Working parents — driving is driving me mad…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My MS child has a 1.5 hour public bus ride with transfer and walking. He does it because I have to work and it gives me more bandwidth to drive to activities in the evening.

Your children can take public transportation one way.

You created a terrible situation for your child and are blaming parents for avoiding this for their DC. Hmmmm

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe find a safe spot to drop them off half mile away and have them walk the rest. Same with finding a safe pick up spot at end of day. Will help you avoid lines. Whenever my kid needed to be picked up I had her meet me at nearby plaza. Those carpool lines are the worst.

That's what I do with my kids who go to WJ.
The parking lot/drop off loop isn't big at all, so naturally the overflow spills out into the roadway and takes up an entire lane of two lanes.

Right behind WJ is Giant and behind that is DSW... that's where I get my kids from and there's never any other parents in the parking lot.

Ugh. Yes there are plenty of parents in those parking lots annoying the rest of the shoppers. You’re just too busy on your phone to notice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the kid shuffling is epic in middle and high school years, but I am just losing it.

First off, our district expanded walk zones to a ridiculous amount and eliminated buses, so we (and most other parents) do car drop off and pickup. There is a huge slow carline, so dropping off/picking up each kid takes 20 mins per kid, morning and afternoon. So there’s a 7am and 8am drop off, then a 230om and 330pm pickup. We don’t live near any friends to carpool with —- I have not yet started knocking door to door to find a carpool but considering it.

That’s the baseline.

Then there’s the afternoon activities for 2 kids — Monday they both have music lessons, one @ 5, the other kid @ 7 with different locations (diff instruments and teachers). Then there is sports practice, just rec, 2x week and no luck starting a carpool there, @ 5pm. Then there is meeting with the math tutor once a week, at 6 pm.

We don’t even do much, but I feel my day is constantly interrupted by the need to drive a kid somewhere. We are not rich enough to afford a driving nanny or Au pair, and I know kids need to do these things as it’s healthy for them and helps with later college options. But I can’t wait until they drive themselves or the cars drive for me….

My work profit suffers, since I work an early shift starting at 6am so I am off for the afternoon shuffle. I would prefer to work a more normal day.

More of a vent. I know this is just a phase of life.

The bolded is your kid's problems, not yours. Set a schedule and they walk. Problem solved. Stop catering to make their lives easier and making yours miserable. The fresh air and exercise does them good

It's a terrible walking commute for most students, that's why carline is crazy -- almost everyone drives. It's a post COVID "bus savings" measure.

No the car line is so crazy because YOU have deemed it "too hard" for your kids to bike or walk to school.

This. All the helicopter parents have ruined carline and are now complaining that it sucks.

We live 5'ish (a little more) miles from school, crisscrossing highways, and in jam packed traffic the entire way. So, no, biking or walking isn't an option. I can and have dropped DC a bit from school but that doesn't always work due to location and other ES schools (2) right on the borders so there is enforcement there. Finally, Im not comfortable with my teen daughter riding a bus alone. I understand people do allow it, and that's fine. But that doesn't make it "helicoptering" that we don't. And the school bus is an almost 45 min. ride to go only those 5 miles.

So I drive (she sometimes carpools in the a.m.) and am in the drive line. If you don't like it, you can kindly piss off.

Entitled mom raising entitled kids. You have a bus and you choose not to use it and waste the carpool line. You are the problem and you don't care. Such a grand way of parenting

And yes, not allowing a TEEN to ride a bus alone is insanity.
NYC kids ride the subway to school and only have parent cards until Grade 3. They do it alone or with classmates after that. You are a helicopter. At least admit it. Raising another clueless dependent teen that will go off to college with zero common sense or street smarts. Guaranteed to be on anti-anxiety meds as well.

Ah, the memories..
I grew up in Brooklyn and starting in 4th grade we all took the train to school and thought nothing of it, as there were a million other kids with us on the train so headed to the same place.

We felt SO grown up too, like we really thought we were adults, lol.

Same! And then we eventually moved to the suburbs of NJ and took a school bus but even my youngest sister walked to the bus stop herself for half day K.

Now in my neighborhood we have moms turning on their land rovers to idle and pick their 5th graders up from the bus stop so they don't have to the walk the 7 houses home. I think that is insane, yet a mom asked me to stop letting my 2nd grader walk home alone (we live 4 houses from the bus stop) as it is unsafe.

