This Mom Left Her Dawdling Kids At School To Teach Them An Important Lesson

I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing the school carpool line firsthand… yet. But, my turn is coming. Next year I will have a kindergartner, so afternoons as I know them will be over.

I’ve heard, carpool line rules are simple. Move forward. Don’t get out of the car. Don’t stop to chat. Move forward. Wait. Move forward. Wait. Move forward. Suppress urge to scream. Move forward. Suppress urge to lay on the horn. Wait. Move forward.

Still confused? Just watch this video from Jenny On The Spot.

Ugh. I can’t wait to spend a big chunk of my afternoons waiting on my children to get in and out of the car.

I already feel like “get in your seat” are four of the most-said words in my vocabulary. Seriously, how many hours of my life are spent waiting for my kids to climb in their car seat and buckle up? I have been naively hopeful that my kids will gain speed with age, and that I will graduate from these constant pleas to board my vehicle.

Maybe, maybe not. This hilarious rant by Maureen at Raising the Capable Student gives an all too true snapshot of carpool pick-up—proving that even into the teen years—kids be kids. Sick of waiting on her middle school-aged boys in the carpool line, Maureen drove away and left them, teaching her sons a very valuable lesson.

And the lesson is this: Kids, you need to hustle the hell up.

Mom doesn’t have time to watch you flirt with your lab partner, or toss a football with the dudes. You need to walk to the car at a pace that suggests you get that we have things to do. If mom can’t get out of the car and mingle with the masses, this isn’t your time to do it either. Be a team player and just get in the car. Get in the car. Or, like Maureen, we may leave you behind.

I think my favorite part of this story is that Maureen waited until she saw them. She sat there in the line for 27 whole minutes, watching, waiting. And, it wasn’t until she made eye contact and witnessed their total lack of hustle that she tipped over the edge. She looked right at them and left.

In that one bold choice she says she became legendary, but more important she explains that the stunt paid off.

By leaving them behind, her kids learned how to hustle, and how to take care of themselves if need be—they were able to find their own ride home with student who lived in their neighborhood. But the real victory for Maureen was that they learned their mom has a life of her own and that the world, her world, does not revolve around them. Not bad for a day’s work!

Bravo, Maureen. Carpool parents everywhere are honking their horns for you.