Out the door, take a right and the school is three blocks away. A straight line down the street.
It doesn't come any easier.
I get to maximize the two and a half hours of ME time without having to deal with morning traffic or sitting in the "car line" at school.
The car line...truly astonishing when I first witnessed the routine last year...
(we had been in the burbs for about 5 days when nursery school started).
Rewind to September 2010...
Option A: The car line.
Drive to school. Get in the car line and wait til 9am when the doors open.
Stay in the car.
No one is allowed to leave their cars to socialize.
Teachers then come out to the car line to take kids into the school.
Driver stays in the car.
No assistance is necessary.
Then drive off.
Fantastic - there goes any hope of grownup interaction.
Same procedure with the pickup.
Get on the car line. While waiting, catch up on phone calls, texts and emails.
Seems that the school's rule of "no one is to leave their cars to socialize"
extends to keeping the car windows rolled up.
I might get a wave - through the rolled up window.
At the appointed time, a teacher comes out with child.
Escorts the mini person into the correct car, identified by child's name on index card
in passenger window.
However, teachers are not allowed to buckle your kid into the carseat.
Kid is put into the car.
Drive down the block, pull over and strap junior into carseat. Then drive off.
Option B: Park car on a side street and stand in front of the school for dropoff and/or pickup.
No takers for Option B during the first week of school...oh man.
My grand vision of meeting other parents wasn't looking so rosy.
There we were. M and I standing all by our lonesomes with a whole line of cars parked besides us. Windows rolled up, ensconced in their individual autosphere.
Wait! What happened to my scenario of getting friendly with a few moms and going for coffee somewhere to kill some time - like I did in the old 'hood.
Here it seems like everyone is either rushing to a 9.30 spin class or running errands
or going home so the younger tot can nap before pickup time.
Fair enough.
Week two.
There was L, waiting out front with her son F, who was in the same class as M.
She opted for Option B since the car line drill wasn't working so well with her little guy.
As it turns out, she is a fellow big apple urbanite who moved to the hood a month before we did.
We quickly bonded over our new suburban "lifestyle", getting acclimated to driving again
after an eight year hiatus, and having very similar interests.
The coming months were looking promising again...I finally met someone.
Someone who has since become a very good friend.
Fast forward to February 2010...
By now, M and I have become a very familiar sight to the parents/caregivers who drive.
As we're trudging through rain or snow or both, we've been offered rides to school.
We always decline since the distance is so sinfully short.
Even better than a ride, we are offered a warm and dry refuge in someone's car if we get to school early - to which we quickly say "yes please and thank you".
Fast forward further to September 2011...
Though I am driving now, M and I will be sticking with Option B - even during inclement weather.
It's way more fun jumping into a pal's car for a quick dose of adult conversation to start the day.
