14 types of school run mums, which one are you?

As we’re nearing the end of another school year, not having to do the school run is something that many of us will be looking forward to, myself included.

I’ve had some positive school run experiences, such as meeting like minded mums who I can discuss my motherhood challenges with, and I’ve had some negative experiences, such as trying to resolve child friendship issues.

Recently I heard that there are different types of school run mums that you may come across, which is something I never thought about, but after looking into more I found interesting.

I thought I’d write about it here, in the hope that you may find it interesting as well.

Knowing the different types of school run mums that you may encounter may also help you to decide which mums you’d like to get to know better, or which type of school run mum you don’t want to become.

Here are some of the types of school run mums that I’ve read about, which include some I’ve even encountered.

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Yummy mummy

The yummy mummy is the mum who always looks put together.

Her outfit is gorgeous and unstained, her hair’s washed, curled, straightened, or tied back, and her makeup is natural and flawless.

She looks like she’s heading out to a nice dinner instead of dropping the kids off at school.

Whilst I’ll never be a yummy mummy, there’s elements of this type of school run mum that I wish I could pull off, mostly wearing something that looks put together, instead of stained or daggy.

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Active wear mum

The active wear mum always wears active wear, even if they’re not doing anything active after drop off.

This mum definitely knows what she’s doing, because active wear is the perfect choice of clothing for a mum who literally has to jump over endless amounts of toys and clutter just to get out of the door, which lets face it, is most of us, most of the time.

Always late mum

Always late mum often parks in the no parking zone in front of the school gate, or they may be seen running to the school gate, so her kids can make it to their classrooms on time.

Sometimes always late mum will forget to pack her kid’s lunch, or send their kid to school without their PE kit.

Always late mum is the type of school run mum that we’ll all be at some point, even if we’re late on a rare occasion, because remembering everything, and getting out the door on time is a daily struggle.

Always late mum was my mum, my siblings and I were always the last kids to be picked up from school.

Related post:
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Busy mum

This is the only type of school run mum I was aware of before my son started school, and is a mum that I’ve yet to come across.

Busy mum is the mum who is everywhere, all of the time.

This mum helps in the school canteen, volunteers for all of the class visits, is integral to the PTA, helps in the classroom, and is regularly armed with a clipboard and pen at every drop off and pick up to enlist helpers for the next school event.

Gossip mum

Gossip mum knows everything about everyone, and tells what she knows to anyone who will listen.

She likes to eavesdrop on parent teacher conversations, and then tell others what’s she’s heard, as well as what her opinion is on what she heard.

She could also be part of a clique of other gossip mums, who gather together every morning to share gossip, when you walk past them you shudder to think if they’re gossiping about you.

Loud mum

Loud mum is the type of school run mum we’ve all been at some point, even though we thought we wouldn’t be, myself included.

This mum yells at their kids across the school yard to either get right back here, pick up your bag, we’re going home, get off that, or any other variety of commands.

Loud mum can loose their cool quite quickly, and when they do it’s best to let them do what they need to so they can get their kids home.

Cool mum

Cool mum used to be one of the cool kids in high school.

They dress cool, get irritated if a teacher talks to them about their children, and generally can’t believe they’re now in charge of small humans.

Cool mum is nice to other mums, doesn’t take homework too seriously, and a trait that I admire is that cool mum doesn’t engage in parent politics.

Slummy mummy

We’ve all heard this expression, and it’s quite cringey, but slummy mummy is the type of school run mum many of us have been at least one morning (apart from yummy mummy), which is the mum who turns up to school looking like they’re over life.

They may be wearing mismatched clothing, or pyjamas. Their hair is a mess, and overall they just don’t care about keeping up appearances, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Slummy mummy is a great mum to talk to because they’re honest about motherhood, which allows you to have honest conversations with them about your own struggles.

Competitive mum

Competitive mum is overly competitive about her motherhood skills, and the skills and intelligence of her child.

She researches everything motherhood related, follows everything outlined in the most popular parenting books, and constantly tells you how well her child is doing in school, and in their after school activities.

She’s also the mum who brings in school projects that are bigger and better than everyone else’s, and most likely has done the projects herself.

Tell it all mum

Tell it all mum is the mum who tells you everything they’ve done around the house before they left for the school run.

They’ll also tell you how badly their children behaved the night before, how their children slept, and what other dramas they’ve encountered before getting into the car.

Whilst we all need to vent, this type of school run mum can make you exhausted before you’ve even dropped your child at school, and can be hard to spend time with, because they’re very focussed on their own lives.

Ex professional mum

For any multitude of reasons, the ex professional mum is a mum who used to work professionally, and now doesn’t or can’t.

Instead of spending her days working inside or outside the home, her job is now all things home and mum related.

The ex professional mum is extremely efficient and organised in her role as mum due to honing these skills when she worked for an employer, or herself, and now uses these skills to sort the house out, and be on top of all school related things.

Professional mum

This mum works part time or full time inside or outside the home, so doesn’t do school runs very often.

However, when she does do a school run she’s kind to everyone, personable, and always up for a play date.

Knows everyone mum

Knows everyone mum knows everyone, and their kids.

She knows everyone’s names, says hi to everyone she passes, and has in jokes with school staff and other parents, most often because she has multiple kids at school.

Having multiple kids at school means this mum is a great source of information on what events or costume days may be coming up, and what each teacher is like.

Fake friends mum

Fake friends mum is nice to everyone in public, but will gossip about them behind their back.

They talk to other mums face to face, or over texts, and organise play dates for their kids, but they also gossip about these same mums, and talk badly about their kids to others.

The best thing to do if you find yourself around a fake friends mum is to avoid her as best as you can, and try not to turn into one yourself.

What type of school run mum am I?

The type of school run mum we are will change over time, because our parenting skills change, our lives change, and so do our kids.

However, right now I’m ex professional mum.

I like to think I’m pretty organised when it comes to filling in forms, keeping on top of homework, signing reading books, and attending information sessions.

The type of school run mum that I don’t want to be is fake friends mum, which I’ve encountered at the school run many times, and is something I’m trying hard not to be.

What type of school run mum are you, or which one don’t you want to be?
I’d love to hear about it in the comments section below