Parking Lot Asshole

Obviously I need to start avoiding parking lots.

I'm not plagued by high expectations for myself. I don't feel like I should be curing cancer or bringing about world peace or even writing a super-popular blog. My house, as we know, is messy. I am chubby and I do things like run errands (including school drop-offs) dressed in the clothes I wore at the gym. With no make-up on. I don't make my kids' Halloween costumes and my husband is the one who does crafts and cooks with them. And there's the screaming. Although I did review a bunch of stuff last night and read a good article in this month's Parenting and I will say that I have not even yelled today. So there's that.

But while I don't have high expectations for myself, I do try not to be an asshole.

I'm finding this more and more difficult as I have to deal with elementary school pick up. Everyone parks, but there are only about a tenth of the spots needed for parents to pick up their kids. So people put their cars wherever they feel they can squeeze them in, even if it makes it supremely difficult for other parents trying to pick up their kids.

Until today, I parked way down the lane and as out of the way as possible. Until today, I dragged my boys a city block each way to pick up their sister. Until today, I did not feel like an asshole at pick up.

But then Lovebug asked me if we could park closer. And I had an image of the impending downpour getting us as we walked the long distance back to the car. And there was a spot in front of me - well, not a spot, but a space behind 2 other cars that were parked near the school in what's supposed to be a drive only lane. There was a cone in the way, though.

So I got out and moved the cone. And parked.

Thanks to not having to walk forever, we were gone before the older kids' bell had even rung. While I made it more difficult for the other people driving down the lane, it's not like I blocked anyone completely. It's not like I was that woman yesterday at drop off who parked in the drop off/no stopping lane and had a 20 minute conversation with a friend. It's not like I ran over the cone.

Of course, the fact that I've even begun in asshole territory already kinda worries me. I mean, school's only been going on for a month. I wonder how corrupted I'll be by January?