The Shriver Report – With Deep Gratitude For My Carpool
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With Deep Gratitude For My Carpool
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As the school year limps to a close, I have a distinct picture of myself as that runner who is carried to the finish line of the race– sweaty and cramped– by her fellow runners. I want to take this moment to thank my fellow runners of sorts — the people who on a daily basis carry me to the finish line — my carpool driving partners.

There is no way I could have gotten through the year without you. With 4 kids in 3 different schools and countless activities, I am utterly reliant on you. At the beginning of the year we come together — bound only by geography, the happenstance of our kids going to the same place each day. We negotiate logistics, the spreadsheet is printed, and the schedule begins. Your kids enter my car those first days as mine do yours — tentative, sweet and shy — but by year’s end barrel in as if it were their own, loudly talking about the day, sharing stories and leaving wrappers.

Over the course of the year a bond develops. You see me more than my closest friends or sometimes even my spouse—in sickness or in pajamas, before a big meeting or a needed shower. We connect at the most stressful times of the day: right after the morning rush to get everyone out the door, running after the car with forgotten homework or lunch, then again in the afternoon after a long day, a big test or tough friend drama.

I know your kids’ snack and seat preferences, their gluten intolerance, and why they really missed school yesterday — and you give me a heads up if mine said something of note to follow up on. You have calmed me with the three most important words: “I’ve got him”—as I am stuck in traffic or racing home to meet you. And often follow with sweeter ones – “take your time, we are going to stop for ice cream.”

You take my kids even when your own are sick or out for the day. You do this because the carpool bond is sacred. We understand that each pickup is inextricably tied to another part of our day — it is all a house of cards.

So here’s to all of you—past, present (and future) in my life who have played that role. As our kids have switched activities or schools, or are now driving on their own, carpool make-ups change—and I miss you. But please know that you have been my lifeline, my phone-a-friend, and my answer to “I don’t know how you do it.” I appreciate you beyond words.

Paulette Light is a Reporter for The Shriver Report.
Paulette Light is from the Philadelphia suburbs and has a BA from Columbia, a EdM from Harvard and an MBA from The Wharton School. She is currently developing Momstamp.com a social recommendation and project management site for moms. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, four children, three dogs and her minivan.
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