Yesterday I went to help at Belle’s school with their weekly trip to the local swimming pool. I don’t actually swim, my job is just to stand in the middle of the changing rooms, encouraging the girls not to scream or put their pants on their head. I command very little respect or authority, but they seem to like me.
“Mrs Belle’s Mum!” a shrill, nine-year-old voice yelled to me when I got on the coach, “come and sit here, we’ve saved you a seat!”
The seat in question was the middle of the back row.
At last! My time had come.
It would be fair to say I wasn’t really ever ‘popular’ at school. My highly competitive instincts displayed themselves throughout my school life as an unattractive inability to resist putting my hand up whenever I knew the answer to a questions. I knew it wouldn’t win me friends, but I just couldn’t help it. If I knew the answer, my hand went up, driven by a love of praise, a desire to be right.
On coach trips, I never sat on the back seat. I never even sat in the middle of the bus, with the kids who weren’t cool necessarily, but understood the rules at least. No, I would be at the front, near the teachers, possibly offering to do something helpful like hold the sick bucket.
Yesterday though, after all those years of failing miserably to be anything other than a complete square, I achieved that pinnacle of popularity. I sat on the back seat.
Sure, you could argue that it isn’t really the same when you are 32 and the people you’re sat with are all nine years old, but I don’t care. Just let me have my moment.
*pause while I bask in the bright light of popularity*
That is all.
Thank you.
Could have been worse. Not only was I not the cool kid, I was the teachers daughter too!!! :(
Haha! The only time I was vaguely popular was when I was at the same primary school that my Dad taught at – that was only because he was more popular than me!
: ) made me smile – thank you. Have you got a next step in your ambition to achieve coolness or have you reached your cool pinnacle?
The back seat of the coach is a true test of coolness! Get you, Jo! I also put my hand up too much and was generally too geeky to be cool. Plus, being a teenage mum wasn’t cool until my son was a toddler and then everyone thought it was ‘cute’ but never cool.
I think anyone can relate, some just won’t admit it. Great blog! Bask away. : )
Fantastic post, glad you got your moment. Hope they save it for you next week although its always bumpier on the back!
Haha the back seats were always the “cool kids” spots. I think the closer to the diver you were the more uncool you were. I was always at the front… well.. before I decided to just bike to school instead of get bullied on the bus!
So what makes the back seat “cool” ? I ask because I never used the bus to go to school so I really don’t know ….
Hi….I just relate myself with this blog because I think everyone has face these special moment in their lives.
everyone is unique and there is always something special in every child. That uniqueness helps a child out of the crowd.. Nice blog, thanks for sharing