Movin', Movin', Movin'....Keep that Van a Movin'

This blog goes out to the mom in the silver mini-van in front of me while dropping off kids at the middle school today.  Hello!!  You do not live on the Earth alone!  There are others here as well!

My 7th grade trumpeteer had to be at an early-morning practice, so I scooted to the middle school early to drop her off.  Since she wears a prosthetic leg and/or uses arm crutches, I sometimes drop her off in the 'handicapped lane' where there is less traffic and she has more time to exit the vehicle, get her trumpet out of the back of the car, etc.  Today, since it was just for this practice and traffic was light, I drove through the normal drop-off lane.  Or at least I attempted to.  I pulled up behind Mrs. Silver Minivan who was parked smack dab in front of the door. 

I wrongly assumed she was stopped to allow her band-geek to exit her van, enter the building and then drive AWAY like every other parent in the known universe does.  But no.  Silly me.  She was apparently claiming that spot right in front of the doors as her homestead.  I had to let Sofie out farther from the door than I would've liked because of this pioneer woman in her silver minivan.  Normally, our 8th grader,Christian, would carry Sofie's trumpet into the school for her when she has her arm crutches but since we were dropping her off early and solo, she was on her own to wrangle her bookbag, extra large band folder that does not fit in any normal sized book bag and the trumpet in it's case that weights roughly the same as she does, while using her crutches for an extra 400 feet.

While Sofie is trying to get out of the car and not drop her stuff, the child in the silver minivan is still sitting in the passenger seat.  I just can't understand it.  If you are going to allow your kid to sit in the car for 10 extra minutes in the drop off lane, DON'T PARK DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE DOORS!  At the very least she could've pulled way up so others could drop off closer to the door.  If I'd had on anything better than a bright orange T-shirt and hot pink jamie pants with flaminco dancers on them, I would've gotten out and given that woman a piece of my mind! 

Just as Sofie was almost to the door, the silver minivan girl got out of her van, walked quickly to the door, entered and let the door shut in Sofie's face.  Like mother, like daughter.  For some unknown reason, Mrs. Silver Minivan continued to sit there in her parking spot.  I and several other cars and to drive out of line around her.  Hello!  Yooo Hoo!  Anybody home????

It just makes me absolutely crazy!  So many people go through life not giving a hoot how their actions are affecting anyone else.  Worse yet, these people reproduce!!  There should be a law.  Honestly, don't you think?  After all the paperwork and background checks I had to endure to adopt children and these selfish crackpots willy nilly reproduce like rabbits.  I don't get it.

Maybe since parents are teaching this at home, the school system should design a class entitled "Being Aware of How You Affect Others".  We might have to divert some funds from some other area, like say maybe football? (GASP!)  But wouldn't it be worth it?  I think so.

So, Mrs. Silver Minivan, the next time I get behind you in the drive up lane and you are parked and reading Moby Dick or whatever it is you do there, I am not going to hesitate to get out of my vehicle and knock on your window and tell you to MOVE IT!

I'd better start wearing shoes when I drive the kids to school, just in case.