School faux paus

[SueC]

I'm kicking myself--I was in a huge hurry today (dd couldn't find her homework, our carpool friend cried and didn't want to go to school, a semi and a fire truck were blocking a road, etc.) so I decided to park right up front (blocking in a couple of cars) so that I could drop Maya and our neighbor boy off. I never do this, but I see other people do it all the time! So as I'm on my way back to the car I hear over the intercom that the driver of the Cadillac needs to move their car. I rush out there and realize I have blocked in the Principal and she is not amused. I apologized but she didn't really say anything. She was probably rushing off to some important meeting or something. Anyhow, now I'm worried that her first impression of me is some parent that thinks they are above the rules or something. I have to go to a room parent meeting tonight, and I'm hoping she is there so I can apologize again.

[PrincessFiona]

Sounds like something that happened to me too....on the one occasion that you decide to just....break the rule a teeny bit you get caught. :!

Our school has actually had such problems with people parking in the no-parking entry drop-off/pick-up circle that they had to post people out in the morning and have instituted a policy where you must come into the building and physically sign your child out. They have people standing on the curbs to make sure that you don't park in the drop-off/pick-up circle

Our neighbor always....always budges in the line. Every single morning the rest of us drive up behind the last car and wait as children are dropped off. We all slowly move up to the drop-off circle and when it's our turn, we let our kids out. This woman always...always...drives past all of us (passing on the left) to drop her children off at the very front of the line. It's as if she's thumbing her nose at us to tell us that she's better than the rest of us. Why should SHE have to wait like us peasants? We were running late one morninglast year...and...actually...I'd been running late for a week. I had a carpool kid with me and I didn't want her to be late AGAIN...so...I figured since our neighbor budges every day that just this once I'd do it too....The result? I nearly caused an accident, someone honked at me and I got really dirty looks from another neighbor.

Oh...and btw...this same neighbor used to always ignore the 'don't park your car in the drop-off circle' rule. She was always the only car parked there in the morning and afternoon...I'm sure that they had to post people outside just for her. I'd be lying if I said that it doesn't make me smirk.

I feel your pain. Maybe you can just give the principal a call if you don't see her at the parent night? I know Thomas would tell me to just let it go and that she probably wouldn't even remember me...but I would end up worrying about it all year.

Kris

[PrincessFiona]

Man..I'm a real witch this morning!

[SueC]

You sound like me Kris--I need to just let it go but I'm perserverating about it!

[houseelf]

School faux paus? Oh yeah...I'm there baby. *hijack warning*

The third week of school I turned in Cade's aftercare contract which specified that on Mondays and Tuesdays he would stay until 5. On Monday at 3:30 I got a call asking where I was and what my plan for Cade was. Since I didn't have him in after care from the beginning of school, this made it look like I was a flake who forgot her child. I explained that I had just signed a new contract that apparently was not received and said that I'd be there at 5.

The Friday of that same week, I signed a slip for additional drop in aftercare that day because I wanted to get a long run in before DH was on call all weekend long. I told DS that he absolutely, positively had to turn this slip in and I watched him leave it on the secretary's desk that morning. At 3:30 that same afternoon when I was about 8 miles into a damn hard run, my cell phone rings: "Hi, are you going to pick Cade up?" Of course, I'm panting the whole time that I explained that, yes I had signed on for drop in care that day....I don't know what the mix up is, blah, blah, blah....

So I bust buns to get there. (Of course I'm wearing my last pair of clean running shorts which are those horribly small v-notch type). The new teacher, a 6'4" twenty something guy, walks ds out to me and I feel about 3 inches small. In my mind I'm thinking about the subtext to all of this goes like this:

"Hi, I'm slutty irresponsible mom...Sorry I'm late, you know I had to work out at the country club and all. Great, well I'll take him from here. We're off to shoot some crystal meth together...." All the while, I'm trying to look like a responsible, caring mom in my slap happy butt shorts.

So TWICE in one week, it appears like I'm a super flake about picking my kids up. As a small consolation, both slips of paper were found the following week. (The mail slot had a crevice behind it).

But still, nothing like making a fab first impression with the new after care teacher.

Kelly

[PrincessFiona]

All the while, I'm trying to look like a responsible, caring mom in my slap happy butt shorts.

slap happy butt shorts!!!

Sue,

My guess is that the principal has had this occur multiple times during his/her tenure and the parents become a blur. He/she was probably more focused on getting to the meeting than which child's parent was double parking, so I wouldn't worry so much about it! Like you said, other parents do it all the time. The experience will just make you think twice about doing it again, ha!

[SueC]

Well, I went to the meeting tonight, which she was at, and I was talking to another mom about the school and she commented that she thinks the principal has a photographic memory. Since I'd already had a marguerita at this point, I worked up the nerve to go up and clear the air. She did remember me and was feeling awkward since she had given me such a dirty look this morning. We ended up having a very nice chat so in the end I think she was left with a much better impression. I was telling some of the other moms what I had done after she left and they all laughed hysterically. Apparently she is quite a ball buster who is a fantastic principal and wonderful with the kids but not somebody you ought to piss off! Oh well, I guess all is well that ends well!

A photographic memory? Perfect!

Good for you for going up to her and bringing it up! Sounds like it ended up quite well.

I'm pretty sure there will be other parents there who tick her off w/more than tricky parking. It sounds like you caught her on a bad morning. I'm proud of you for taking the initiative to clear the air tonight .... now she'll know you're a GREAT parent!