First Day of School - after-school installment

Did I mention anything about the drop-off lines earlier? Well, the pick up lines are just as crazy. Crazier perhaps. School gets out at 2:30. There is a nice circle drive for drop-off/pick ups. It's about as big as the drive through the elementary school parking lot, which I don't even want to talk about. It's too SCARY.

Well, as I said school is out at 2:30. I figured, 5 minutes for getting through the hallway jam, figuring out which books need to come home, and add a few more minutes to wrangle with the new combination & chat with friends... I'll leave the house at 2:30. Arrive at 2:45, circle drive will be a breeze. Right? I drive down the street - see gaggles of kids walking a few blocks away from the school. Cool. No one in line to get into the circle drive. Cool. I'm being directed back towards the parking lot - not cool. There stands Natasha, with a few dozen other kids waiting for rides. She can't get in yet because cars are coming the other way. So I drive to the back of the school, around the teacher parking lot, back towards the front of the school and finally get her into the car. It is 2:55. There are still 25-ish cars behind me. WOW. I don't mind, but WOW! While she gets in I ask and am told by the teacher doing the directing this is NOT a first day or rainy-day occurance, this is everyday.

I think we will arrange a pick-up spot somewhere else. She can walk a few blocks with the gaggles of other kids, right? Or maybe not if it is raining. But I could probably leave earlier to meet her at a corner and then she won't have to wait as long with her heavy bag of books and we'll have more time to talk. Or for her to start on homework before her sisters come home from school & preschool. But today we still had plenty of time sitting in our turned off car in an actual parking spot (hint hint elementary school parents) to talk about her day. It was a good day. She says all her teachers are nice. She had lunch with friends. She is happy. I am happy.