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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Crazy school car park behaviour - AIBU

52 replies

ImNotChangingMyUsernameAgain · 07/09/2016 16:11

This morning as I was reversing to park, another parent came right up behind me to prevent me from moving back. I was indicating and my reverse lights were on. I sat there for a couple of minutes and waited for her to catch on to what I was trying to do. Then I stuck my head out of the window and motioned her to move back or even go past me as there was enough room to do so. Eventually I got out and asked her to move so I could finish reversing.

Her response was: "I don't know what your problem is. Just let your kid out and go". I told her that my 'kid' was only 6 and I needed to park. To which she responded, "you're an idiot" and drove off like a maniac.

I simply cannot understand why a parent, who I will no doubt come across in the car park for the rest of the school year, if not many years to come, would be so unnecessarily rude.

And if you (the obnoxious Mercedes convertible driver) are reading this, two other mothers witnessed your behaviour and the school groundsmen know exactly who you are and will be watching out for you. HTH.

OP posts:
WhisperingLoudly · 07/09/2016 16:15

Between them my DC have been at 7 different schools in three different countries on two continents in the past 7 years.

School car parks are the same the world over: hell on earth

Dailymailisacrapnewspaper · 07/09/2016 16:16

Most schools do not let parents park in the car park.

They have closed car parks or drop off zones. Are you allowed to park or is it drop off only?

If you live some distance away then park a couple of streets away and walk. Much better from a health point of view and much safer for the pedestrians as areas around schools are accident risks.

Original poster
ImNotChangingMyUsernameAgain · 07/09/2016 16:23

This is a parents' car park and I was reversing into a designated space.

The school is in a remote area with no public transport link so children are either driven or use the school coach. There is no ability to park other than in the car park as the school is off a narrow country lane and school specifically request no one parks along the lane.

From Y3 upwards the children can be dropped off but the younger years have to be walked from the car park to school (big campus, access road to cross).

OP posts:
ChocChocPorridge · 07/09/2016 16:23

I hate school carparks. They have a new scheme at DSes school this term as the new head really wants parents to drop and run - except I can't because I'm dropping off a 2 year old at their nursery and they won't let me (DS wouldn't care).

I have a hire car at the moment, and it already has 2 dinks on the side from people slamming their doors open (can only be at school - I only use the car to go from our garage to school and back).

Funnily enough, we had a convertible mercedes driver screech into the exit of the carpark today, and attempt to go the wrong way round to get into a space (the bus marshals had a word) - then try to take me and the kids out as we crossed the road she wanted to turn right onto (I had parked around the corner, in an attempt not to cost myself even more money for dents when I return the car!)

CigarsofthePharoahs · 07/09/2016 16:28

I am lucky enough to be able to walk mine to school.
Still have to skirt past the pit of hell that is the school car park with people generally getting in everyone elses way, people parking in the disabled bays with no blue badge, people blocking the only way in and out, people backing up too far and nearly running children over on the only pathway and people parking over the zig zags and double yellow lines.
Oddly enough on the occasional day when a police car parks outside they all behave. Go figure.
The irony of it is that there is another carpark, less than 5 minutes walk away that is bigger, easier to park in and it's a very quick walk across a playing field. Hardly anyone uses it, they'd rather have the bunfight right outside the gates or clog up the roads and piss off the residents.

JacquesHammer · 07/09/2016 16:29

YANBU - Dante had no clue about the circles of hell as he hadn't seen a school car park.

I never park in ours and luckily we have some decent on street parking.

One day last term I was early from an appointment and decided to use car park. I have never seen such abysmal driving.

PikachuSayBoo · 07/09/2016 16:43

Primary school near us has just introduced an American style drop off thing.

Yesterday first day a car pulls up and a 4yo in reception gets out the car and mum drives straight off. Teachers were a bit suprised as they weren't expecting reception parents to start using it so early but thought never mind. They ask the kid her name and she's not on their list. So has been dropped off at the wrong school. The LEAs IT system was down so they had to look after this kid for the day as they had no idea where she should be or any contact details!

