Do you have other children? I drive my daughter to school every morning (approximately one mile away) because I have two younger children. Maybe it’s sheer laziness, but I just don’t feel the need to stick my baby and toddler in the stroller to walk my daughter to school, only to turn around, come home, and get back in the car so we can run errands.
Also, now that my older son is in preschool, I drop off my daughter and immediately take my son to his school two days a week. Some people have different aged kids and have to make two or three school drop offs in a short window of time.
Some people drive their kids because they have someplace they need to be immediately after the drop off.
I also used to have to walk my butt to school a half mile each way everyday, no matter how bad the weather was. I wish we weren’t living in such dangerous times so our children could learn to endure normal weather and burn off some of that crazy energy while walking, unescorted, to school.
I agree with you on the bad parent drivers who don’t care about the safety of everyone else’s children. It’s so annoying!
Last year we had 2 in school - we live about 2 blocks from school. I walk them to and from school if the weather isn’t bad… winter daddy does drive them and also if it is raining hard or if we have to go somewhere after dropping them off or picking them up. At the end of last year I did let the kids (1st & 2nd grade) walk home from school… but they only had 10-15 min to make it home after they were let out, cause it only takes about 7 to walk from the school & then we were going to come looking for them. They always came straight home - the way we told them to… but they knew we would come looking and if we did they wouldn’t be able to walk alone anymore. Which mind you they have been asking for over a year to walk home alone.
When school starts, I will be walking 3 to school (K, 2nd & 3rd)… I will be waiting outside the doors to walk them home as well. Once I know the youngest knows the “rules” of walking to & from school - I might let them walk home “alone” again, but when the weather is bad - they will get a ride.
The main reason we do the ride thing in the winter is because the school is on a 4 lane road & sadly the home owners/landlords of the houses around the school do not remove the snow from the sidewalks. So, kids have to walk on snow mounds from the plows or on the road it’s self… niether of which is really safe near/on a busy road. We have had a few kids hit trying to get to & from school because of this issue & I really don’t want the next kid to be mine. So, we just protect them and drive them.
When I was a kid I road the bus, except for middle school (which was about a block away). The only reason we road the bus in K-4 was that we lived on a busy road… we only live 1/4 a mile from the school, but most of the buses had to drive pass our house to leave the garage. So, we were in an easy pick-up location and my mom set it up to get picked up… but she also didn’t get up till 10 or 11 everyday. So, she was never up to make sure we were or to get us off to school. My sister had an alarm, she woke me & left for school. Then, I woke my brothers and got them ready & breakfast before the bus came. When I switched schools I had my borther trained to get out to the bus stop when a certain tv show was over… so that he wouldn’t miss the bus. Growing up that way… I never wanted my kids to end up with the same childhood - so I make sure they are up, dressed and ready to go & them walk them to school (unless weather is bad)… that way they only have to worry about getting themself ready in the morning.
My older two went to a private school so we had to drive them every day. The school was six miles from my house, not something that they can walk. So you are sitting there waiting for the carpool line to move. You notice that the parents had to drop the younger kids off by their door and then stop again and let the older kids drop off at their door. These two doors are thirty feet from each other!!! So beings that I have seen thirty feet be too much a burden for kids to walk a half a mile does not surprise me.
My younger kids elementary school is five miles from the house, the middle school they are currently in is two miles, the high school they will attend is ten miles. None of these have a safe path to walk to either. They ride the bus.
My daughter takes the school bus from her Dad’s house (about 5 miles to school). When she is with me (15 miles from her school) I drive her. If we lived 1/2 mile from school, she would walk or ride her bike. She is 10.
We walk to school, our school is very close. Unless it is super cold (in MN we have mornings that are seriously 20 degrees or more below zero) or totally pouring rain. On those occasions I will drive them, or if I have to drive someplace (to drop of the preschooler) and I am driving right past the school anyway.
We just have to walk around the block… but - there is one family who’s house we pass ON THE WAY TO SCHOOL - and they can literally SEE THE SCHOOL from their house who drive the kids regularly. When they drive, they have to leave their cul-du-sac and go around the block to the main entrance. We walk past their house to get to the trail that takes you straight to the school. They have less than a block from their front door to the back of the school. I just laugh at them. I think it takes the kids longer to get a ride than to walk. How lazy and wasteful… but I really like them, and I guess to each his own.
In our old home my children were driven to school every day. We lived about a mile from school. The bus should have picked them up, but for some reason did not.
So, why didn’t I make my kids walk to school? Because they would have been walking along side roads that do not have sidewalks. Because the suggested route to their school went right beside a registered sex offenders house. Because when my son was at that school I was pregnant and had a 3 year old. I live in the Seattle area. I was not going to bundle everyone up and drag my pregnant behind a mile each way, in the rain. Because the other road they were to walk on went alongside a busy street. And as you mentioned…some parents driving and parking skills are pretty bad.
This year, school is a couple of miles from us and the bus will pick up and drop off.
