Carpool Moms and The Superior Dance

I am a Walker Mom. My kids walk to school each morning, and I meet them at the side entrance every afternoon so that we can walk home together, sharing meaningful conversation about our day - and so I can make sure that 7 year old Dubya does not "accidentally" leave his little sister at school.

The Carpool Moms, on the other hand, wait in the carpool line and chauffer their little ones home each afternoon. Nothing wrong with that. But here's where I am totally stumped: there are Carpool Moms waiting in line for a solid hour before the final bell rings, in order to get a plum spot in the Carpool Line. I myself have been through the Carpool Line on occasion, and I happen to know that it takes approximately 20 minutes from the end of said line, to the point where the little anklebiters are fighting over who gets to go first through the minivan door.

So. . . there are people who wait for an hour each day, in order to save 20 minutes.

I'm flummoxed.

Some of them, perhaps, are women far less lazy than I, who are actually willing to chauffer their child to an activity that is not within a 5-mile radius of their front door. These self-sacrificing women actually give up an extra hour of their day in order to deliver their child to their class or practice promptly. To them I say, "Kudos, Supermom. You've got me beat."

But I suspect that many of them are like me - competitive women who really, really, really HATE sitting at the end of a line that is moving nowhere fast. For them, sacrificing five hours a week is a small price to pay for avoiding 20 minutes of torture, five days a week.

I have to admit, I've been known to giggle at these Competitive Carpool Moms, secretly allowing myself to feel superior.

Maybe I ought to drop the Superior Dance and thank the Good Lord that we live within walking distance of school.