So maybe it is the DC metro area. I don't know - but all this driving it is insane to me and so bad for the environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:None of your own moms would have driven you to school, even if they were stay at home moms. They bundled you up and off you went. And if you forgot anything. Oh well. If the school reported you late arriving to school, you were punished.

You learned to be responsible and manage time.

We are raising a bunch of babies

My mom drove me, to and from parochial school every day, even though there was a bus. I started K in '79.
So, you don't know everything, it seems.

The buses were sometimes miles apart with set bus pick-ups at parochial schools AND you had to pay extra to use them.

We are talking walkable public schools

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Driving was too much for me when buses were reduced during and after covid. We don’t work from home so we could not drop off and pick up at arrival and dismissal with the lines and keep our jobs. Here’s how we made it work. Judge away.

If we dropped off, we did it a few blocks away and they walked. No, it wasn’t allowed and no, no one ever said anything. It’s how we got to school on time.

On the way home, they often took an Uber. We shared with friends so they went together. Again, they walked a few blocks away for pick up since they couldn’t pick up at school.

Now a couple of years later, they are teens and ride their bikes. I’m not concerned anymore with the long ride and busy roads since they are older.

There were no public bus options.

Kid is a walker, you tell the school, and do drop off and pick up down the road.

People in carpool lines are the worst. I still will never understand WTF the kid is just putting on his shoes and then has to walk to the trunk to get his backpack and hem and haw and then mom has to talk to him for 10 minutes before they finally pull off (and this is even middle school/high school!!!)). My kids are ready to jump out of the plane when I pull up and the car barely stops moving...READY? JUMP! ...Same at pick up---hop in..SHUT THE DOOR! and pull off

If everyone were cognizant and didn't sit there idling like a bunch of dumb *sses it would move much quicker.

But, it doesn't. So you get creative and say hey 'I will pick you up every day at corner of X&Y'.

My kids learned in Kindergarten how to get out of the car. I screamed "tuck and roll!" and they got themselves out promptly. I have a van so I can shut my own doors.

Backpacks in the trunk or front seat? Honestly you should get a ticket for that.

Seriously, my kids are in high school (not driving yet) and it absolutely amazes me that these are 15, 16, 17 year olds and the parent and kids still haven't mastered the frickin' carpool circle. IT comes down to ENTITLEMENT. You have a line of traffic behind you, your dumb-*ss kid is sliding his shoes on and standing by the open door rummaging around for 10 minutes, then when he starts to walk off you call him back to talk to him another 10 min...YOU HAD THE ENTIRE RIDE to tell him what he needed to know.

I will give a pass to the kids with the huge hockey equipment bags, the cello, etc., that really have to get them out of the back--but that's about it.

Now we have mothers that will sit texting, looking at their phone AFTER the kid is out of the car...and a line of traffic is behind her. Read the room, honey. Move the f*ck on so the circle can keep flowing and go pull off on the side of the road somewhere else to do your texting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the kid shuffling is epic in middle and high school years, but I am just losing it.

First off, our district expanded walk zones to a ridiculous amount and eliminated buses, so we (and most other parents) do car drop off and pickup. There is a huge slow carline, so dropping off/picking up each kid takes 20 mins per kid, morning and afternoon. So there’s a 7am and 8am drop off, then a 230om and 330pm pickup. We don’t live near any friends to carpool with —- I have not yet started knocking door to door to find a carpool but considering it.

That’s the baseline.

Then there’s the afternoon activities for 2 kids — Monday they both have music lessons, one @ 5, the other kid @ 7 with different locations (diff instruments and teachers). Then there is sports practice, just rec, 2x week and no luck starting a carpool there, @ 5pm. Then there is meeting with the math tutor once a week, at 6 pm.

We don’t even do much, but I feel my day is constantly interrupted by the need to drive a kid somewhere. We are not rich enough to afford a driving nanny or Au pair, and I know kids need to do these things as it’s healthy for them and helps with later college options. But I can’t wait until they drive themselves or the cars drive for me….

My work profit suffers, since I work an early shift starting at 6am so I am off for the afternoon shuffle. I would prefer to work a more normal day.

More of a vent. I know this is just a phase of life.

The bolded is your kid's problems, not yours. Set a schedule and they walk. Problem solved. Stop catering to make their lives easier and making yours miserable. The fresh air and exercise does them good

It's a terrible walking commute for most students, that's why carline is crazy -- almost everyone drives. It's a post COVID "bus savings" measure.

No the car line is so crazy because YOU have deemed it "too hard" for your kids to bike or walk to school.

