Middle/high school pick-up parents: this is what you actually do with your time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I pick up my MS DD every day even though she has bus service. Why? Well, two days a week because she would be late to an activity if she took the bus instead. As to the other three days -- it's simply because it's her preference. I absolutely do have the time, which I love about my life. Zero apologies or shame there! That being said, I get there 15 min before dismissal -- not an hour. Our line moves fast, so it wouldn't make sense to get there that early. But I assume that on any given day there is a contingent of students who really need to be somewhere quickly after school or whose parents were coming from somewhere and it didn't make sense for them to go home first, etc..., and that these things explain most of the very early cars.

My DD is getting busier and busier with activities and spending time with friends. I honestly like our rides home together -- nice chats!

I know a mom and daughter just like you. Both are…something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 2-3 kids in my ES class who are kicked up an hour early every day. Every day. They miss math every day. Their parents don’t seem to care. I’ve asked for if there was an issue with someone picking them up on time after school and they all said they didn’t want to wait in the car pool line. They asked me to send home their math for homework. Unbelievable.

That would be a hard nope from me. A hard nope. Those kids would simply fail.

+1000
absolutely!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In FCPS my kid would be on the bus for an hour. It’s a 10 minute drive to school. I much prefer my child getting more sleep than catching a bus at 6:35 am (after a 10 minute drive to walk).

OP isn't criticizing parents picking up their kids from school. They are wondering why so many are there to pick them up an hour before dismissal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I care because you block an entire street in my neighborhood and the cops won't let us drive around you (in the oncoming lane). So for an extended period of time, you shut down the road.

Sounds like you’re the entitled one. “The public road should be free of all other vehicles when *I* decide to use it!”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who volunteers for things at middle school?! Cringe. My kids would die of embarrassment- and they feel sorry for the few kids whose parents volunteer to chaperone dances and parties etc. Elementary school only!

I pick up my middle schooler because he isn’t eligible for the bus (attending a interdistrict middle school). He rode the bus in elementary and will in HS. My kids ride the bus when eligible (unless there is a valid reason they need to be picked up). I don’t enter the lot (nightmare!) but instead pick him up at a meeting spot nearby.

That said- why do you care if people are sitting in their cars? I get the sense most are working/on calls. An hour seems excessive but traffic can be unpredictable I suppose.

More people should volunteer for school things in MS/HS. You don’t have to volunteer in the classroom. School dances, larger events, media center, PTA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I care because you block an entire street in my neighborhood and the cops won't let us drive around you (in the oncoming lane). So for an extended period of time, you shut down the road.

Sounds like you’re the entitled one. “The public road should be free of all other vehicles when *I* decide to use it!”

You couldn’t pay me to live that near a school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:I have 2-3 kids in my ES class who are kicked up an hour early every day. Every day. They miss math every day. Their parents don’t seem to care. I’ve asked for if there was an issue with someone picking them up on time after school and they all said they didn’t want to wait in the car pool line. They asked me to send home their math for homework. Unbelievable.

That would be a hard nope from me. A hard nope. Those kids would simply fail.

Would they fail even if they knew the math?

If they get perfect scores on the assessments, they'd get a a C due to all of the missing classwork. Trust me, these kids don't know any of the math.

Why would I trust you?

The last assessment I gave (3-4 weeks ago), here were their grades. 29%, 36%, 47%, 49%. This is kindergarten BTW so some kids already know these concepts. It was based on numbers 0-10. We are now into addition and then subtraction. I suspect they will do even worse on this assessment.

LOL kindergarten?!?! Lady, get over yourself. No one gives a sh!t about kindergarten math.

Not the OP but lots of people care about kindergarten math. And those that don’t will be wondering in 1st and 2nd grade why their kid is struggling with new strategies.

[Anonymous]

Lots of defensiveness to your post, OP.

Months back I created a post on “Parking Lot Parents.” Meaning the parents who do just sit on their phones in their cars while their kids have performances, games, or practices.

Same hostile defensiveness popped up.

Social media is toxic to both kids and parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ahhhh entitlement parenting at its finest. And all of the excuses that go along with it. But the activities! The doctors appointments! Pretending that all of those people waiting in line for that long are all the exceptions when we all know that it's not true. Those lines are full of parents coddling their children because little Larlo and Larlette "prefers" that their parents wait on them hand and foot.

