Following Directions Is Hard

Here in the mid-Atlantic, we woke to decidedly chilly temperatures (for us) this morning. Stumbling to the bathroom at 5:30, Dylan informed me that our local school system was on a 2-hour delay due to the cold. Okay then. It was my turn to stay with the kids but I have to say, maybe if they didn't turn OFF the heat in the buildings overnight in the dead of winter, it wouldn't take an extra 4 hours to make the building okay for human occupation. Just saying. Regardless, more sleep! Or not. Thanks honey!

This meant of course that Noelle's before school care was cancelled so I would be taking her to school along with all the other not-used-to-carpool-lanes crazies. At the beginning of the school year, all of the parents, guardians and assorted responsible adult-type people were told how the carpool drop off/pick up works. Please don't park across the street and walk your children across the road - many cars are traveling then, buses are pulling in, danger Will Robinson, etc. And again this information was shared in December. Today was our first chance to show that yeah, we studied. We're gonna nail this test. We're...gonna be responsible for a whole lot of road rage.

The drop off/pick up line winds around the school parking lot, down the street, into a local Swami temple and on really bad days, back out of the temple parking lot and down the street. It's a mess. They start allowing kids to be discharged from the cars starting at 8:55 on regular school days so it was 10:55 today. If you don't get there at least a half an hour before discharge starts, well, hope your brakes are in good shape cause that hill is steep. I didn't feel like competing for one of the first spots so eh, the line will go quick. Folks know the drill so it will be smooth. Ha. Haaaaa. No.

We joined the queue below the Swami temple right on the crest of the hill. I had a good look at the vehicles coming after me. To a vehicle, they stopped at the entrance to the temple, looking for a place to pull in and join the line. Do...do you NOT see the growing line of vehicles lining the street? I sat there behind the wheel, giving them the evil eye behind my sunglasses which they totally saw I'm sure and muttering 'Don't you dare. Don't. You. Dare.' Most realized that crap, they did have to ease on down the road with the rest of the latecomers. The others though, smug in the knowledge of being super special snowflakes to whom the rules don't apply, pulled into the parking lot of the temple causing mayhem (see: cars already there) and me hissing 'You. ASSHOLE.' which does nothing except make me feel better and enrich my children's vocabulary. Others parked in the auxiliary parking and walked their children across the street and then my head exploded. But I got better. Yes, you're busy but guess what? I'm busy too. And so is everyone else in the line. There is nothing that makes you better or more important than anyone else so check yo'self and get to the back of the line!

But most important of all, not following the rules endangers the kids. Waiting sucks. Being late sucks. But you know what? I will wait when any child's safety is on the line. This endears me to no end to other drivers who think that I should pull into/across traffic when they think I should but ultimately, it's my decision. And I will come down on the side of safety each and every time. I'd just like to see other adults remember that too. We're supposed to be the grown-ups after all.

Everyone got to his or her respective schools with some bonus TV time this morning but I will go on record saying that I hate 2-hour delays with a passion of a thousand fiery suns.

Oh goody! Only one more hour until the process is repeated in reverse.

Headdesk.