This. All the helicopter parents have ruined carline and are now complaining that it sucks.

We live 5'ish (a little more) miles from school, crisscrossing highways, and in jam packed traffic the entire way. So, no, biking or walking isn't an option. I can and have dropped DC a bit from school but that doesn't always work due to location and other ES schools (2) right on the borders so there is enforcement there. Finally, Im not comfortable with my teen daughter riding a bus alone. I understand people do allow it, and that's fine. But that doesn't make it "helicoptering" that we don't. And the school bus is an almost 45 min. ride to go only those 5 miles.

So I drive (she sometimes carpools in the a.m.) and am in the drive line. If you don't like it, you can kindly piss off.

Entitled mom raising entitled kids. You have a bus and you choose not to use it and waste the carpool line. You are the problem and you don't care. Such a grand way of parenting

And yes, not allowing a TEEN to ride a bus alone is insanity.
NYC kids ride the subway to school and only have parent cards until Grade 3. They do it alone or with classmates after that. You are a helicopter. At least admit it. Raising another clueless dependent teen that will go off to college with zero common sense or street smarts. Guaranteed to be on anti-anxiety meds as well.

Ah, the memories..
I grew up in Brooklyn and starting in 4th grade we all took the train to school and thought nothing of it, as there were a million other kids with us on the train so headed to the same place.

We felt SO grown up too, like we really thought we were adults, lol.

Same! And then we eventually moved to the suburbs of NJ and took a school bus but even my youngest sister walked to the bus stop herself for half day K.

Now in my neighborhood we have moms turning on their land rovers to idle and pick their 5th graders up from the bus stop so they don't have to the walk the 7 houses home. I think that is insane, yet a mom asked me to stop letting my 2nd grader walk home alone (we live 4 houses from the bus stop) as it is unsafe.

So maybe it is the DC metro area. I don't know - but all this driving it is insane to me and so bad for the environment.

You can always move to a more urban environment. Why do you choose to live in the suburbs if it bugs you so much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Driving was too much for me when buses were reduced during and after covid. We don’t work from home so we could not drop off and pick up at arrival and dismissal with the lines and keep our jobs. Here’s how we made it work. Judge away.

If we dropped off, we did it a few blocks away and they walked. No, it wasn’t allowed and no, no one ever said anything. It’s how we got to school on time.

On the way home, they often took an Uber. We shared with friends so they went together. Again, they walked a few blocks away for pick up since they couldn’t pick up at school.

Now a couple of years later, they are teens and ride their bikes. I’m not concerned anymore with the long ride and busy roads since they are older.

There were no public bus options.

Kid is a walker, you tell the school, and do drop off and pick up down the road.

People in carpool lines are the worst. I still will never understand WTF the kid is just putting on his shoes and then has to walk to the trunk to get his backpack and hem and haw and then mom has to talk to him for 10 minutes before they finally pull off (and this is even middle school/high school!!!)). My kids are ready to jump out of the plane when I pull up and the car barely stops moving...READY? JUMP! ...Same at pick up---hop in..SHUT THE DOOR! and pull off

If everyone were cognizant and didn't sit there idling like a bunch of dumb *sses it would move much quicker.

But, it doesn't. So you get creative and say hey 'I will pick you up every day at corner of X&Y'.

My kids learned in Kindergarten how to get out of the car. I screamed "tuck and roll!" and they got themselves out promptly. I have a van so I can shut my own doors.

Backpacks in the trunk or front seat? Honestly you should get a ticket for that.

Seriously, my kids are in high school (not driving yet) and it absolutely amazes me that these are 15, 16, 17 year olds and the parent and kids still haven't mastered the frickin' carpool circle. IT comes down to ENTITLEMENT. You have a line of traffic behind you, your dumb-*ss kid is sliding his shoes on and standing by the open door rummaging around for 10 minutes, then when he starts to walk off you call him back to talk to him another 10 min...YOU HAD THE ENTIRE RIDE to tell him what he needed to know.

I will give a pass to the kids with the huge hockey equipment bags, the cello, etc., that really have to get them out of the back--but that's about it.

Now we have mothers that will sit texting, looking at their phone AFTER the kid is out of the car...and a line of traffic is behind her. Read the room, honey. Move the f*ck on so the circle can keep flowing and go pull off on the side of the road somewhere else to do your texting.

out of all the above, nothing annoys me more than a mom who pulls up to the middle of the circle to let their previous kid out right in front of the school door. Instead of pulling up to the sign that literally says “pull up here to drop off”

That’s 6 less cars that can unload because you are a selfish piece of crap and your kid is lazy af

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Driving was too much for me when buses were reduced during and after covid. We don’t work from home so we could not drop off and pick up at arrival and dismissal with the lines and keep our jobs. Here’s how we made it work. Judge away.

