Waiting for Children

As you know I'm the proud Mom of 4 kiddos. One of my friends stated the other day, "I feel like all I do is wait on my son!" This friend only has one child. I got to thinking about how much time we spend just waiting. (I know it is dangerous when I do that!) I've probably spent a good chunk of my life waiting for kids to get out of school.




Ok, here it goes, I'm not a mathematical genius, in fact, thanks to my dyslexia, math and I DO NOT get along! Feel free to check my numbers!!

If you average waiting after school 20 mins for your child 5 days a week that equals 100 mins a week. 20 X 5 = 100

As seen by the photo above, you have to get there at least 20 mins early to get a parking place, and this was on a Friday when it wasn't as bad!

So 5X20= 100 mins Div. by 60 = 1.6 hrs. a week. Now on average you have
36 weeks of school in a year X 1.6 hrs a week equals 57.6 hours a school year that you have waited to pick up your child. That is more than a week my friends!!!!

Now, I figure that most kids start to drive at 16, but I have one child so far who waited until 17 1/2, don't know why! So lets take this a step further.

57.6 hours a school year X 11 school years on average equals 633.6 hours of your life which equate when divided by 24 hrs per day to 26.4 days of your life. That's a week vacation folks!

57.6 hrs/sch yr X 11 sch yrs. - 633.6 hours DIVIDED 24 hrs/day = 26.4 Days of Life


NOW, add in 5 mins every morning waiting for the doors of school to unlock. And heaven help you if your child has dance, band (one friend said she waited 1/5 hrs every day for her son in band!), choir, sports, piano, voice, or any OTHER extracurricular activity that you have to WAIT on your child!!! How about making the 2nd trip back to school after tutoring. The parking lot is almost as full. There is another 5 to 10 mins of waiting time.

I'm beginning to understand why I have 3 friends who keep books in the cars at all times. I usually go thru the mail and catalogs. But geez, with 105.6 days, I could get some crafting done! Remember - I have 4 kids so I get quadruple the wait time.