school (up to 1/4 mile away) is down to parents + staff driving. The streets are like a ghost town in that same area out of term time.

I live just over half a mile away & I would think 50%+ of parents who live the same distance usually drive it. Once in a rare while I feel the need to drive, too, but I loathe it. It astounds me how many folk have parked up 10+ minutes before first bell in morning, and 20-30 min. early in the afternoons. If you have 20-30 mins to lose waiting in a smelly car... well, some of them could lose that time walking, instead.

ShowOfHands · 31/05/2012 12:22

I live 4 miles away from the school. We get a bus for 3 miles and walk for a mile. If I could drive, I might drive it instead.

DD's bf's Mum drives her dc to school. She lives about 500m away and says it's because she can't be bothered to walk. I openly judge her. She knows this. We laugh about it. I genuinely think she's doing the wrong thing but it's her choice. I walk her dc home for her sometimes. They love the novelty of it. Walking 500m shouldn't be a novelty though imho.

redskyatnight · 31/05/2012 12:22

There are very few (probably less than 10) children at DD's school that live more than a mile away. Yes, I accept that some of the parents are going on afterwards, but certainly there are a large number that don't.

My issue is that bad message we're giving our children. Too many people automatically jump in the car for every short journey. I walk a whole mile and a half to work and I am though of as "weird" for doing so.

CamperFan · 31/05/2012 12:23

What are "judy pants", where can I get some ?

We live nearly 2 miles away and DS1 is 5, DS2 in buggy. I walked a few days last week, one way, which was great, but not practical to do it more than twice a week - basically the school run took me an hour and 45 mins, instead of 30 mins. I don't judge people for driving, even if they live fairly close - sometimes even they have to take a car due to after school activities, appointments, picking up on the way home from somewhere, etc. it's great to walk as much as you can, but not always possible.

Agree, it's the dangerous parking and stressful congestion with oeople trying to get as close to school as possible that's the issue!

DeWe · 31/05/2012 12:23

My dc walk to school. It takes about 30 minutes. But they're very much in the minority. There are people who live within 10 minutes walk to the school that drive. Every day.

I remember one time walking on a snowy day and there was a family with a year 5 and a year 3 walking behind us for the end of the walk. Their dc complained the whole time that they'd never had to walk to school before and it wasn't fair. I'd guess walking would take them less than 10 minutes and there's no big roads to cross either. That's when it gets silly. The car/parking is such that it would take at least as long as that in the car because you'd be queueing for 10-15 minutes.

I don't have any issue with people driving because they live a distance away, or with people driving because they can drop off on the way to work (or other)

hackmum · 31/05/2012 12:23

I can see why people get annoyed about it, as it is very annoying to have lots of traffic clogging up the roads when there are small children around. But people do it for a reason - I had to drive my DD to primary school as it was 3 miles away, and we had to have that school as our local school was full. I also drive her to secondary school.

Often a lot of people who live near a school will still drive because they are driving to work afterwards - who has time to walk half a mile to school and then half a mile back before driving to work?

It's sad, though. There's a lot to be said (in principle) for walking kids to school.

WorraLiberty · 31/05/2012 12:24

I've never seen anyone have a problem with the type of set up you describe OP.

The 'problems' I read are about school gate parking and people who are just too lazy to walk an easy distance and therefore are making their kids lazy too.

babylily · 31/05/2012 12:31

I don't think anyone should have issues with those that live at distance from school, or who are going on somewhere...but
We live a mile from school and walk every day. Today, as most days we passed various people loading their kids in the car, then passed them again as they unloaded them 500 yards further down the road at the school gate. (before turning round and driving home again.)
Personally I am too tight to waste petrol on short journeys and love to torture my children by forcing them to walk in all weathers.

minesapintofwine · 31/05/2012 12:34

There is a school at the top of my street and come 3.15 it is a nighmare!!!!! They park like dickheads idiots they block the top of the street stopping emergency services come through (I argue this point with them to make them feel bad). They block the road to chat I can never park outside mine if i get back at this time so I stay out later but have been known to struggle to my door with shopping and two carseats (twins) from miles away whilst they look on (I also do this plus with an [angry face} to evoke the guilty feelings in them). They also reverse out in front of you and then glare at you like its your fault! For gods sake there are kids everywhere including theyre own! I appreciate the need to drive the kids especially as its a school with a large catchment area I may do it myself one day as I am a lazy cow but I will drive sensibly, give way, park properly. I dont have a problem with people driving in kids to school I have a problem with the knobheads that shouldnt be driving in the first place. For the record my dads a driving instructor and they call them 'mad mums' they even schedule lessons during school traffic to teach the learners how to deal with the crap!

minesapintofwine · 31/05/2012 12:34

I meant [angry face]!

theodorakis · 31/05/2012 12:35

I find it sad that people say "it's ok as long as they live x miles away" because it really is nobody else's business how you choose to take your kid to school. No conditions, no justification just adult people making decisions that are best for them that do not need to be excused by random people. Judy is definitely wearing her pants today on MN.

minesapintofwine · 31/05/2012 12:35

or if I can ever get it right

theodorakis · 31/05/2012 12:35

pint of wine sums it up, do what you like as long as it doesn't ruin someone else's day.

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