Extremely annoyed at carpool aid

[Anonymous]

OP I agree aide is being a real bitch. I'd talk to the principal.

Extend RF if you want or not. Why are people SO FREAKING concerned with other people's choices. It's not a personal affront to you. Why does it offend you so? Get behind your choices and don't worry about everyone else. Your kid is weird for RF! Well, your kid is more likely to die! Really? Are you proud of yourself?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I agree aide is being a real bitch. I'd talk to the principal.

Extend RF if you want or not. Why are people SO FREAKING concerned with other people's choices. It's not a personal affront to you. Why does it offend you so? Get behind your choices and don't worry about everyone else. Your kid is weird for RF! Well, your kid is more likely to die! Really? Are you proud of yourself?

Exactly! Talk to the principal.

Mine RF until they outgrew by weight their Marathons shortly after their 3rd b-day. This was the old 35-lb RF marathon. Now they're harnessed in the Frontier until they pass the test:
http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/109817/few_booster_seats_are_safe

[Anonymous]

Who cares what the carpool aid thinks? Move on and find something real to worry about!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Who cares what the carpool aid thinks? Move on and find something real to worry about!

No, no moving on. That aide could be giving the same WRONG information to other parents that have not read/know the studies on the safety/necessity/benefits of extended RF. You do not ignore when people give out bad/wrong information to others.

[Anonymous]

I am with you OP. You are the parent, you get to decide when you will have her be FF. Tell her to zip it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ehhhh...my 5 year old who is 36inches and 30lbs who is still rearfacing...

I don't really care if its popular. You can't fix dead and my son is way safer rearfacing.

You have a five-year-old child facing backwards?!?!?! How does he/she go on playdates in other people's cars?

I've got three children in different schools and I've never, ever heard of or seen a five-year-old facing backwards. That is definitely unusual. Most five-year-olds in NW DC are in booster seats.

This child would not be on the growth chart or would hit in the less than 3% down to negative percentages for his age. He sounds like he is the size of an very tiny 3 year old or an average 2 year old

Mom, unless your child is not abnormally small to the point that the peds are frantically sending you to nutritionists and growth specialists, you need to reweigh and remeasure your son to make sure you have accurate growth statistics for him. It sounds like you might be putting him at great risk by having him in a carseat way to small for him, and rear facing him to the point that it is dangerous because he is well beyond the seat limitations.

I believe PP's numbers have a typo.

They must, because I have a three year old who is 6 inches taller than her claimed 5 year old height.i

Ummm I'm pretty sure I know how big my kid is. And me having a 5 year the size of a 3 year old Nd no more impossible then you having a 41 inch 3 yearr old.


And no my child's doctors aren't frantic about anything. He's small but height/weight portionate.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad OP brought this up. I have 2.5 year old who is 23 pounds. We get a lot of grief too from teachers who want us to change the carseat to FF. After reading some of this, I'm sticking to RF.

[Anonymous]

what is a carpool aide..?

[Anonymous]

OP, does the aide's attitude concern you? Is she buckling your child in correctly given her attitude wrt RF?

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts.

I've been concerned about the straps positioning also the coat thing. This aide specifically is the one that likes rolling her eyes.

I'll definitely write a note to the director.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:what is a carpool aide..?

It's a person that helps in the carpool line bringing the child and strapping them to their seats while the parents sit in the car in the carpool line.

It's much faster than all parents parking their cars, dragging young siblings inside and coming back to the car. Also safer because you don't have all 200 children running in the parking lot along with their siblings and distraught parents.

[Anonymous]

NP and former preschool teacher who worked a carpool lane for many years.

We buckle a LOT of children in, and for most people standing on the passenger side (standard usually for the carpool lane) it is easier to load in forward facing seats. One of the reasons is as the children get older they start to be able to climb into the seats themselves instead of having to be lifted. As a teacher it also helped to promote self-care/independence to climb into your own seat to get buckled.

I do not think this aid was right to give you attitude, or tell you what to do when it comes to your child. But I do have a lot of sympathy for anyone who works a carpool lane. In general they have more car-seat experience than you will ever have, they stand out in the cold/rain to receive and buckle your children safely- take the coats off for the moms that don't want their children to get to hot, leave the coats on for the moms who worry about their snowflake getting a cold.

