What you need to ensure you can make friends with parents at a new school.

When you start your kids at a new school, making friends with new families can take a little while.

You can try all the usual ways of meeting friends, you know, like the normal people. Such as introducing yourself at the school gate at pick up/drop off times. You can pester your kids for the names of new classmates and try and arrange catch ups out of school, you could even volunteer to be on the canteen roster to meet other parents.

Or, you could try the following little tip.

Ensure you have your jumper leads in the back of the car.  Yes. That's all.

This week as I was leaving school a little bit late due to a catch up with a teacher, a friendly man approached me asking if I had jumper leads in my car. Um? I had no idea. I said I would go and check and drive back. But he told me it was for another parent, he was just trying to help her out.

Due to my extreme organisational skills, I did find jumper leads in with the spare tyre, so I whizzed down to help out.

No one likes car trouble so the poor Mum, with a car full of school kids was looking quite stressed as her car sat there with no chance of getting her home.

A couple of minutes later and the Dad had it all sorted, but during that time teachers, handymen, other parents, kids who knew my kids...all came to check if all was ok.

BINGO.

Just met more families and was the hero who saved the day.

That stressed out Mum didn't actually thank me at all or even ask my name. But hey, I am taking it as a new friend anyway!

Long live the jumper leads.