People

I have been meaning to write this for a while now. We all know how diligent a blogger I am....

In my short career as a Preschool Mom, I have observed some things. It all revolves around the way people drive...

1st of all, it is amazing how quickly people drive past the school and in and out of the parking lot. Apparently that the motivation behind this is only about themselves and their kid. Can you imagine how it would be if that same parent (flooring it into the lot and scraping chassis as they do the speed bumps) slammed into someone-just to get THE parking spot and avoid the tardy slip? I somehow missed this part of the school scene when I was teaching. I certainly passed my share of tardy slips out....but never saw the parking lot scene. It is jaw dropping to me, even several months in. I am there twice a day for dropoff and pick up and the scene is the same.

2nd, there is a certain grandparent that drives me completely bonkers. I just smile and nod....not worth saying anything and making waves. He is one of those guys that ekes total machismo swagger. How obnoxious...I am thankful I am not married to him for that many years of his marriage. He drives in BACKWARDS into the lot, waiting even on the side for the cars with right of way to pass and give him room. Parks in the handicap spaces-which is awful considering our preschool is integrated with special ed kids whose parents probably DO have placards. He leaves the MAN car (yes it's some version of a quasi cop american made sedate sedan) running in the middle of the lot, blocking in others. When someone says anything he puffs up his sagging ex weightlifter's chest over his paunchy belly and replies, "Well tell them to come talk to me, heh heh heh". He lingers after drop off to chat with my friend and I, as if he is one of the girls, but the convo is condescending and centralized on him. We now have taken to walking to one of our cars (not parked in the lot and usually not close to the front) to get away from him. Creepy it is that he HAS to watch the kids enter completely in the building. He cannot accept that the teachers can and will get the class (particularily his grandbaby) without failure.

I figure we have a few more weeks of this year's preschool experience and then come August we will start up again. Take a break and then come back ready to smile and nod and scream inside my head. These types make me crazy-I am typically a rule follower except when I feel obstinate-often...lol. I do follow the rules that are basic and logical, the ones that allow for order of the people and whatnot. The complete disregard for others is what rubs badly to me. I really try to make my circle wide enough to not cause problems for others, to not make waves in their lives. I teach this to my girls, and I had to teach enough ill prepared children in my career that th world DOES NOT revolve solely around them. The fact that he is so blatant about it and then talks himself up like the king of all is vomit inducing....

Just smile and nod...make small talk and run along....thus is the introduction to my life with school aged children.