Do You Drive Your Kids to School?
- Thread starter Jeppy
- Start date
I drive my son to school. It works out better for us. He attends a special needs program within the school system and transportation is part of his iep but the bus ride home was often problematic, he'd get into arguments with other kids and be all bent out of shape when he got home. Also being at the school each day gives me more opportunity to touch base with his teacher and other school staff. He gets to sleep in a little longer in the morning which is also nice.
A
agee
Guest
Yes. The bus ride to school is the same time/distance as us driving, plus it leaves at the same time. The bus ride home is over an hour and a half and I just can't see difficult child having any success with-that at all. We are the last road for the bus to pick up in the a.m. and the last to drop off in the p.m. Large school district.
If I can't pick up after school he goes to after-school care. Which costs...but it's worth the few afternoons a week I get free and clear.
A
If I can't pick up after school he goes to after-school care. Which costs...but it's worth the few afternoons a week I get free and clear.
A
gcvmom
Here we go again!
difficult child 1 rides his bike to school on days when he does not have lacrosse practice. We are not within a bus zone for his school. If he's running late, or it's raining, or he has practice after school, I drive him there.
difficult child 2 goes to a school outside our neighborhood zone, so there is no bus service. We carpool with another student in our area who also goes to the school.
easy child is also attending a school outside our neighborhood zone, so I have to drive her as well.
IF we didn't have to pay the several hundred dollars our district charges for bus service AND were able to bus the kids, I would probably do it only for easy child. difficult child 1 and 2 are often needing to stay late to catch up on work, so it just would not be convenient to tie them to a bus schedule.
difficult child 2 goes to a school outside our neighborhood zone, so there is no bus service. We carpool with another student in our area who also goes to the school.
easy child is also attending a school outside our neighborhood zone, so I have to drive her as well.
IF we didn't have to pay the several hundred dollars our district charges for bus service AND were able to bus the kids, I would probably do it only for easy child. difficult child 1 and 2 are often needing to stay late to catch up on work, so it just would not be convenient to tie them to a bus schedule.
When difficult child was in district he took the bus to school and then afterward to daycare. Now that difficult child is in a special program out of our district, he is provided private transportation via a livery company paid for by our district. The only time we drop off or p.u. is if he has a dr appointment during school hours. husband is here daily to meet difficult child and if he (husband) has an appointment difficult child gets dropped at my parents who live up the street.
tiredmommy
Well-Known Member
I only drive Duckie in if I am working in her building or she is bringing in something large or fragile. I do, however, pick her up when she has an activity scheduled before or at the dinner hour. This is so she has time to do homework. 
KTMom91
Well-Known Member
I drove Miss KT when she was in elementary school, even though we are only a block and a half from campus, because I had to sign her in to morning day care. She walked to junior high, about six blocks. When she started high school, I got her a city bus pass, because we were too close to school (less than 2.5 miles) for a school bus. If she needed to be there early or stay late, I would drive her. If she was being a total poophead, she walked. She was almost 17 when she got her license, then she drove herself.
crazymama30
Active Member
Both of my kids go to schools outside of their district, so no bus service available. I hate hate hate it when difficult child used to ride the bus--he got suspended off the bus more times than I can remember. He did not do bus rides well. Is a little better now when on field trips, or at least I have not heard any complaints.
smallworld
Moderator
M rides the school bus unless she has a before- or after-school activity that prevents her from taking it.
A attends a private school so we drive her to a central location from which a shuttle bus takes her to school.
J attends a boarding school in Utah. We having nothing to do with his transportation. He rolls out of bed to go to school.
A attends a private school so we drive her to a central location from which a shuttle bus takes her to school.
J attends a boarding school in Utah. We having nothing to do with his transportation. He rolls out of bed to go to school.
Shari
IsItFridayYet?
My wee difficult child rode the bus when he attended the early intervention school, which was in another district. There were 4 kids on the bus, plus the driver and an aid. Now that he's in district, they could bus him on the same special services bus, but he would have to leave early and would get to school early, which would be more time for trouble. The regular bus is out of the question.
So I take him in the am and his sitter picks him up in the pm. He is door to door, so I have to walk him in and see he gets to his aid, and the sitter has to go in and get him from his aid in the afternoons.
Kind of a pain, but is best for us for now.
So I take him in the am and his sitter picks him up in the pm. He is door to door, so I have to walk him in and see he gets to his aid, and the sitter has to go in and get him from his aid in the afternoons.
Kind of a pain, but is best for us for now.
Thank you all for answering. My difficult child has taken the bus in the past but this year has refused as he's decided it's too "low class". However, I don't feel obliged to continue to drive him (a half hour out of my way on a day when the roads aren't iced up and I can take shortcuts) since he puts forth zero effort on academics.
LittleDudesMom
Well-Known Member
I drove easy child to school throughout elementary, middle and high school. She went to private school for both elementary and middle so driving her was a must - and her middle school was a pretty good trec....
Her high school was public but it was in another district so I drove her until she could drive herself!
As for difficult child, he went to public school about a mile away and could have ridden the bus, but I took and picked him up every day. He liked it because he could sleep a little longer, and I liked it because I just plain enjoy a hug and kiss as they get out of the car and I can also often gauge the kind of day he was going to have by his mood. I always liked seeing the excitement when he gets out - especially in elem since that is when he had the biggest issue and there was no way a bus ride at the end of the day was a good option. I was fortunate that I was able to do so.