Laura
In my opinion, it’s a waste of time to judge other parents as lazy just because they don’t think like you do. Do you like to be judged for something as simple as how you choose to get your children to school? My advice is to let it go and have some grace for other people.
Did you read my answer? I did not recommend having grace for people who don’t stop at stop sign or are poor drivers. I am merely addressing your stinky attitude about people who choose to drive their kids to school. I homeschool so it’s not an issue for me at all, but I think you seriously need to get over yourself.
My son’s school is 2 miles from our house and the school DOES NOT allow kids to walk or bike to school. They feel the streets near the school are too busy and too dangerous for elementary age kids to travel there by themselves. My son takes the bus except on days when I have to drive him early for his before school care program (which I have to sign him in and out of anyway).
I used to walk a mile to school and loved the walk. But it was quiet neighborhood streets and I had other kids with whom to walk.
We live about 2 miles from the elementary school and my daughter rides the bus. It’s about a three block walk from our house to the bus stop. We live in Florida where there is no snow, and our neighborhood is very safe with sidewalks and street lights. My third grader is the only student in our neighborhood who walks the few blocks to the bus stop - all the other parents drive their kids to the bus stop (for one parent it’s a half block drive). I think this is crazy! How lazy has America gotten? Kids can’t walk a couple blocks in their own safe neighborhood to get to the bus stop? I can see how parents would want to drive their kids, though, to be able to sleep in later. We leave for the bus stop at 6:40 AM, and school doesn’t start until 7:40. So we could sleep in almost an hour later if we drove there (it’s about a four minute drive).
My daughter’s school is four miles away, definitely not walking distance. I drive her and will most likely end up driving her this year too, she’ll be in first grade. She could take the bus but she’d have to be out of the house a lot earlier and she’s not really a morning girl, LOL. It’s a lot faster just to drive her; however, I don’t park illegally and am annoyed with those who do.
Well, you do mention that there are kids that live closer than you that are driven to school so not sure why people that live 4 miles away are upset with your queston. 2 to 4 miles or more is a lot farther. For some 1/2 mile is too far to walk while for others it is ok. In my area, we actually have some kids that are driven to school 2 blocks. Really, that close. We live 3 blocks from the elementary school–kids walked unless it was freezing out. We live 4 blocks from the middle school, they walk. They have a friend that lives a block and a half down–same street as–from the middle school. Her mom drives her. She has to go around the block so ends up driving 6 blocks to get the kid to school.
My bil used to drive his kids to school the 2 1/2 blocks from where they lived and then complain about having to warm the car and the gas used.
My husband and I both work. I leave first so he drops our daughter off at school on the way to his job. Our area is pretty busy w/ cars, etc. and she’s only in 2nd grade so we drive her. That’s our choice and I don’t think anyone judges us by it . I couldn’t give a flip how anyone else gets their kid to school. Their business, not mine.
I lived about a mile and a half from elementary and about 3/4 mile from middle, and I really truly LOVED walking. I lived the furthest, and I’d walk past my friend’s house where she was peeking out the window, and we’d walk together to my friend at the end of the street and she’d be waiting on her porch, and then we’d cut through the park for a shortcut and meet another friend or 2 at the see-saw…loved those times! To and from middle school, I lived the closest and my friends did the same thing, just in reverse. It was our time to talk about boys and teachers, siblings and parents, sing the cool song of the minute (I still smile everytime I hear the Bangles or Cyndi Lauper!).
I am a sahm, and we live 1/2 mile from my son’s school. He starts kindergarten on Monday, and I was tempted to just drive him because I have a 2 year old, my 5 yr old can’t walk to school alone until he’s in 2nd or 3rd grade, blah blah. That’s 2 miles everyday with my 2 yr old, in the heat, blaaaaaah. But upon thinking about it, I did make up my mind that it was good exercise, good quality time, and a baby step towards independence for my kindergartner. He’s so excited to ride his bike and work his own bike lock that he’s nearly beside himself. And I’m not going to rob him of that feeling. I look at it like this: I’ll walk or bike behind him for his safety these early years, so that by the time he’s old enough to do it alone we will KNOW that he can, and what the rules are, etc. I’m going to enjoy this time with him, going to and from school together and having a little bonding time that is uninterrupted by distractions like TV, ringing phones, homework, and looming extra activities. And heck, it’s exercise. I could use more exercise.
After dropping him off, well that is time that I can spend bonding and conversing with my little guy who will be in tow. We can take little side trips to explore things sometimes. Walking a mile with a 2 year old is bound to involve some interesting things for their inquisitive little minds! Unless the weather is miserable (not just “blah”), or unless one of us isn’t feeling well, we’ll be walking/biking everyday. It just makes sense to me. I’m not going to judge others though because I don’t know what they’re doing when they get home: preschool or games with the little one, lots of chores/housework/cooking to do, do they have a little side thing going for extra money that I don’t know about? They may be doing some volunteer opportunity, or leading a Bible study, or just resting up because they’re tired and pregnant. I don’t know. I don’t really care either. Just because someone is a sahm (like ME) doesn’t mean they’re hanging around watching Oprah and eating bon bons all day. But, they “might” be missing out. I’m excited about this time with the boys. Even though I’ll be bringing a stroller “just in case” little guy gets tired and doesn’t want to make the WHOLE walk home. I’d rather push an empty stroller down the street than have a 2 year old melt down and nothing to help on the walk. (eek)
Why do you give a rat’s ass what other parents do? We live within a half mile of school. More often than not, I walk my younger boys to school (grades 1 and 3) but will drive if we’re running late. School for them starts at 8:20 and 9:00 so there is plenty of time to walk most mornings. They walk home 99% of the time and I only pick them up in the car if I’m running late getting off of a work call or something.