If we dropped off, we did it a few blocks away and they walked. No, it wasn’t allowed and no, no one ever said anything. It’s how we got to school on time.

On the way home, they often took an Uber. We shared with friends so they went together. Again, they walked a few blocks away for pick up since they couldn’t pick up at school.

Now a couple of years later, they are teens and ride their bikes. I’m not concerned anymore with the long ride and busy roads since they are older.

There were no public bus options.

Kid is a walker, you tell the school, and do drop off and pick up down the road.

People in carpool lines are the worst. I still will never understand WTF the kid is just putting on his shoes and then has to walk to the trunk to get his backpack and hem and haw and then mom has to talk to him for 10 minutes before they finally pull off (and this is even middle school/high school!!!)). My kids are ready to jump out of the plane when I pull up and the car barely stops moving...READY? JUMP! ...Same at pick up---hop in..SHUT THE DOOR! and pull off

If everyone were cognizant and didn't sit there idling like a bunch of dumb *sses it would move much quicker.

But, it doesn't. So you get creative and say hey 'I will pick you up every day at corner of X&Y'.

Not tenable for us, our school gives detention if they find you are a "car-walker" and they have lookouts around the neighborhood.

What? This is bonkers. Why would the school care?

NP.
Complaining neighbors? Have them pressure the school to reinstate the buses. Can't have it both ways.


OP, name this school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the kid shuffling is epic in middle and high school years, but I am just losing it.

First off, our district expanded walk zones to a ridiculous amount and eliminated buses, so we (and most other parents) do car drop off and pickup. There is a huge slow carline, so dropping off/picking up each kid takes 20 mins per kid, morning and afternoon. So there’s a 7am and 8am drop off, then a 230om and 330pm pickup. We don’t live near any friends to carpool with —- I have not yet started knocking door to door to find a carpool but considering it.

That’s the baseline.

Then there’s the afternoon activities for 2 kids — Monday they both have music lessons, one @ 5, the other kid @ 7 with different locations (diff instruments and teachers). Then there is sports practice, just rec, 2x week and no luck starting a carpool there, @ 5pm. Then there is meeting with the math tutor once a week, at 6 pm.

We don’t even do much, but I feel my day is constantly interrupted by the need to drive a kid somewhere. We are not rich enough to afford a driving nanny or Au pair, and I know kids need to do these things as it’s healthy for them and helps with later college options. But I can’t wait until they drive themselves or the cars drive for me….

My work profit suffers, since I work an early shift starting at 6am so I am off for the afternoon shuffle. I would prefer to work a more normal day.

More of a vent. I know this is just a phase of life.

The bolded is your kid's problems, not yours. Set a schedule and they walk. Problem solved. Stop catering to make their lives easier and making yours miserable. The fresh air and exercise does them good

It's a terrible walking commute for most students, that's why carline is crazy -- almost everyone drives. It's a post COVID "bus savings" measure.

No the car line is so crazy because YOU have deemed it "too hard" for your kids to bike or walk to school.

This. All the helicopter parents have ruined carline and are now complaining that it sucks.

We live 5'ish (a little more) miles from school, crisscrossing highways, and in jam packed traffic the entire way. So, no, biking or walking isn't an option. I can and have dropped DC a bit from school but that doesn't always work due to location and other ES schools (2) right on the borders so there is enforcement there. Finally, Im not comfortable with my teen daughter riding a bus alone. I understand people do allow it, and that's fine. But that doesn't make it "helicoptering" that we don't. And the school bus is an almost 45 min. ride to go only those 5 miles.

So I drive (she sometimes carpools in the a.m.) and am in the drive line. If you don't like it, you can kindly piss off.

Entitled mom raising entitled kids. You have a bus and you choose not to use it and waste the carpool line. You are the problem and you don't care. Such a grand way of parenting

And yes, not allowing a TEEN to ride a bus alone is insanity.
NYC kids ride the subway to school and only have parent cards until Grade 3. They do it alone or with classmates after that. You are a helicopter. At least admit it. Raising another clueless dependent teen that will go off to college with zero common sense or street smarts. Guaranteed to be on anti-anxiety meds as well.

