“I Like My Child ... Don’t You?” — Mom Slams Parent for Avoiding Pick-Up, Drop-Off at School

A mom on TikTok named C (@thelifeofc) is criticizing a fellow mom/TikToker for her query as to why she should drop off and pick her kid up from school instead of just letting the little one ride the bus.

According to C, the simple fact that the kid would be happy to take rides with their mother to school because it makes them feel special is more than enough of an impetus for the mom to ditch the school bus and take care of drop-off and pick-up duties.

And judging by the responses to C's video (and to the other mom's original video), it would seem that there are a lot of folks who agree.

C begins her video by speaking into the camera and summarizing the points made in the other mom's video where she discusses the dynamics of pick-up and drop off at school. "If you haven't seen this original video, the creator is basically stating that her 6-year-old wants to stop riding the bus and wants her to come do pick up and drop off from school," C states in her recap of the stitched video.

"She knows that it will bring joy to her child and make her child feel special but she genuinely can't figure out why she should do it. And so she's asking other parents who do pick up and drop off every day why they do it. And I have a lot of feelings about this and I'm going to try and be as kind as I can possibly be when I answer this question," C states before going on to share her opinions on the fellow mom's video.

"But if you are privileged enough to be able to do pick-up and drop-off every single day for your child, why wouldn't you? And I'm just gonna gloss over the whole safety issue, and the fact that I personally know what happens on buses because I went on buses every day of my life when I was in school, right?"

She said that she's not even going to factor in how horrible it can be to be a kid riding on the school bus and go on to her other points: "We're just gonna skip over that entirely but I take my kid to school every day and I pick him up from school every day because I want to spend time with my child."

C states that her reason for wanting to pick up and bring her kid to school has everything to do with the fact that it's more time she gets to be with her kid: "On the way to school we talk about what he's gonna do for the day. We listen to music, we catch up. After school we talk about what happened during his day, again, we, catch up," she states.

The points C brings up seem like basic things anyone would want to do with someone they're excited about spending time with. "I like my child. Don't you? And I think the worst part of this is that she literally states that she knows it would bring her child joy. It would make her child feel special and she's able to do this," C says before giving a look into the camera, stunned that a fellow parent wouldn't want to facilitate this for her kid.

"And that's not reason enough?" she questions. "OK ... one day that child will no longer need you and if you only do the things that you are obligated to do as the parent ... they will not want you either."

There were tons of other folks who seemed to agree with C's stance, stating that they thought the other mother could've exhibited more excitement in getting to pick up and drop off her child: "'It will make my kid happy' … 'why should I do it?'" one person remarked sarcastically.

Another person wrote: "I always assumed parents that didn’t pick kids up COULDN’T not just didn’t want to?"

C did offer up a counter point, however, stating that seeing drop-off and pick-up routes in schools that are congested with long lines of parents facilitating transportation for their children could cause a logistical issue: "There have been a few teachers and bus drivers in the comments stating they see it a lot where the parents can and just don’t. In most cases it clogs buses and makes rides longer for people who have no choice," she wrote in the comments.

Someone else commented: "My first thought is what a good opportunity for connection with your child. Idk why anyone wouldn't want that."

"I can’t imagine not doing something that would bring my children joy if I have full ability to do it," another individual penned.

There was one parent who gave a specific daily occurrence that makes dropping off and picking up their child worth it every single day: "Pick up and drop off every day. It's the safety and seeing that exhale and comfortability on your kid as soon as they get into the car. School mode is off and home mode is on."

What do you think? Are people unfairly dog-piling on the mother who asked the question? Or is C unequivocally right and that parents need to remember that life doesn't last forever and there will probably come a day they wish they could spend it with their child again when they were little?