Do you know what’s fun? Navigating four school-children to 3 different schools, with two little kids in tow. In rush hour traffic. On- and off-post. In Louisiana. Chock-filled with people who have not a friggin’ clue how to drive. 45 minutes of pure hell on wheels, I tell ya.
We leave the house at 7:20am, and a prompt 7:20 at that, or just a split-second later causes the whole house of cards to come down. Off to the first school located off-post, to drop my two fourth-graders off at their new elementary school. While it takes only 10 minutes to get there, it takes another 10 just to get on campus, with traffic, policemen directing traffic, wading through the line of other cars, and drop offs (naturally). This leaves my older daughter to get to her school in a manner of 5 minutes, and my kindergartner 20 minutes to get to his. Luckily, the high school is on the same campus, just around back, so it’s easy to get to. Or so you would think.
This particular morning, as with every morning, there are parents taking their children to school who have absolutely no idea what it is they should be doing when behind a wheel. I was cut-off waiting in line by a person who thought crossing in front of oncoming traffic was a good idea (and by on-coming traffic, I mean me and everyone else in line). At the elementary school, you know, the place with little kids that could get hurt? In the parking lot. Nice one, lady. I was, of course, flabbergasted and, of course, concerned, so I braked (and by braking to avoid an accident, she gunned it and pulled ahead of me – remember this for later).
This same crazy woman, seemingly uncaring about how careless she is (uh, that makes sense, yes?), then proceeds to leave a two-car-length gap between her and the car in front of her, preventing people from moving up when they should, because she’d purposely leave that gap or forget to pull forward. (I know, I know, I should’ve cut in front of her. Heh.)
She then proceeds to take her. sweet. everloving. time dropping her son off. And for the record? I totally told an aide outside about what she did, cutting me off. Hey, I am not ashamed of being a tattle-tale. What she did was dangerous!
Just as I was about to pull around her, because I was already done and she was still taking her $*@# time, she finally moved, proceeding at a snail’s pace (again). She arrives at this point where you can go right to the high school campus, or left to get out of the parking lot. There is on-coming traffic, and you have to be careful, but holy crap! She sat there. Almost 5 minutes. She wouldn’t move. (Remember when I told you to remember that thing above? This is why).
The same lady who gunned it to cut me off in a parking lot with children present, who could get hurt, is now stopped, not moving, afraid to be hit.
(Pick up your jaw, I know.)
She had plenty of opportunities to go, too. I swear to goodness, I was going to get out of the car and choke her tell her she had a nice blouse {cough} if she didn’t finally decide to move, but, as luck would have it, she moved! Halle-fricken-lujah! And somehow, some way, I squeaked my daughter inside her school on time. {whew}
Now it’s my kindergartner’s turn, who I now have to bring all the way back onto post to get to his school by 8am. It’s 7:45. Only 10 minutes to get back on post, I can do it! Or so I thought.
As soon as I cross the gates of hell {ahem} onto post, the line is backed up, the police are still directing traffic to the other school-that-shall-not-be-named and causing it to back up. I finally get through, but am stuck at yet again another light. 7:55. Holy heck, will I make it? Can I do it? Light turns 7:56, I get to the school’s drop-off section 7:58, we pull up to the aide, door opens, son gets out at 7:59. We are the last people. The doors are closing…. behind my son. He is the last child admitted on time. The last. The clock strikes 8am. We did it!
I pull out ceremoniously, taking a sip of my cold-ish coffee, and wanting to cry. Yes, it really is this bad in the morning.
Seriously, how long can we go on like this? Leave even earlier? (Recall, we leave at 7:20 already!) How could I leave even earlier, how? It’s bad enough as it is the kids eat as early as they do to leave at this time. They don’t eat lunch for almost 4 hours as it is. We work best in getting the kids to school when we split up, most definitely – when hubby takes the off-post kids and I take my kindergartner, or vice versa. But he’s not always available to help, and when he’s not, God help me, I am a lunatic by the time I arrive home at 8:05am. This new morning drive? Is killing me. K-i-l-l-i-n-g me.
Let’s not even talk about the afternoon pick-up. *dies*
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