I REALLY hate the school run

[Remembersweetvalleyhighbooks]

For some reason, I looked forward to it Pre Dd and imagined it would be *Fun..wtf 🙈
I hate the rushed, stressy mornings, i’m organised but getting Dd ready can be hard at times. Drop off isn’t *As bad, quick kiss and hug at the outside door bit, it’s the pick up I don’t like. I wait in my car until the last minute when the door opens, then rush up, can’t stand the awkward standing waiting around everyone does. I hate if the teacher comes over to me and wondering what she wants to say to me. I just want to get my child and go home. Sometimes when I think how many years left I have to do this for, day in, day out, I feel panicked
Anyone else, or am I just a proper weirdo?

What adult looks at another adult standing alone and thinks they are “billy no mates”?! Standing by yourself is absolutely fine, as is choosing not to chat to anyone

The first ten years are the worst.

Or the best, depending on your attitude

TBH, OP, I did hate it for the first few years. Not even quite sure why, the awkwardness and the hanging about. It was awful.

It really did get better and it's fine now, it's just part of the rhythm of the day.

I hate the school run too although I do prefer the drop off to the pick up. I've just realised aswell that I've been doing it 18 years with no gaps 🤦🏻‍♀️that's almost half my life 🫠

just stand at the back and look at your phone or away from people....

It's a bit sad to hate something so much that you've been doing half your life

After school club pick up is a much nicer experience 😁

I never knew there were so many people haters out there!

I know, it's bonkers! The friendly mums at our school have kids who seem to get on well socially too.

I never knew there were so many people who felt they knew the details others’ jobs/locations/schedules such that they could judge who should and shouldn’t be using their car to do school run! (I have no skin in this game, I live a three minute walk from school and driving would take longer)

I wish more people walked, cycled their kids to school

Do you? I don’t think that’s come across on this thread at all.

I’d love to. But I drop my children off at 8.40 and I have to be at work 8 miles away at 9. We live 1.5 miles from the school so no time to walk home and fetch my car.

Tiny, great, sarcasm - top form of communication!

It’s an eye opener reading threads like this, isn’t it? I just drop my kids off, smile and wave at the people I know, occasionally stop for a quick chat with someone, then get on with my day. No drama.

Dance monster, I'm referring to parents who can but don't

Oh I will smile, ask after people if i find myself accidentally making eye contact etc but I can't believe anyone at that gate is actually remotely genuinely friendly. Everyone has somewhere else to get to and stuff to do anyone trying to chat after the door opens is a proper pita.

You've got to read the room, there's no friends to be found just because you happen to have kids in the same school at the same time. Anyone trying to get a coffee date or some social thing beyond that school gate has to be doing MLM

But how do you know everyone’s reasons for driving? I can’t imagine spending any time thinking about other people’s individual modes of transport.

I don’t think it’s really possible to know who can walk/cycle but doesn’t.

Breakfast club was worth every single penny to avoid the morning playground horror. Pull up
by the front door, sign the kids in, quick kiss and off they go for breakfast and fun and I could escape to work!

@Conkersinautumn what's MLM please?

I do both breakfast club drop off and normal drop off and they are both more or less the same, and as drama free as you describe.

I would never try to make friends at the school gate, but I have friends I’ve met in other places (hobbies etc) who have children at the same school, so I do have friends at the school gate. So it’s always nice to stop and chat with people I know and like if we have time. No one has ever tried to recruit me to an MLM on the school run!