Ah, the memories..
I grew up in Brooklyn and starting in 4th grade we all took the train to school and thought nothing of it, as there were a million other kids with us on the train so headed to the same place.

We felt SO grown up too, like we really thought we were adults, lol.

Same! And then we eventually moved to the suburbs of NJ and took a school bus but even my youngest sister walked to the bus stop herself for half day K.

Now in my neighborhood we have moms turning on their land rovers to idle and pick their 5th graders up from the bus stop so they don't have to the walk the 7 houses home. I think that is insane, yet a mom asked me to stop letting my 2nd grader walk home alone (we live 4 houses from the bus stop) as it is unsafe.

So maybe it is the DC metro area. I don't know - but all this driving it is insane to me and so bad for the environment.

You can always move to a more urban environment. Why do you choose to live in the suburbs if it bugs you so much?

We found the mom who picks up the 5th graders from the bus stop! LOL

[Anonymous]

My middle school kids walk a mile home but sometimes leave their backpacks at school if they really have to take home a lot of stuff. Then around 4:30 we go back and get all their stuff.,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the kid shuffling is epic in middle and high school years, but I am just losing it.

First off, our district expanded walk zones to a ridiculous amount and eliminated buses, so we (and most other parents) do car drop off and pickup. There is a huge slow carline, so dropping off/picking up each kid takes 20 mins per kid, morning and afternoon. So there’s a 7am and 8am drop off, then a 230om and 330pm pickup. We don’t live near any friends to carpool with —- I have not yet started knocking door to door to find a carpool but considering it.

That’s the baseline.

Then there’s the afternoon activities for 2 kids — Monday they both have music lessons, one @ 5, the other kid @ 7 with different locations (diff instruments and teachers). Then there is sports practice, just rec, 2x week and no luck starting a carpool there, @ 5pm. Then there is meeting with the math tutor once a week, at 6 pm.

We don’t even do much, but I feel my day is constantly interrupted by the need to drive a kid somewhere. We are not rich enough to afford a driving nanny or Au pair, and I know kids need to do these things as it’s healthy for them and helps with later college options. But I can’t wait until they drive themselves or the cars drive for me….

My work profit suffers, since I work an early shift starting at 6am so I am off for the afternoon shuffle. I would prefer to work a more normal day.

More of a vent. I know this is just a phase of life.

The bolded is your kid's problems, not yours. Set a schedule and they walk. Problem solved. Stop catering to make their lives easier and making yours miserable. The fresh air and exercise does them good

It's a terrible walking commute for most students, that's why carline is crazy -- almost everyone drives. It's a post COVID "bus savings" measure.

No the car line is so crazy because YOU have deemed it "too hard" for your kids to bike or walk to school.

This. All the helicopter parents have ruined carline and are now complaining that it sucks.

We live 5'ish (a little more) miles from school, crisscrossing highways, and in jam packed traffic the entire way. So, no, biking or walking isn't an option. I can and have dropped DC a bit from school but that doesn't always work due to location and other ES schools (2) right on the borders so there is enforcement there. Finally, Im not comfortable with my teen daughter riding a bus alone. I understand people do allow it, and that's fine. But that doesn't make it "helicoptering" that we don't. And the school bus is an almost 45 min. ride to go only those 5 miles.

So I drive (she sometimes carpools in the a.m.) and am in the drive line. If you don't like it, you can kindly piss off.

Entitled mom raising entitled kids. You have a bus and you choose not to use it and waste the carpool line. You are the problem and you don't care. Such a grand way of parenting

And yes, not allowing a TEEN to ride a bus alone is insanity.
NYC kids ride the subway to school and only have parent cards until Grade 3. They do it alone or with classmates after that. You are a helicopter. At least admit it. Raising another clueless dependent teen that will go off to college with zero common sense or street smarts. Guaranteed to be on anti-anxiety meds as well.

Ah, the memories..
I grew up in Brooklyn and starting in 4th grade we all took the train to school and thought nothing of it, as there were a million other kids with us on the train so headed to the same place.

We felt SO grown up too, like we really thought we were adults, lol.

Same! And then we eventually moved to the suburbs of NJ and took a school bus but even my youngest sister walked to the bus stop herself for half day K.

Now in my neighborhood we have moms turning on their land rovers to idle and pick their 5th graders up from the bus stop so they don't have to the walk the 7 houses home. I think that is insane, yet a mom asked me to stop letting my 2nd grader walk home alone (we live 4 houses from the bus stop) as it is unsafe.