There is a mom from one of my DD's HS sports teams that comes to pick up her daughter every day from school at 2:55 to drive her home so she can spend 15 minutes petting the dog before driving her back to the school for sports practice that starts at 3:30pm. All of the other athletes just stay after school and get ready for practice together. The mom says that "the dog misses her too much during the day" and needs some attention after school.

My DD has a classmate who goes home early and comes back like that. And while they give most people a silly little petting the dog excuse, the truth is that the child has a medical condition that makes certain bathroom stuff easier to manage with a quick break at home, and that’s the only way she can do another 2 hours of sports. I think it’s best to assume something like that is going on.

I appreciate your compassion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have 2-3 kids in my ES class who are kicked up an hour early every day. Every day. They miss math every day. Their parents don’t seem to care. I’ve asked for if there was an issue with someone picking them up on time after school and they all said they didn’t want to wait in the car pool line. They asked me to send home their math for homework. Unbelievable.

That would be a hard nope from me. A hard nope. Those kids would simply fail.

Would they fail even if they knew the math?

If they get perfect scores on the assessments, they'd get a a C due to all of the missing classwork. Trust me, these kids don't know any of the math.

Why would I trust you?

The last assessment I gave (3-4 weeks ago), here were their grades. 29%, 36%, 47%, 49%. This is kindergarten BTW so some kids already know these concepts. It was based on numbers 0-10. We are now into addition and then subtraction. I suspect they will do even worse on this assessment.

LOL kindergarten?!?! Lady, get over yourself. No one gives a sh!t about kindergarten math.

Not the OP but lots of people care about kindergarten math. And those that don’t will be wondering in 1st and 2nd grade why their kid is struggling with new strategies.

People who care about kindergarten math are exactly the types who worry about “new strategies” in 1st and 2nd grade. Those of us who understand math will continue to drill our kids on their times tables at home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In FCPS my kid would be on the bus for an hour. It’s a 10 minute drive to school. I much prefer my child getting more sleep than catching a bus at 6:35 am (after a 10 minute drive to walk).

OP isn't criticizing parents picking up their kids from school. They are wondering why so many are there to pick them up an hour before dismissal.

But a lot of PPs are criticizing parents for picking up their kids in any fashion when the bus is available. Almost everyone at our school qualifies for the bus and yet the pick-up line is very long everyday. I guess all these kids and parents are jerks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In FCPS my kid would be on the bus for an hour. It’s a 10 minute drive to school. I much prefer my child getting more sleep than catching a bus at 6:35 am (after a 10 minute drive to walk).

OP isn't criticizing parents picking up their kids from school. They are wondering why so many are there to pick them up an hour before dismissal.

But a lot of PPs are criticizing parents for picking up their kids in any fashion when the bus is available. Almost everyone at our school qualifies for the bus and yet the pick-up line is very long everyday. I guess all these kids and parents are jerks.

It’s not picking them up that OP is criticizing. The the arriving an HOUR prior to dismissal and just sitting there in the parking lot so your child can be one of the first out. Sorry but that is nutty. If you arrive 5 min after dismissal, you will have almost no wait time. Your kid can stand around for a few minutes. They will be fine and probably still get to practice on time

[Anonymous]

Op is right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In FCPS my kid would be on the bus for an hour. It’s a 10 minute drive to school. I much prefer my child getting more sleep than catching a bus at 6:35 am (after a 10 minute drive to walk).

OP isn't criticizing parents picking up their kids from school. They are wondering why so many are there to pick them up an hour before dismissal.

But a lot of PPs are criticizing parents for picking up their kids in any fashion when the bus is available. Almost everyone at our school qualifies for the bus and yet the pick-up line is very long everyday. I guess all these kids and parents are jerks.

It’s not picking them up that OP is criticizing. The the arriving an HOUR prior to dismissal and just sitting there in the parking lot so your child can be one of the first out. Sorry but that is nutty. If you arrive 5 min after dismissal, you will have almost no wait time. Your kid can stand around for a few minutes. They will be fine and probably still get to practice on time

That may be true at your kid’s school but getting to my kid’s school five minutes after the bell means about a 20 min wait till you get back on the road. Your experience is not universal.

[Anonymous]

I spend all day multitasking my head off between work and home.
Personally I love uninterrupted time zoning out in my car and yes scrolling on my phone. Sometimes it’s a chance to catch up with a friend on the phone without people buzzing around me.
I suspect others love car time too.