Last year a mother at my kids’ school was struck by a car and killed while she was trying to cross the street to pick up her kids. The problem is it’s a magnet school, so most kids aren’t from the neighborhood, and there’s no parking lot, so you can’t easily just park and go pick your kids up. So pickup is a zoo. They’ve instituted new procedures and petitioned the city for more signage, but it’s a big school with lots of kids and traffic at pickup time. Be careful out there.
It was astonishing at my son’s previous school. The one he went to from Kindergarten to 8th Grade. It was a tiny school, with no parking, so you’d have to park far away if you got there exactly when school started. And it was in a little residential neighborhood. He always wanted to get there super early to play, so I accommodated him. Therefore I could often find street parking pretty easily and walk him in to school.
But if we ever got there late, the giant SUV derby was so unnerving. And these were parents driving superfast around this tiny little school to drop off their kids. The school would send out notices saying, “Hey. Safety!” or whatever. But people only think of their own agendas. I’m not surprised by @Matt_W’s story. There was more than one time I had to talk to another parent about the driving. Once it was, “Oh. Okay. I’ll be more careful.” Another time I just got the finger.
Now my kid is at a high school that has about 3800 students. The area cannot handle the traffic, and there’s no time-stacking for arrivals. Luckily my kid gets there early because, again, he wants to hang with his friends. So it’s a bit easier for us than the people who get there on time. But it’s on a super busy street and I’m always worried for him walking in from where I drop him.
People don’t understand how driving works with regard to time. Driving 40mph down my little narrow street is not going to get you to your destination much faster. Maybe half a minute faster? Do a risk/reward analysis you idiot. What’s the point if I’m walking my kid and my dog and you blow through the stop sign? You’ve saved yourself two seconds and risked killing us. And that’s at a crosswalk! Imagine my kid runs out into the street after his soccer ball.
At least it’s provided me an opportunity to teach my kid about driving. “Watch that car. He just sped past us and cut off that other dude. We’ll see that car at the next light.”
Of course, there it is.
The downside is that he is in no hurry to learn how to drive, because he sees how crazy people are in their cars.
-xtien
Exactly!
Life is going to be SO much better when the computers take over driving.
I used to give neighbors the hairy eyeball for racing up our street. My house is on a street with no sidewalks and you pretty much have to walk down the side of the street, where the cars are parked.
One of the neighbors owns an actual racing car (which he doesn’t race on our street) but he bought a fast regular vehicle and started racing it around the neighborhood right after he bought it. My wife and I strolled up to his house, folded our arms at the end of his driveway, and stood there giving him the hairy eyeball. We hadn’t introduced ourselves before this because he was all the way at the other end of the block. He was nice about it and listened to our complaints and mostly stopped racing or at least slowed down if you folded your arms and gave him the hairy eyeball from the curb.
Another dude – same end of the block – was less accommodating, but you still have to say something. He was a renter and was having some sort of vehicle problem one day. His thing was to race his car up and down the street on test drives, then park at his house, and dive back under the hood. I went up there. He’s cussing and muttering. Throwing his tools in the box. Trying to put out a vibe like don’t talk to me. I was like, Do you need help? I have no idea how to fix cars, but it seemed like the right way to break the ice. He went, I do not need any help, all testy. He didn’t even look up.
I was all, Well, I couldn’t tell that from the way you’re racing up and down the streets, acting all enraged. You look like you need help. I said it with a big dumb-ass grin.
He looked up and glared.
So I was like, Do you know who I am? I’m your neighbor. I have kids, living right here on this block. And then he was like, I have kids too. And then I got to say: Well, then I know you wouldn’t want anyone running 'em over.
Amiright?
I almost got run over by an SUV in a parking lot a few weeks ago. The guy hit the gas but was looking in another direction. He actually did hit me, but was not going very fast. Good thing I wasn’t a kid!
Ugh my toddler just entered her “daddy look, look!” phase. Everything is interesting but she will not be satisfied until I have feigned interest too. Such a tiring phase this.
That’s a great phase, because when they become teenagers they never say “Daddy look, look” anymore. You should definitely take a look.
I’m only 47, but I’m already the father to a 20, 18 and 17 year old. I’ve been through a lot of what I’m reading here. I’ll give you all the advice that was the best advice I ever got, but it came after I was separated from my wife from the divorce lawyer…
Take the time to get to know your kids. You think you know them really well, but it’s likely that you don’t. Pay closer attention to what they like, don’t like, explore, engage with, and where they want to go. Make them lots of meals. Sit down at a table with them and talk, no matter what the age. Don’t get caught up in owning things, get caught up in knowing things.
Also, take a step back and let them fail sometimes. That comes from my years of coaching. You put all the kids in the best position to win, but when the games come (and in life that’s tests, love, etc.), it’s time to let them do their thing. Don’t over coach it. They’ll figure it out and if they don’t you coach some more after it’s over. When they do though, that builds success you cannot even imagine was possible.
I had a pretty good handle on my children before the divorce. I got a way better handle on who they really are after it. Anyway, there’s your young man old man’s wisdom for Tuesday March 19.
Thanks old man. I’m a stay at home dad, cook every meal every day. It’s cute and its fun but after 9 hours of “Look daddy look!” it grows tiresome as fuck. But that’s more of a traditional mom-problem, aint it.
Obligatory Louis CK bit below. Sorry, I know, Louis. But it’s still pretty goddamn funny even though he’s an asshole.
Toddlers man. There’s a reason they look like singularities of cute. Otherwise we’d fucking bin their dumb obnoxious filthy asses. Anyway, mines’ asleep now and I love her more than I knew I could love. <3
“I can’t wait till she goes to sleep and I can finally get a break”
“Aww she is so cute when she sleeps, I wish I could wake her up and play with her”
Wow that brings back a lot of memories from a couple of years ago. My daughter was in NICU for 3 weeks. She is so damn big now it is hard to remember that she was born so small!
My son had his one month checkup. And is 11lb 5oz
Bug cutie
We’ve been pretty fortunate. All three of our kids are healthy, had no complications, no allergies (that we know of, my wife didn’t exhibit her allergies til puberty. But that’s because who eats Brazil nuts).
That is super cute!
D’awww look at that little round headed fucker :)
May his days and nights always be this content and peaceful.
I like his cute dinosaur shirt! Congrats on the one month birthday.
For me, it’s
“I can’t wait till I’m at the office and can have some adult interaction.”
“Hmm, I wonder if I could take the afternoon off and pick her up early from daycare.”
@CraigM Congrats on a healthy one-month-old!
Emmy did fantastic in Seattle. She slept for the entire plane ride both ways. Even though we kept her up past her bedtime every night, she got right back onto her home schedule yesterday and today. She had a blast – every time we went outside, it’s like she could tell the air was different, and she’d get super excited and kick her feet everywhere.
Great first travel experience. We’re excited for the next one!
My son has a speaking part in his first grade play, in fact he has the title role of Anansi in “Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock” (Anansi is a trickster god from African folklore). He has one line of dialogue, which I have learned from working on projecting with him: “Good afternoon, rhinos! What are you doing on such a hot day?”
I remember the one speaking role I had in a high school play I was utterly terrified. Hopefully it goes better for him.
Excellent. One of my first roles was as Patrick Henry. It was no this:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/25/entertainment/alien-high-school-play/index.html
-xtien