So maybe it is the DC metro area. I don't know - but all this driving it is insane to me and so bad for the environment.

You can always move to a more urban environment. Why do you choose to live in the suburbs if it bugs you so much?

We found the mom who picks up the 5th graders from the bus stop! LOL

My kid is in HS. But why do you care what works best for other families? You getting so pissy over it is way worse than the parent picking up their kid. You're just a jerk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the kid shuffling is epic in middle and high school years, but I am just losing it.

First off, our district expanded walk zones to a ridiculous amount and eliminated buses, so we (and most other parents) do car drop off and pickup. There is a huge slow carline, so dropping off/picking up each kid takes 20 mins per kid, morning and afternoon. So there’s a 7am and 8am drop off, then a 230om and 330pm pickup. We don’t live near any friends to carpool with —- I have not yet started knocking door to door to find a carpool but considering it.

That’s the baseline.

Then there’s the afternoon activities for 2 kids — Monday they both have music lessons, one @ 5, the other kid @ 7 with different locations (diff instruments and teachers). Then there is sports practice, just rec, 2x week and no luck starting a carpool there, @ 5pm. Then there is meeting with the math tutor once a week, at 6 pm.

We don’t even do much, but I feel my day is constantly interrupted by the need to drive a kid somewhere. We are not rich enough to afford a driving nanny or Au pair, and I know kids need to do these things as it’s healthy for them and helps with later college options. But I can’t wait until they drive themselves or the cars drive for me….

My work profit suffers, since I work an early shift starting at 6am so I am off for the afternoon shuffle. I would prefer to work a more normal day.

More of a vent. I know this is just a phase of life.

The bolded is your kid's problems, not yours. Set a schedule and they walk. Problem solved. Stop catering to make their lives easier and making yours miserable. The fresh air and exercise does them good

It's a terrible walking commute for most students, that's why carline is crazy -- almost everyone drives. It's a post COVID "bus savings" measure.

No the car line is so crazy because YOU have deemed it "too hard" for your kids to bike or walk to school.

This. All the helicopter parents have ruined carline and are now complaining that it sucks.

We live 5'ish (a little more) miles from school, crisscrossing highways, and in jam packed traffic the entire way. So, no, biking or walking isn't an option. I can and have dropped DC a bit from school but that doesn't always work due to location and other ES schools (2) right on the borders so there is enforcement there. Finally, Im not comfortable with my teen daughter riding a bus alone. I understand people do allow it, and that's fine. But that doesn't make it "helicoptering" that we don't. And the school bus is an almost 45 min. ride to go only those 5 miles.

So I drive (she sometimes carpools in the a.m.) and am in the drive line. If you don't like it, you can kindly piss off.

Entitled mom raising entitled kids. You have a bus and you choose not to use it and waste the carpool line. You are the problem and you don't care. Such a grand way of parenting

And yes, not allowing a TEEN to ride a bus alone is insanity.
NYC kids ride the subway to school and only have parent cards until Grade 3. They do it alone or with classmates after that. You are a helicopter. At least admit it. Raising another clueless dependent teen that will go off to college with zero common sense or street smarts. Guaranteed to be on anti-anxiety meds as well.

Ah, the memories..
I grew up in Brooklyn and starting in 4th grade we all took the train to school and thought nothing of it, as there were a million other kids with us on the train so headed to the same place.

We felt SO grown up too, like we really thought we were adults, lol.

Same! And then we eventually moved to the suburbs of NJ and took a school bus but even my youngest sister walked to the bus stop herself for half day K.

Now in my neighborhood we have moms turning on their land rovers to idle and pick their 5th graders up from the bus stop so they don't have to the walk the 7 houses home. I think that is insane, yet a mom asked me to stop letting my 2nd grader walk home alone (we live 4 houses from the bus stop) as it is unsafe.

So maybe it is the DC metro area. I don't know - but all this driving it is insane to me and so bad for the environment.

You can always move to a more urban environment. Why do you choose to live in the suburbs if it bugs you so much?

We found the mom who picks up the 5th graders from the bus stop! LOL

My kid is in HS. But why do you care what works best for other families? You getting so pissy over it is way worse than the parent picking up their kid. You're just a jerk.

Not the PP but I will forever make fun of smother mothers who pick their kids up at bus stops. They can walk the 10 houses home, even in the rain. Even in snow or cold. If you don’t that is ridiculously, fine. It’s your opinion. But my opinion is to agree that 7 cars at a little neighborhood bus stop is dumb.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the kid shuffling is epic in middle and high school years, but I am just losing it.

