How Do You Get Your Kids to School?

Updated on August 18, 2012
J.R. asks from Elmwood Park, NJ
40 answers

I don't get it. When I was a kid a ride was a HUGE treat to get you to or from school. If it was raining use the rain coat and umbrella, snow, get those snow boots out. Hot, oh well, still gotta go to the classrooms with NO ac! I lived about a 1/2 mile from school and walked every day. I did not expect a ride. My kids live about the same distance and also walk, every day. We are a 1 car house. There is no other option unless *I* need to have the truck for something. There are kids that live closer to school and get driven in, EVERY morning, rain, shine, snow, any weather. I don't understand what happened to walking to school. Are the parents lazy? Are the kids just complaining too much and the parents don't want to listen to it? Is everyone running late? (how ever if you are running late EVERY morning there is another problem) I suppose my question is more like a rant with a question at the end.. (I am not going into how the parents drive and almost hit the kids that are walking, or park illegally) I would like to know how many of you actually still make your kids walk to school?

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So What Happened?

So it seems I touched a nerve with this. I was talking more about the SAHMs that drive their kids. And *I* walk my kids to school, they are NOT allowed to walk home unless in 3rd grade with WRITTEN permission. If there is no permission given, then someone has to actually come and get them. It will remain to be seen if MINE will be allowed to walk alone.

And I will have grace for the driving parents when they actually STOP at the stop signs and not almost hit me more then once a week.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

we are about 1/2 mile from the school and mine walk or ride their bikes to and from. UNLESS they are running late.
Parents are terrified that something will happen to their kids if they walk to school. Instead of realizing that most kidnappings are done by people kids know already, and realizing that violent crime has actually gone down from where it was 30 yrs ago ,they live in fear.

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D.K.

answers from Sioux City on

I homeschool so no one gets a ride. I don't do piggy back rides either. They all walk...... to the kitchen table. If they went to a school outside the home and we lived less than a half mile, they would be walking as long as it was safe.

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S.G.

answers from Grand Forks on

My kids walk to school. I used to walk with them, but they have walked alone for the past year or so. The biggest danger they do encounter walking to school are all the parents who drive their kids!

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T.M.

answers from Tampa on

Mine are 4 and 6. I live less than a mile from my 6-year old's school and I don't anticipate that he will ever walk to school. Bus transportation is not available since we live within a mile of the school. I also have to be at work at 7 a.m. which is well before the kids are allowed to be on campus. We DO have several sex offenders that live within my housing development. I just flat don't feel comfortable allowing a 6-year old to walk to school alone. So, my son goes to an afterschool program that offers before care and transportation to and from school. I am never late and I am certainly not lazy. This is just what works best for our family.

I am very happy with my choice. If you are happy with having your children walk to school, then why are you worrying about what everyone else is doing? Just do whatever you feel is best for your children and be done with it without judging other parents.

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A.S.

answers from Iowa City on

Well, I intend on walking my kindergartener to school when she starts next week. However, I am sure there will be times that I drive her. If I have errands to run or an appointment or would otherwise end up in the car on a specific morning I will probably just drive her and then be on my way rather than walk her and then walk back to my house/car. Also, I will have her little sister with me so if she is uncooperative or ill then I'm sure we will be driving even though we *could* walk.

In my experience, the people who drive their kids to school are also driving themselves to work so they just don't have the time to walk their kids to school (and a lot of people don't feel comfortable allowing their young children to walk by themselves).

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K.L.

answers from Cleveland on

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.

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A.C.

answers from Boston on

When my daughter was in elementary I drove her for 2 reasons:

1) I had to drive by on my way to work and I wanted her at the school and not at home when I left the house.

2) the school is on the corner of one of the busiest intersections in our city and kids have been hit by cars in the past.

In middle school she rode the bus, and now that she's in high school, I'm driving her again, but only because I am the bus driver :)

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A.F.

answers from Fargo on

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.

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M.J.

answers from Milwaukee on

Plus it's the age and ability of the child. My DS who is 8.5 was not allowed to go to school by himself till this summer. He would have gotten distracted by everything and then be late, would prob. wander into the middle of the road. Not look both ways before crossing. You have 2 girls which generally mature about that stuff earlier than boys. Every family is different.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

1) My mum drove me 10 out of 12 years. 'What happened to..' is sorta in the eye of the beholder

2) My sons K class was a 45min DRIVE from our house, walking would have been stupid. Not everyone lives close.

3) 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.

4) 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.

5) I have a day to get to.

6) We have after school activities that are 30-60 minutes (drive) away

7) 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.

8) spent 2 months in a leg brace last year. No WAY walking was going to happen!!

9) 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? :p

-------

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.

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T.S.

answers from San Francisco on

Kids still walk to school, but of course it depends on the distance, traffic, neighborhood safety, etc. We live close to our elementary school, about half a mile, but it's along a high speed commuter road with no sidewalk so it wasn't safe to walk, much to my dismay :(
Lots of kids walk and ride bikes to all the other schools in our community, all three of the other elementary schools and both the middle and high school are located in flat safe suburban neighborhoods with sidewalks and trails so it's easy.
Of course many parents drive their kids to school because it's on their way to work. And I've had some working moms tell me those moments in the car before and after school are precious to them, a chance to connect and talk about the day before going on to the office or dropping kids off at after school activities. I certainly can appreciate that!

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L.L.

answers from Topeka on

We live further from our home school to walk,they ride the bus regardless of weather never missed it.If they need to arrive late due to an appt. I will drive them to school or pick them up.Theres bikes chained up that i've seen outside the school,but still we live to far away and they are young so the bus is our choice for transportation.Your post sounds like someone has ruffled your feathers this morning.