I drive my two oldest (9th grade) to school just about every day. They have to be at school at 7:25 which really means closer to 7:15 to stop at their lockers, etc. They would have to leave at 7 to make it on time and they’re just not ready that early. I’d rather take 5 minutes out of my morning and run them up to school and give them an extra 15 minutes to eat a decent breakfast or sleep later. My SD goes to bed at 9 and would sleep 10-11 hours if she could. She’s always been a long sleeper. My son doesn’t need as much sleep but his internal clock is geared more towards waking up at 7:30 than 6:30. He also has late hockey practices and often comes home after 10 PM. They walk home every day.
At the end of the day, I do what works for my family and assume that others do what works for theirs. I’m sure there are things that the drive to school parents could be sanctimonious about when looking at your parenting.
My kids would either walk or catch the bus and walk to school. At 12 my son would make his own way home from school. He would walk or catch the bus. Bus meaning public transportation bus not school provided school bus. He loved the independence. I was concerned about his safety. He made out just fine. My mom was home to meet him and sometimes she would meet him at the school. She loved doing that but he hated that. They worked it out.
When my GD stays with me, she is driven because her school is about 8 miles from my house. But when she is with her mother, she walks. The school is about 3 blocks from her mom’s house.
I have also wondered about why kids don’t walk to school. Used to be after school you saw nothing but groups of kids walking home. Now, you may see 3 - 4 walking, but most are being driven.
I don’t think it has anything to do with the kids complaining - I think it’s parents paranoia; the same paranoia that keeps parents from letting their kids go outside to play without scheduling a “playdate” and expecting an adult to be right out there with them supervising.
It is a sign of the times and one reason our kids suffer from obesity.
We live about a 15-20 min walk from school. I don’t want my daughter walking to school alone or with a few friends every morning. There are too many crazy people. And call me over protective or what, but I want to see my daughter go in the gate every morning- she is in the 5th grade. I drop her off then head to work.
I wasn’t offended until your SWH.
So working parents can drive their kids, but SAHM’s have to walk? What??
And you mention people almost hitting you with their car, but then wonder why people don’t allow their children to walk?
Brilliant.
It’s not a safe street to walk down, busy intersection to cross and really too far IMO for my kids to walk. Elementary school kids are NOT allowed to walk home. I see middle school kids walking 2-3 across (in the road) and grit my teeth…it’s really not safe and they really don’t get it.
I do drive my kids to the bus stop. I don’t have to, but I’m leaving for work anyway. I KNOW that they are going to make the bus and don’t have to worry about them. They do walk home.
I think part of the no walking is paranoia, bad roads and the lack of time. If my kids had a straight shot through neighborhood streets they could maybe walk, but where we live just isn’t conducive to walking.
My mum drove me 10 out of 12 years. ‘What happened to…’ is sorta in the eye of the beholder
My sons K class was a 45min DRIVE from our house, walking would have been stupid. Not everyone lives close.
Even if it were a safe walk (it isnt), it rains here 10 months a year. If I walked him to and from school I’d go through 3 outfits a day. Rain doesn’t fall DOWN, here, btw. It blows in all directions. Most people don’t even bother owning umbrellas in Seattle.
3.5)Now, his 5th grade class is s 10minutd walk, along 2 extremely busy 4 lane streets w accompanying intersections, and 20 ‘residential intersections’ with a 30mph speed limit!
No sidewalks. For ANY of it.
My son is an athlete, but also has asthma… Having to use his inhaler every day just to get to school, on TOP of his sports is a no go. Sometimes, in good weather, as a TREAT? Sure. But if we have to choose between slogging through dark, wet, 35-45mph streets with no sidewalks… Or aikido/swimming/gymnastics, etc… We’re going to choose the fun one.
I have a day to get to.
We have after school activities that are 30-60 minutes (drive) away
when I have his cousins, there’s no way I could walk all three to all 3 different schools AND get the babies in daycare on foot.
spent 2 months in a leg brace last year. No WAY walking was going to happen!!
Cognitive Dissonance : You almost get hit once a week, and dont get why people who live close drive their kids? Maybe to avoid having them almost be (or be) hit once a week?
These are just mine… I’m sure lots of other people have lots of other reasons why they choose to drive, cab, or take the subway.
Point being: just because something works for YOU doesn’t mean everyone else is lazy.
