School Pick Me Up

I am only new to this schooling caper, of course I went myself many moons ago, but I mean this being a parent of a student gig.

There’s a lot to talk about, later on I will give you the lay of the land on the School Mum Jungle, but I think I need to get something else out of my system first. It’s the most eagerly anticipated and equally dreaded part of the day.

The school pick up (dah dah daaaaah)

Each afternoon I trot up to the kinder all excited about seeing my little man, he runs to me, we embrace, it’s all smiles and giggles until..... ‘Did you bring me a snack?’ Silence. Shit.

New scene; me carrying a school bag, drink bottle, 45 pieces of paper with shit glued to them in different spots, dragging a raincoat through the puddles with a 4 year old trotting along behind squawking and jabbering about being hungry and needing something to eat now, now, Mummy I’m hungry, now Mummy.....sob sob sob ....hungry.....

It’s a similar scene at child care when I pick up the smallest wee one. She shouts ‘Mummy Mummy Mummy’ we embrace and then as we leave she will remember that she wants something I have no chance of actually supplying which results in hysteria.

Pack ‘em in the car and take off in a cloud of smoke.

I’ve often wondered if there is such a thing as a stress-o-meter, something that measures how much stress you are under and how well you are dealing with it.

Picture this - two scenarios;

1)
A mother driving a car through school pick up traffic, dodging other crazy arse mother drivers, with two kids screaming and fighting in the back, the wiggles blaring on the stereo and someone randomly kicking the back of their seat.

2)
A pilot flying some kind of F1 Eleven super jet who has to decide whether or not to drop a bomb through the fog on a densely populated area to debilitate enemy gun making factories – life or death decisions coupled with a super confusing machine to operate

Who would come out on top? Who would be handling it better?

The pilot obviously. There isn’t a 4 year old child in the back of that jet screaming about how much they hate peas and how they will never eat them for tea ever ever.

Anyway I digress, you know what would make school pick ups more palatable? Drinks. A lovely tray of cocktails greeting us at the gate. Martini Mondays. Mai Tai Tuesdays. I’m just saying. Might bring that up at the next P&F.

Next post will be a positive one I promise.

E

Ps: I never said I knew anything about aircraft types ok – I have no clue what an F1 Eleven is.....