On
Monday when I talked about the different kinds of moms that pick up
their kids from school, I didn't have enough time to talk about the
wide variety of others who also venture out into that danger zone
each day. So we're back in my car, parked between the two schools,
people watching. And let's be honest, people judging.
Lots
of dads pick-up, too, as many of you mentioned in the comments. Some would fit the categories I used for moms, but there are some other breeds worth mentioning.
The
Coach Dad: Dressed in athletic gear, he's a pretty good
picker-upper. After all, he's used to wrangling a large group of
kids this age and making them kick, throw, hit, and carry balls of
various types up and down fields. He can certainly get 5 bouncing
ping-pong balls headed for practice into the minivan. He's
organized. Collects all the cupcakes and saves them for after
practice, puts all the art in a stacked, not-to-be-squished pile on
top of the neatly arranged back-packs. The kids obviously have
assigned seats because there's no fighting as they quickly get in and
get buckled. Coach Dad would never double park. There are rules
about this stuff, you know.
Taking
the Day off Dad: He's a little confused. He has the day off,
the wife went somewhere, and though she did tell him exactly what to
do, he wasn't really listening. How hard could it be? But now there
are cars going in every direction, kids and moms are swarming like
ants all over the vicinity, the crossing guard glared at him for not
crossing in the right place, and he's just going to go up to the
school and find the kids. It's not a bad plan (if you don't count
the jaywalking) and he eventually finds them. Wow, what nice art!
Can I have a bite of the cupcake? Let's go out for ice-cream, too.
They jaywalk back to the car.
Business
Dad: Mom and dad are obviously juggling this schedule thing with
the kids, and he's on his bluetooth as he, in the most efficient
manner possible, gets the kids into the car (in the carline where
he's been waiting, easiest place for his conference call). He waits
patiently for his turn to pull out. The kids sneakily eat the
cupcakes in the back of the car, and have already put their art in
the front seat for him to notice. Which he will when he gets back to
the office because it's on top of his files.
There
are also sweet little grandmas who pick up their grandkids. I rarely see
them with a car, but grandma has her cane, and her little yappy dog, and smiles with delight at the little one who is sharing the cupcake.
The art will go on her fridge. They walk the few blocks to
grandma's house, chatting happily.
Grandpa
picks up, too. He's early. He stands next to his car, parked right
where his daughter told him to park, scanning the area for the kids,
and mentally goes over the list of who is riding home today. No one
can eat a cupcake in the car, so they are to hold them carefully
UNEATEN until they exit the vehicle. Back-packs and art are carefully
stowed in the pristine trunk. He's relieved when he has the days'
quota of kids, and signals carefully as he pulls out.
All this flurry is over in about 20 minutes. Drive by just a tad later in the afternoon, and it's like a ghost town, and none of the above ever happened.
*****
This
is my 500th post! It's unbelievable how quickly the time
has gone. I've learned SO much about how to get about in this
community, learned technical stuff about how to run a blog, I've
joined hops, fests, challenges, and made irreplaceable friends.
Thanks for coming along on the ride. I couldn't have done it without
you!
