I love the school bus. I have to admit I felt a lot of guilt about letting my kindergartner ride the school bus since it seems like most of the "good" parents in my neighborhood wouldn't think of letting their precious little one's ride the bus. But I took on the issue with gusto this year. I really believed that if I claim to be the environmentalist that I am (or wish to be), then I better get my kid to ride the bus. Not only do I need to get my kid on the bus, but I need to get others to think the bus is a fine idea. Four weeks into the school year, I think it's been a success. My daughter and her friends have come to LOVE the bus experience, except on the hottest days of August and September when they were suffering in the thick heat of the bus without air conditioning.
My daughter, who is rather emotionally delicate, loves the bus as much as I do. She isn't verbally abused by the older kids on the bus, as some stories had led me to believe is the case with the youngest riders. She isn't left wandering aimlessly around her school trying to find her class and the best news is that this article from the NY Times is saying it's the best way to go on all sides of the debate. Check out the last part of the article that talks about walking pools instead of carpools. I love the idea of taking turns with your neighbors to make sure the kids make it to school together and in a supervised environment. Maybe getting her on the bus is brave in my eyes, but it's also the right decision. I am a good mom, right?
7 comments:
Right. I rode the nerd wagon through high school, and I turned out just fine.
Susan at Working Moms Against Guilt
I think it's great. I'm loving the school bus, too. I saw Eden waving at me through one of the bus windows when it stopped for Tom this morning. She had the biggest grin on her face and I almost could have burst into a verse of "these are the people in your neighborhood...." (:
It seemed neat how the bus was threading its way through our community, weaving it all together for our kids. Tom actually expressed disappointment the first morning that I told him we would be going to a different bus pickup spot, so that he wouldn't have to ride it as long in the morning (aka so we would have the chance to get up, drink our caffeine, and get him out the door while maintaining a moticum of sanity).
I do need to say that I mainly wrote the article to get over the feeling of semi guilt, not to put pressure on anyone driving their children. A friend said I guilted her into looking into riding the bus, but really that was not my intention. I saw a bus today where the driver pulled over and was yelling at the kids that were out of control. I thought to myself, hey if that was our bus situation, I would be driving my daughter. The kids on that particular bus are always out of their seats creating havoc. So really, it all depends on each individual situation. Please don't think I'm passing judgement- everyone has their own reasons for what they do.
Are you taking responsibility for your friend's experience? :)
I say good for him/her for looking into the bus. Sounds like you might have opened the door to a little personal exploration. I believe that we each own any of the feelings of guilt we experience in life and that saying you like something is by no means a judgment of what other people do.
Just to add to the discussion, this article is both timely and frightening! Evidently, CPS needs a little help with their screening process.
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070929/NEWS01/709290357/-1/back01
Still not afraid of the bus, sorry Sally. Did you read that NONE of them have sex or felony charges? I could care less if my driver is writing bad checks or took a swing at her husband. Sure, I would be freaked out if she was drinking on the job, or doing drugs, but I imagine she saves that for when her shift is over.
I also love the school bus my kids want them too. They are excited to ride the school bus again this next school year. https://www.aaaroofcompany.com
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