Lycra in the Playground
When my son started at the school nursery, I became ‘a playground mum’. Playground mums are those mums who are lucky enough to be able to drop off and collect their lovely offspring from school or nursery each day. When I stopped work and became a ‘stay at home mum’, I gave this aspect of my new role no thought whatsoever. Absolutely none.
I did, however, give a great deal of thought to how I was going to get to school with my 2 children in tow. We live about a mile and a half from the school. We have a car but this seems a ridiculous distance to drive and also, I just don’t seem to have the appropriate attitude for driving and parking around a school at peak times. I can’t seem to help myself. I just can’t shake my deeply held belief that other people also have a right to life, and to parking in their own driveways, and being able to travel safely along a public road. Also, try as I might, I can’t seem to stop believing that people go to the trouble of painting double yellow lines and zig zag lines for a reason other than to provide a colourful place to park.
Back to my school run quandary. So, just the thought of driving to the school filled me with fear. Anyone who has ever attempted walking a mile and a half with a 3 year old and a 1 year old on a regular basis will know why this was an unthinkable option (think lateness and arguing day in, day out). Enter….the cargo bike…..
Oh, how I love my cargo bike! More on this in another post but, suffice to say, I get to ride a bike (albeit very very slowly), every single day, whilst looking after my children. I know exactly how long the journey will take. I don’t have to worry about finding a parking space. The children actually love it. In fact the only downside seems to be the fair number of drivers around the school who do not share my deeply held belief about right to life, etc, etc.
So, mode of transport sorted. Now what to wear. When my eldest started nursery, he had an afternoon place and his younger sister still needed a nap after lunch. She would happily nap on the bike, and what a mileage winner this was. After nursery drop off I had an hour long route on cycle paths (ok, so an hour was only about 8 miles, who cares, I was cycling!) which would be about as long a nap as the little one needed. That gave me a little while to play at home before hopping back on the bike to collect the eldest from nursery. I had not been able to cycle this much since having children and it was brilliant. It reminded me how much cycling was a part of my identity and something I needed to do to feel like me.
It also reminded me why cycle clothing involves padding and lycra after a few weeks of an hour and a half a day cycling, wearing jeans. Oh my goodness, my poor backside! So, cycle clothing it was then. Cycle clothing, for the school run.
It was then that I started to notice the playground mums.
I do not know how they do it. Every day the playground is filled with mums, dropping off their children, and looking amazing. Their hair is straightened, their makeup is perfect, they are stylishly dressed. Not just one or two of the mums; it seems like almost all of them. Nobody warned me that this was part of having children. That I would suddenly feel like I really should make more of an effort about my appearance.
And not a single one of those playground mums was wearing well used and very comfortable lycra. I obviously cannot say for certain, but I am pretty sure that I am in a very small minority in having a padded insert in my trousers on the school run.
Nobody warned me that the playground is as intimidating for the mums as it is for the children. And I felt like the weird one in the class who is only just realising that the way they are dressed is wholly inappropriate for the situation.
My backside felt so much better though. And I was on a bike. So I got over it (mostly…I still feel a bit like the weird kid in the class).
How nice it must be to be able to buy all that kit just to take your children to school. I suppose a double pushchair never occurred to you? We can’t even afford a car, so we have to walk. Luckily I have two young children who get on really well with each other.
Hi Jane. Thanks for your comment. I am indeed very fortunate. That’s great that your two get on so well – it makes life so much easier, and is lovely to see siblings enjoying each other’s company.
Alternatively, given that the author can afford the cycling gear, what a great way to use a necessary journey to share something you love doing with your children, whilst also building exercise into your day and demonstrating that there are practical alternatives to driving everywhere.
Walking is great too, but different journeys may require different modes of transport and a cargo bike is likely to be a lot cheaper than a car.