It is not just students who are dreading the thought of going to school in Delhi’s freezing cold. Parents, especially the ones who are stuck ferrying kids back and forth in car pools, hardly relish the prospect of waking up at an unearthly hour for this thankless task. In the good old days, when we all went to school by bus, no kid had extra-curricular activities after school hours and the only children who learnt tennis were the ones who were serious about becoming the next Bjorn Borg. Now, more parents opt for their own transport: they are worried about rash bus drivers and the long bus ride that wastes their kids’ precious free hours. So, we now live in the era of ‘pooling in resources’. However, surviving a car pool requires the diplomatic skills of Condoleeza Rice and the patience of the Dalai Lama. I know of decade-long friendships that have been ruined by this seemingly simple job of taking turns to drop and pick kids from school. In one case, a particularly impatient father had this habit of bombarding other car pool members with SMSes the minute he got into the car with his kid. The first one says he’s left, the second says he’s 10 minutes away and the third, that he’s reaching in 30 seconds. God help the other parents if their kids aren’t outside the gate, waiting. In another case, a hyper mom worked out schedules, timings and routes on a PowerPoint presentation and e-mailed it to the five other members under the subject, ‘Car Pool Rules’. Her dictates made the others quake with fright: one, the car on duty has to have fresh home-made juice and a sandwich to revive the kids during the afternoon pick, and two, penalties of extra turns if the car reaches the school late. Last I heard, her car pool members dumped her and she’s trudging it to school alone. Then of course, there’s the usual bratty kid who bullies the others in the car, food and water spilling on the seat, crying and constant chaos. If you’re particularly unlucky, there will be a conniving mom whose kid conveniently falls ill when it’s their turn. While we’re still figuring out car pool etiquette, what are the rules to survive this crucial but very trying ordeal? The only solution is to grit your teeth and bear it. After all, the other option is going it alone, which means your car is permanently held up. Or, possibly the best option of all, the school bus.