First off, our district expanded walk zones to a ridiculous amount and eliminated buses, so we (and most other parents) do car drop off and pickup. There is a huge slow carline, so dropping off/picking up each kid takes 20 mins per kid, morning and afternoon. So there’s a 7am and 8am drop off, then a 230om and 330pm pickup. We don’t live near any friends to carpool with —- I have not yet started knocking door to door to find a carpool but considering it.

That’s the baseline.

Then there’s the afternoon activities for 2 kids — Monday they both have music lessons, one @ 5, the other kid @ 7 with different locations (diff instruments and teachers). Then there is sports practice, just rec, 2x week and no luck starting a carpool there, @ 5pm. Then there is meeting with the math tutor once a week, at 6 pm.

We don’t even do much, but I feel my day is constantly interrupted by the need to drive a kid somewhere. We are not rich enough to afford a driving nanny or Au pair, and I know kids need to do these things as it’s healthy for them and helps with later college options. But I can’t wait until they drive themselves or the cars drive for me….

My work profit suffers, since I work an early shift starting at 6am so I am off for the afternoon shuffle. I would prefer to work a more normal day.

More of a vent. I know this is just a phase of life.

The bolded is your kid's problems, not yours. Set a schedule and they walk. Problem solved. Stop catering to make their lives easier and making yours miserable. The fresh air and exercise does them good

It's a terrible walking commute for most students, that's why carline is crazy -- almost everyone drives. It's a post COVID "bus savings" measure.

No the car line is so crazy because YOU have deemed it "too hard" for your kids to bike or walk to school.

This. All the helicopter parents have ruined carline and are now complaining that it sucks.

We live 5'ish (a little more) miles from school, crisscrossing highways, and in jam packed traffic the entire way. So, no, biking or walking isn't an option. I can and have dropped DC a bit from school but that doesn't always work due to location and other ES schools (2) right on the borders so there is enforcement there. Finally, Im not comfortable with my teen daughter riding a bus alone. I understand people do allow it, and that's fine. But that doesn't make it "helicoptering" that we don't. And the school bus is an almost 45 min. ride to go only those 5 miles.

So I drive (she sometimes carpools in the a.m.) and am in the drive line. If you don't like it, you can kindly piss off.

Entitled mom raising entitled kids. You have a bus and you choose not to use it and waste the carpool line. You are the problem and you don't care. Such a grand way of parenting

And yes, not allowing a TEEN to ride a bus alone is insanity.
NYC kids ride the subway to school and only have parent cards until Grade 3. They do it alone or with classmates after that. You are a helicopter. At least admit it. Raising another clueless dependent teen that will go off to college with zero common sense or street smarts. Guaranteed to be on anti-anxiety meds as well.

Ah, the memories..
I grew up in Brooklyn and starting in 4th grade we all took the train to school and thought nothing of it, as there were a million other kids with us on the train so headed to the same place.

We felt SO grown up too, like we really thought we were adults, lol.

Same! And then we eventually moved to the suburbs of NJ and took a school bus but even my youngest sister walked to the bus stop herself for half day K.

Now in my neighborhood we have moms turning on their land rovers to idle and pick their 5th graders up from the bus stop so they don't have to the walk the 7 houses home. I think that is insane, yet a mom asked me to stop letting my 2nd grader walk home alone (we live 4 houses from the bus stop) as it is unsafe.

So maybe it is the DC metro area. I don't know - but all this driving it is insane to me and so bad for the environment.

You can always move to a more urban environment. Why do you choose to live in the suburbs if it bugs you so much?

We found the mom who picks up the 5th graders from the bus stop! LOL

My kid is in HS. But why do you care what works best for other families? You getting so pissy over it is way worse than the parent picking up their kid. You're just a jerk.

Not the PP but I will forever make fun of smother mothers who pick their kids up at bus stops. They can walk the 10 houses home, even in the rain. Even in snow or cold. If you don’t that is ridiculously, fine. It’s your opinion. But my opinion is to agree that 7 cars at a little neighborhood bus stop is dumb.

DP here. I don’t mind helping my kids - if I wouldn’t want to walk somewhere in the rain, why should they? I’m not OP though and I’m not complaining about doing it. My kids do take a bus usually because the carline is really time consuming.