I'm waiting from my informer to find out what happened at home time!

PikachuSayBoo · 07/09/2016 16:43

OP, how did Shen hi k you could let your kid out and go if she was blocking you in?

PikachuSayBoo · 07/09/2016 16:44

Aggh, how did she think you could let your kid out and go!

Original poster
ImNotChangingMyUsernameAgain · 07/09/2016 16:46

Pikachu, wow! Just wow! That poor child. Please do update us when you know.

She was blocking me from behind and stopping me reversing into a space so I could have dropped off an older child.

Thinking about it now, I think she probably wanted to park in the space I was reversing into.

OP posts:
PikachuSayBoo · 07/09/2016 16:51

Ah got you. Yes I bet she was trying to get the space!

Frenchmom · 07/09/2016 16:57

Luckily my children are no longer in Primary so I don't have to go anywhere near the car park. However when my youngest was 3 we were waiting to get out of the car park. We couldn't move as we were blocked in. I was aware of lots of cars blowing their horns. A car was stopped at the traffic lights which had just turned green. Suddenly the mother of one of my daughter's classmates came running out of the school with her daughter by the hand. She had abandoned her car at the lights to get her daughter from school which would have taken at least 10 minutes.

notapizzaeater · 07/09/2016 17:06

I hated our school car park, parents used to double and triple park then whine when they couldn't get out

Happyhippy45 · 07/09/2016 17:07

The American style of "drop off" works reasonably well but you still encounter a lot of rude parents in the morning and a lot of people dithering during what should be a smooth operation which was: drive into car park and join line of traffic, stop at entrance where kids are met, kids get out the car. You drive off. Reality is folks getting impatient and letting their kids unload before the drop off point then the kids not having all their shit together and holding up the line, parents stopping in the line of traffic to have a chat with someone outside the car and then tearing out of the car park with no consideration to pedestrians. The school buses used a different place to drop off but there would always be some privelaged twat person who would park in the bus drop off zone and block the bus in.
School drop off just brings out the worst in some people.

InformalRoman · 07/09/2016 17:11

Someone ran a child over in our pre-school car park. Apparently you really can't do your mascara, drink a coffee and drive a very large SUV all at the same time.

LeonardInTheArgosBag · 07/09/2016 17:11

Just yesterday I was goggling over this.

m.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/13779463.Man_punched_in_face_in_row_over_parking_during_school_run/

I'm not in the UK and I have never seen anything like this!

LeonardInTheArgosBag · 07/09/2016 17:15

Informal Shock was the kid okay? I hope that parent went DOWN.

Sprink · 07/09/2016 17:17

Yesterday first day a car pulls up and a 4yo in reception gets out the car and mum drives straight off

I really, really need to hear the outcome of this story. It's horrible, but what's even worse is that when I read it, I laughed. Blush

InformalRoman · 07/09/2016 17:17

Leonard yes, but I think mom may have been blackballed at the country club Smile

LeonardInTheArgosBag · 07/09/2016 17:20

A fate worse than prison!

Stopyourhavering · 07/09/2016 17:25

You all have my sympathies....I've had 19 years of school runs!
Thankfully when my 3 dcs went to local primary school ( rural Wales) the school bus stopped right outside our house in morning and after school....it was a godsend - when they were old enough to go on it
Now I only have youngest ds still at school but in 6 th form so only have to drop and go in morning and he makes his own way home....

BusStopBetty · 07/09/2016 17:34

This kind of shit is why the school grounds are closed to cars at dc's school. But then you get dickheads who park at the bus stop or on the zig zags instead.

IJustAteTheKidsFoodAgain · 07/09/2016 18:08

I'm actually place marking to hear the end of pikachus story Blush

PikachuSayBoo · 07/09/2016 19:42

Right am back with a rather boring ending.

Reception kid was at the right school but had signed up via the LEA over the holidays. School IT was down that morning and the previous day so they hadn't had an email.

ForalltheSaints · 07/09/2016 19:44

If you can walk with your child to school (anything under fifteen minutes walk), do so.