It’s as much a tradition as taking a picture with a blackboard on the first day of school: complaining about the bus lines at school. I’ll be the first to admit that I was out of breath in the car line, raising my hands to parents who got out of their cars and opened their kids’ car doors without them pulling up all the way. Frustrating. There is one flow When I get to the school bus line and someone takes six seconds longer to step off the sidewalk than I thought I would, I immediately yell, “Oh my god, get your ass off, what are you doing?” doing?
but why?
I’ve seen millions of memes, reels, and TikToks about these scenes. The overwhelming consensus is that other parents are stupid and if they stopped trying to feed their kids breakfast in the car and waited in line to sign the permission slip, they would probably roll their kids out and have them in three minutes Arrive at the Dunkin’ Donuts drive-thru restaurant. What’s more, you—the person behind them rolling their eyes in frustration—may be on your way to happiness.
I think we all need to calm down.
We all have bad mornings. We’ve all had the experience of starting late and forgetting folders and lunch boxes. We’ve all been there: a normally happy child suddenly turns to us with tears in their eyes in the front seat because they’re worried about something. If you tell me you’re still going to push your baby out of the car so the Camry behind you doesn’t get mad because they’re busy putting library books in their bags because they don’t want to miss their due date, I won’t Trust yours.
Many times I’m rushed in the morning and as soon as my kids walk into school I realize I’ve spent half the time in the car ranting and ranting at other parents instead of talking to them about the day ahead and reminding them of their The ice cream money is in the front pocket of the bag and their grandmother will pick them up from school today. A car production line isn’t supposed to be a military exercise – it’s a car production line. for yours children.
We had no idea what was happening to the cars around us. Maybe the mom in front of you got out of her car to open the door because her kindergartner slammed her finger into the door last time and she was too anxious to do it on her own. Maybe Dad parked in the middle of the driveway because his child’s favorite teacher was there and it made his child feel better entering school. Maybe the parent at the front of the line, handing exam papers back from her seat as her child stuffs them into their schoolbags, is helping them prepare for the big test.
Please wait. The same goes for those of you who arrive late and think you can avoid all the rules for getting off the bus because your time is much more valuable than everyone else’s. Don’t be too polite. Don’t rush across the parking lot to get in front of the car. Don’t put your child in unauthorized areas so you don’t have to wait. Don’t rush around dropping off your kids just because you’re in a hurry. Stay safe. Be smart. Your child will enter school successfully. This is just one blip in your day – you have a lot of other things going on. Showing a little kindness to your fellow parents can go a long way.
Because maybe the next time your seventh grader turns to you and says, “Wait, Mom, I have to tell you something, you’re leaving the house 10 minutes later than you wanted to and are waiting in line.”
I seriously doubt you would be worried about the traffic on the line at that time.
Samantha Darby is the Senior Lifestyle Editor of Romper and Scary Mommy, a PTA Soccer Mom, and raising three little women with her husband in suburban Georgia. Her minivan was always being totaled.