[Anonymous]

Where is your spouse? If you’re both working, why does all of this fall on you??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know the kid shuffling is epic in middle and high school years, but I am just losing it.

First off, our district expanded walk zones to a ridiculous amount and eliminated buses, so we (and most other parents) do car drop off and pickup. There is a huge slow carline, so dropping off/picking up each kid takes 20 mins per kid, morning and afternoon. So there’s a 7am and 8am drop off, then a 230om and 330pm pickup. We don’t live near any friends to carpool with —- I have not yet started knocking door to door to find a carpool but considering it.

That’s the baseline.

Then there’s the afternoon activities for 2 kids — Monday they both have music lessons, one @ 5, the other kid @ 7 with different locations (diff instruments and teachers). Then there is sports practice, just rec, 2x week and no luck starting a carpool there, @ 5pm. Then there is meeting with the math tutor once a week, at 6 pm.

We don’t even do much, but I feel my day is constantly interrupted by the need to drive a kid somewhere. We are not rich enough to afford a driving nanny or Au pair, and I know kids need to do these things as it’s healthy for them and helps with later college options. But I can’t wait until they drive themselves or the cars drive for me….

My work profit suffers, since I work an early shift starting at 6am so I am off for the afternoon shuffle. I would prefer to work a more normal day.

More of a vent. I know this is just a phase of life.

The bolded is your kid's problems, not yours. Set a schedule and they walk. Problem solved. Stop catering to make their lives easier and making yours miserable. The fresh air and exercise does them good

It's a terrible walking commute for most students, that's why carline is crazy -- almost everyone drives. It's a post COVID "bus savings" measure.

No the car line is so crazy because YOU have deemed it "too hard" for your kids to bike or walk to school.

This. All the helicopter parents have ruined carline and are now complaining that it sucks.

We live 5'ish (a little more) miles from school, crisscrossing highways, and in jam packed traffic the entire way. So, no, biking or walking isn't an option. I can and have dropped DC a bit from school but that doesn't always work due to location and other ES schools (2) right on the borders so there is enforcement there. Finally, Im not comfortable with my teen daughter riding a bus alone. I understand people do allow it, and that's fine. But that doesn't make it "helicoptering" that we don't. And the school bus is an almost 45 min. ride to go only those 5 miles.

So I drive (she sometimes carpools in the a.m.) and am in the drive line. If you don't like it, you can kindly piss off.

Entitled mom raising entitled kids. You have a bus and you choose not to use it and waste the carpool line. You are the problem and you don't care. Such a grand way of parenting

And yes, not allowing a TEEN to ride a bus alone is insanity.
NYC kids ride the subway to school and only have parent cards until Grade 3. They do it alone or with classmates after that. You are a helicopter. At least admit it. Raising another clueless dependent teen that will go off to college with zero common sense or street smarts. Guaranteed to be on anti-anxiety meds as well.

Ah, the memories..
I grew up in Brooklyn and starting in 4th grade we all took the train to school and thought nothing of it, as there were a million other kids with us on the train so headed to the same place.

We felt SO grown up too, like we really thought we were adults, lol.

Same! And then we eventually moved to the suburbs of NJ and took a school bus but even my youngest sister walked to the bus stop herself for half day K.

Now in my neighborhood we have moms turning on their land rovers to idle and pick their 5th graders up from the bus stop so they don't have to the walk the 7 houses home. I think that is insane, yet a mom asked me to stop letting my 2nd grader walk home alone (we live 4 houses from the bus stop) as it is unsafe.

So maybe it is the DC metro area. I don't know - but all this driving it is insane to me and so bad for the environment.

You can always move to a more urban environment. Why do you choose to live in the suburbs if it bugs you so much?

We found the mom who picks up the 5th graders from the bus stop! LOL

My kid is in HS. But why do you care what works best for other families? You getting so pissy over it is way worse than the parent picking up their kid. You're just a jerk.

Not the PP but I will forever make fun of smother mothers who pick their kids up at bus stops. They can walk the 10 houses home, even in the rain. Even in snow or cold. If you don’t that is ridiculously, fine. It’s your opinion. But my opinion is to agree that 7 cars at a little neighborhood bus stop is dumb.

DP here. I don’t mind helping my kids - if I wouldn’t want to walk somewhere in the rain, why should they? I’m not OP though and I’m not complaining about doing it. My kids do take a bus usually because the carline is really time consuming.

So you take your car out of your garage and drive the 200 yards to the bus stop. Idle until bus arrives and turn around drive the 200 yards back?