Now he's in middle school and he's out of zone so I've been doing the driving. High school will also be out of zone so I'll have another 4.5 years to go!
I have to say that I actually enjoy the process of taking my kids (well, only one now) to and from school. I have heard and participated in many, many, many discussions that I am glad I was part of because of the taxi mom status!
Sharon
Her high school was public but it was in another district so I drove her until she could drive herself!
As for difficult child, he went to public school about a mile away and could have ridden the bus, but I took and picked him up every day. He liked it because he could sleep a little longer, and I liked it because I just plain enjoy a hug and kiss as they get out of the car and I can also often gauge the kind of day he was going to have by his mood. I always liked seeing the excitement when he gets out - especially in elem since that is when he had the biggest issue and there was no way a bus ride at the end of the day was a good option. I was fortunate that I was able to do so.
Now he's in middle school and he's out of zone so I've been doing the driving. High school will also be out of zone so I'll have another 4.5 years to go!
I have to say that I actually enjoy the process of taking my kids (well, only one now) to and from school. I have heard and participated in many, many, many discussions that I am glad I was part of because of the taxi mom status!
Sharon
W
Wonderful Family
Guest
My difficult child has always ridden the bus for part of elementary and middle school when he wasn't in a private school. We moved out of state when he was in the 5th grade and he had to catch the bus at 6:45 am - 30 minutes made a huge difference so I started driving him every day.
easy child gets driven every day (he's in 2nd grade), partially for the same reasons as difficult child; it's just too hard to force him to catch the bus every day. But the primary issue is the other mothers; difficult child has a bad rep in the neighborhood and a lot of the mothers simply won't talk to me. They are not rude, just don't even say good morning. I prefer to start my day off nicely and easy child is fun to take to school every day - plus it gives him a few minutes to talk if he wants.
easy child gets driven every day (he's in 2nd grade), partially for the same reasons as difficult child; it's just too hard to force him to catch the bus every day. But the primary issue is the other mothers; difficult child has a bad rep in the neighborhood and a lot of the mothers simply won't talk to me. They are not rude, just don't even say good morning. I prefer to start my day off nicely and easy child is fun to take to school every day - plus it gives him a few minutes to talk if he wants.
Well, yes....I guess it would seem low class to ride the bus while that limo of yours is just sitting there in the driveway.
Sheesh!!
GoingNorth
Crazy Cat Lady
Back when I was growing up in Chicago, the school districts where laid out in such a way that no student had to travel more than 2 city miles (sixteen blocks) to school. The only bus service available was for students in special programs (I was in a gifted program and had to walk to my home school to catch the bus to my special school's district)
Now the kids get discount or free bus passes to go to and from school. My dad travelled for work. My mother didn't drive back then. It never even occurred to me to ask for a ride.
We just bundled up and walked there and back. In highschool I tried taking the bus but couldn't take the constant bullying. I rode my bike or walked to school instead.
Now the kids get discount or free bus passes to go to and from school. My dad travelled for work. My mother didn't drive back then. It never even occurred to me to ask for a ride.
We just bundled up and walked there and back. In highschool I tried taking the bus but couldn't take the constant bullying. I rode my bike or walked to school instead.
I believe transferring busses is too large a responsibility for kids under 5th or 6th grade. I also believe busses are breeding grounds for bullies and torture chambers for victims. Thus, I have until this year given my kids rides to/from school.
This year difficult child is in 7th grade - old enough to handle transfers and if there becomes a problem with him being harrassed (or doing the harrassing) on the bus, I will pull him.
There is not enough adult supervision to make any child go through a tortuous every day bus ride. It is just not worth it. The reason I don't trust people is because of what I saw on my bus rides growing up.
This year difficult child is in 7th grade - old enough to handle transfers and if there becomes a problem with him being harrassed (or doing the harrassing) on the bus, I will pull him.
There is not enough adult supervision to make any child go through a tortuous every day bus ride. It is just not worth it. The reason I don't trust people is because of what I saw on my bus rides growing up.
flutterby
Fly away!
I (or easy child) drive difficult child to school. We are not on a bus route - just on the inside edge of the one mile rule - and difficult child gets lost in our own neighborhood.
Elementary school - she walked, but we lived right across the street from the school. When she was at the babysitters, she walked, too, but there was a large group of kids going together. She could have never made it by herself.
We moved and were still within the no busing zone, but she could have never made her way there. I was working part time then and worked my hours so that I took her and picked her up from school. If I was unable to pick her up, easy child had to walk to the school to get her because she could not find her way home.
Later, they included our neighborhood in the busing zone - cause it had grown so much - and she rode the bus.
Middle school - I drove her to school and she rode the bus home most days. It was a huge source of anxiety for her, which is why I drove her in the morning.
easy child always walked to elementary and rode the bus in middle school and high school (until he started driving).
Elementary school - she walked, but we lived right across the street from the school. When she was at the babysitters, she walked, too, but there was a large group of kids going together. She could have never made it by herself.
We moved and were still within the no busing zone, but she could have never made her way there. I was working part time then and worked my hours so that I took her and picked her up from school. If I was unable to pick her up, easy child had to walk to the school to get her because she could not find her way home.
Later, they included our neighborhood in the busing zone - cause it had grown so much - and she rode the bus.
Middle school - I drove her to school and she rode the bus home most days. It was a huge source of anxiety for her, which is why I drove her in the morning.
easy child always walked to elementary and rode the bus in middle school and high school (until he started driving).