I am not trying to excuse this women's poor behavior, but working the carpool lane was the worst part of being a teacher. Sometimes it was nice, families can be very friendly and understanding of the PTA job it is. I have been rear-ended while buckling and also been in some of the most disgusting smelling cars, but the worst is being made to feel like you are "the help" instead of someone who is helping your child to be safe.

The attitude that the OP has towards this women, I somehow think she has probably picked up on before now and could be adding tension, just my two cents...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:what is a carpool aide..?

It's a person that helps in the carpool line bringing the child and strapping them to their seats while the parents sit in the car in the carpool line.

It's much faster than all parents parking their cars, dragging young siblings inside and coming back to the car. Also safer because you don't have all 200 children running in the parking lot along with their siblings and distraught parents.

if parents knew how to handle their children they wouldnt be so distraught. But then that is another can of worms to be explored some day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP and former preschool teacher who worked a carpool lane for many years.

We buckle a LOT of children in, and for most people standing on the passenger side (standard usually for the carpool lane) it is easier to load in forward facing seats. One of the reasons is as the children get older they start to be able to climb into the seats themselves instead of having to be lifted. As a teacher it also helped to promote self-care/independence to climb into your own seat to get buckled.

I do not think this aid was right to give you attitude, or tell you what to do when it comes to your child. But I do have a lot of sympathy for anyone who works a carpool lane. In general they have more car-seat experience than you will ever have, they stand out in the cold/rain to receive and buckle your children safely- take the coats off for the moms that don't want their children to get to hot, leave the coats on for the moms who worry about their snowflake getting a cold.

I am not trying to excuse this women's poor behavior, but working the carpool lane was the worst part of being a teacher. Sometimes it was nice, families can be very friendly and understanding of the PTA job it is. I have been rear-ended while buckling and also been in some of the most disgusting smelling cars, but the worst is being made to feel like you are "the help" instead of someone who is helping your child to be safe.

The attitude that the OP has towards this women, I somehow think she has probably picked up on before now and could be adding tension, just my two cents...

kudos to you for having done the job. I couldnt deal with a bunch of self righteous women who all need to have it done their way or no way. OP, If the carpool aide isnt doing what you want, then get out and do it yourself. As I see it, a carpool line is a COURTESY and not a necessity. Our preschool did away with it. Now I am beginning to possibly see why

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NP and former preschool teacher who worked a carpool lane for many years.

We buckle a LOT of children in, and for most people standing on the passenger side (standard usually for the carpool lane) it is easier to load in forward facing seats. One of the reasons is as the children get older they start to be able to climb into the seats themselves instead of having to be lifted. As a teacher it also helped to promote self-care/independence to climb into your own seat to get buckled.

I do not think this aid was right to give you attitude, or tell you what to do when it comes to your child. But I do have a lot of sympathy for anyone who works a carpool lane. In general they have more car-seat experience than you will ever have, they stand out in the cold/rain to receive and buckle your children safely- take the coats off for the moms that don't want their children to get to hot, leave the coats on for the moms who worry about their snowflake getting a cold.

I am not trying to excuse this women's poor behavior, but working the carpool lane was the worst part of being a teacher. Sometimes it was nice, families can be very friendly and understanding of the PTA job it is. I have been rear-ended while buckling and also been in some of the most disgusting smelling cars, but the worst is being made to feel like you are "the help" instead of someone who is helping your child to be safe.

The attitude that the OP has towards this women, I somehow think she has probably picked up on before now and could be adding tension, just my two cents...

kudos to you for having done the job. I couldn't deal with a bunch of self righteous women who all need to have it done their way or no way. OP, If the carpool aide isnt doing what you want, then get out and do it yourself. As I see it, a carpool line is a COURTESY and not a necessity. Our preschool did away with it. Now I am beginning to possibly see why

OP here. No it's not a courtesy, it's school's policy. And if you drive and want to do it yourself you have to park in another area and walk all the way around the building to pick up your child. I have a small infant and I'm not going to do it. Where we live we already have a foot of snow outside so the less I have to take my kids out the better.

Anyway, I doubt the PP is a teacher. English is my second language and I can see so many mistakes regarding grammar and spelling in her post, I doubt any school would have someone like that being responsible for teaching anything to any child in a classroom setting.

DC is in a Montessori program so she'll have plenty of time to practice independence. Hopping in the car on her own or not will not interfere with her learning process. I'd rather her to be alive in case we get into an ugly accident.

I don't usually have this kind of reaction but your post rubs me the wrong way. A person responsible for buckling children into their caresats should at least be aware of the most updated laws and regulations.