Six steps to nailing the school drop off
No more tears!
By Fiona Harris
February 13 2019
Nailing the school drop-off is something that takes time and a bit of trial and error to perfect. Writer, mum and director of the award-winning comedy web series The Drop Off Fiona Harris shares her top tips.
1 Be cool and calm. They’re intuitive creatures, little kids. They can smell your fear. If you’re stressed about their first day, they will be too. Of course it’s all but impossible not to be worried about your little cherub on their first day, so you’ll just have to fake it.
2 Kiss & go! Our eldest daughter was (is) quite clingy, and memories of her first day at school are fairly traumatic for all of us. She cried and clung to me like a limpet and, I’m embarrassed to admit it now, I ended up escorting her into class and sitting beside her for at least ten minutes for the first couple of days. It wasn’t until, after almost a week of this ridiculous behaviour (on my part) that my friend firmly told me to say goodbye to my kid, then took her by the hand and walked her inside, forbidding me to move from the bench in the schoolyard. From then on there were no more tears or drama. Yes. I was the problem all along.
3 Betray the drop and go rules at your peril! If you’re sensing a long goodbye, park and walk. Keep your fellow parents and kids’ teachers happy.
4 Don’t arrive too early. Goodbyes are infinitely harder without playmates. Your kid’s friends are your friends too!
5 Don’t arrive too late. Being late to class sucks and sets a bad vibe for the day ahead. Traffic jams also suck.
6 Only drive if you absolutely have to. Walking to school with the kids is a much less stressful start to your day and bodes well for the drop-off! It gives you time to check in with your children and talk about what they’re looking forward to at school that day.
Mike McLeish and Fiona Harris’ hit comedy web series The Drop Off is back in February with six hilarious new episodes, jam-packed with inappropriate conversations, unexpected encounters and unacceptable adult behaviour. Watch it here.
