Things that drive you mad about the school run

[HoneyFlowers]

I'll start... The group of parents who stop to chat on the pavement right in the way of everyone.

@mafted

That if I'm running a bit late you can guarantee they'll have opened the doors early but if I'm early they'll be late in or out.

Oh yes this! If I get there 5 mins early the gate will open at 3:15. If I’m 7 seconds late dd will be the last kid there about to cry. Every dang time!

The cars, they give me the absolute rage.

Other mothers looking you up and down and judging the hell out of you.

How some mums look deleriously chatty and happy like the school drop off is the most exciting thing in the day.

That you have to do do it 10 fucking times a week. Stops you essentially going anywhere or doing anything

That was therapeutic.

That I have nobody to talk to and don't know any mums because my DS is at a small PRU and almost none of the parents pick up and they are all only there for 6-12 weeks anyway (he's been there since Jan 2020).
I'd swap for overly chatty and competitive mums in a shot!

We cycle along a road that gets used by a lot of people on the way to school. No cars on it, more like a track but it's as wide as a road. People who walk their dogs tend to let their dogs out on a long lead and don't respond at all of you ring the bell or ask if they could pull the dog out of the way. They then leave said dog tied up right by the gate and it snaps at every child walking in. I'm a dog owner and I always walk the dog separately to the school run, or take DH with me so he can keep out of the way while I drop DC in.

Single tracks, so lots of reversing miles or into hedges/ditches to let other cars/tractors/tankers past. The car’s always filthy at this time of year.

The kids that come out and immediately start screaming so i can't hear my dc until we are halfway home.

The kids whizzing round the playground on scooters in front of the SLT who don't give a shiny shit about the numerous near misses. Someone will get a broken limb one day, just hope it's not me!

The fact the single point of entry is a narrow ramp wide enough for two buggies to pass up and down which every single person has to enter and leave pkjs bikes/scooters/buggies /toddlers etc. It is fucking awful, I hate the school run!

The mums who turn up in their dressing gowns and slippers but with amazing hair and make up.

The parents who park up 30 mins early just to get one of the few parking spots outside school.

The one parent who constantly uses the disabled parking bay as 'Child (who needs the bay) has already been dropped off'.

The checking of reading books and the loudness of "oh well done darling, you are now on level x'

People who park so on the pavement that I have to push my kids into the road to get round.

People who smoke near the school gates.

People who stand around the school gates with dogs

@rollercoasterofemotions

People leaving their car engines running while waiting in the car

Yes this. Not only do we have to squeeze past them as they park on the kerb not leaving any room but we also have to inhale their fumes while they wait for their kids.

Most of all I hate the parents.

With the exception of perhaps one or two, I don't even give the rest the time of day.

It's all fake shit and just awful. Can't stand it .

At primary school, the cliquey spite of the 'in-crowd' Nightmare.

Now, it's brilliant. Just four of us offloading dcs to catch the bus. We are on nodding terms, park/manoeuvre politely, and on the odd day the bus is held up, we take it in turns to drive the four dsc to school. Calm, professional.

What a relief.

Yes to the parents who stop with no warning to huddle and chat. Find a cafe fgs.
Dogs of any type just insane enough trying to navigate the crowds a d there's inevitably a gaggle of parents clutching their dog on a lead across the entrance whilst they say goodbye to their children as they're not allowed inside the gates with dogs.
The lack of appropriate parking.
Other parents who know nothing of my life but judge me or anybody who needs to drive.
The stupid apparently blinkered owners of the "hipster cycles with a fruit box on wheels"to transport their children. I've seen so many bear misses with these things as parents cycling are usually there with headphones, phone out, oblivious to the rules of the road, common sense or courtesy. Deathtraps that need banning before a child gets killed.
The fake smile senco who's incapable and incompetent at responding to emails or deadlines.

The smokers who have to stand right in the middle of the gate, the cliquey ones who are all young and self important, the lack of common sense by parents stopping anywhere they suddenly decide. And breathe.
My youngest is my last baby though so I would happily give up work to do it every day if I could.

We don't have any smokers so that's a blessing.

We don't have any cafes so you'd spend a long time finding one for a 5 minute chat!

Primary had a brillant scheme of being able to drive into the school and drop off in the morning (from year 3) - rules where parent didn’t get out of car you basically kick the child out at the secured gate where a teacher was stood making sure child went in & drove away- it worked really well….but for some reason parents got into competition and had to get out of the car and wave until they went into the building faff about with something in the carboot and chatting with a friend from another car grhhhhh which basically meant the flow of cars where at a standstill waiting to get in and causing issue with the local roads and we could no longer drop off!!

Endless emails to parents ignored - if you need to get put of the car please park offsite and walk in but they ignored it!! It was such a brilliant system and safer too.
I don’t need to do a primary school run away - I don’t miss it at all!

The parents driving dangerously and not caring about children crossing the road. It's got so bad that my DD now gets really upset about having to cross the road to the school gate.

The parents parking on double yellows and half the pavement outside school.

The dickheads parking, apparently if you drive a 4 by 4 you can park wherever you like

I always enjoyed the school run while I was doing it. It was a small school though, with school streets in place and hardly anyone driving due to small catchment area. I always enjoyed chatting to people, but I can imagine it's less fun with loads of cars and parking issues.

Country school, so no parking, no space to turn, no chance to speak to other parents. And constant worry about if the car breaks down and we have to pay for taxis!

The chatters. Bog off to the cafe, please...

The oblivious parents blocking the pavement. If you stand in the middle how do you think people are going to be able to feel past?!

I've noticed more and more dogs on the school run, just adding to the chaos.

We live on a road with 5 schools all within half a mile of each other. It's bedlam from 8-9 am so someone in their wisdom decided the best time to patch up the pavements was 8.30am. works van blocking the pavement and parked half on and half off the haven't making the road impassable. Complete muppetry. 🤡

*get

• Pavement not haven't