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

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!

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L.L.

answers from Orlando on

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.

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☼.S.

answers from Los Angeles on

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.

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I.V.

answers from New York on

We walk. Fortunately for us, school is a block away. We live in NYC. Here school starts September 6 and ends on June 26.

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H.W.

answers from Portland on

We specifically chose the neighborhood school so my son could make friends in the neighborhood AND we could walk to school. It's a ten minute walk on a good day, longer in the rain I'm sure. But so what-- we have boots, rain pants, rain coats, umbrellas....I think it's great for Kiddo to learn that we can walk. We get up early enough to make it happen and with plenty of time to get there.

And, yeah, I walked to school by myself most of the time growing up, unless we were so far out and then I took the bus. My mom didn't chauffeur us around.

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L.U.

answers from Seattle on

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.
L.

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K.B.

answers from Detroit on

My daughter will be starting K next week and it's a private school, so bus service is not available. Plus it is over 5 miles from our home, with very busy traffic, high speeds, a 4 lane highway, etc. so walking is completely out of the question. And there are going to be many mornings (more often than not) that I will need to drop her off on my way to work. So many people have their sound reasons for driving their kids, and it has nothing to do with being "lazy." Not everyone lives less than 1/2 mile from the school with quiet streets and no cars and nothing to worry about along the way and nowhere to go afterwards. Even when I was a kid, the only kids who walked to school were the ones who lived in the subdivision that butted up against the playground to the school.

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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

We dropped the kids when they were little because of 1. before school care (had to sign them in when they were little) or 2. because it was on our way. It was convenient. In MS, they walked home. In HS, each had to catch the bus early in the AM and we only drove them if there was an extra reason - missed the bus, bus didn't come, school project to take in. They walked to the bus stop, which could be a fair distance. When SS switched to a closer school, he often got a ride from a friend's dad down the street or biked and biked or walked home (again, the dad was leaving for work and dropped the boys near the school on his way). When we had an au pair, SD was walked to school by the au pair. So for us, it wasn't a matter of being lazy. It was a matter of need or that we were going right by the school on our way out so we'd drop the kid, too. If the kid was not ready, then the kid walked. I never had a huge problem at either school. They have crossing guards and a very defined traffic pattern at each and people tend to abide by it. At the HS, there's a student drop off lane set apart from the bus lane.

I expect that I will drop off DD through MS because I expect to be working FT again by then, but her dad may take early retirement and be home so she may walk more than the big kids did. If she goes to the closest HS (we have school choice) then she will walk most of the time.

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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

The closest school to us is 2 miles away through 3 busy streets so my just turned 7 year old and 4 year old will not be walking anytime soon. But then we also moved them back to their old school where we moved from and that is a 15 minute drive so of course I will drive them. When we did live there it was maybe a mile and I still didn't let her walk. In my neighborhood no one else did and there were no sidewalks and narrow streets in the neighborhood between ours and the school. So none of these options are safe. When I went to school we took a bus for elementary and Jr. high and I walked or hitched a ride with teens in my neighborhood. but if i couldnt get a ride i had to walk. I did get picked up a lot because I was always in sports and hardly ever left school before 6p or 7p. When I didnt have a sport I would usually walk.

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J.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

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.

J.

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B.F.

answers from Chicago on

In our neighborhood many kids get dropped off at school. I wanted to send them by bus in the morning to make sure they make it there in time. Because we are so close (about 1 mile) the bus service isn't free. But I still thought it would make more sense to send them by bus in the morning instead of driving myself every day. In the afternoon I would have them walk home so that they get some exercise. Unfortunately there is no bus service this year because non of the kids live in the free bus zone, which is 1.5 miles out. I'm pretty bummed about it.
We will probably walk or take our bikes as long as the weather is good. When it gets really cold or rainy I'll probably drive them. I always try to combine the drive with other errands.

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V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

My kids don't and won't ever walk to school. It is 25 miles from our house. The morning bus arrives at 6:15 a.m. and the afternoon bus gets them home sometimes (if we are lucky) around 4:40 pm. The first day of school this year, it was 5:30 pm.

For 2 years I drove them to school and picked them up every day. They had ZERO time otherwise.
This year, we can't afford the gas and they are going to bed at 9:00-9:30 pm and getting up at 5:30 every morning. They are not elementary kids...middle and high school. They need their sleep. There isn't much we can do about it.

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S.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

We live 1/2 mile from the elementary school. 4/10 mile from the junior high school bus stop. 7/10 mile from the high school bus stop.

We always dropped my oldest daughter off on the way to work - it was convenient. She never walked home in elementary school because she always went to daycare or a babysitters. She did walk home from the bus stops in jr high & high school, unless she bummed a ride or stayed after for sports, at least until she started driving herself.

We dropped my son off on the way to work all the way through junior high. His freshman year, he got a ride from his sister. And then after that we made him ride the bus. But I do take him to the bus stop. I know. That's lazy. But the bus picks up at 6:40 in the morning, which is SO dang early, and he'd have to leave the house even earlier if he had to walk to the bus stop! Plus his backpack is REALLY heavy with all those books, and he also has to carry a sports bag. There is another family that lives about 1/2 way to the bus, on the same street as the bus stop, and she too drives her kid. I think that's kind of dumb. I don't know why, it's probably dumb that I drive my kid. When he got to 4th grade, he started walking home with my 7th grader. And then walked alone in 6th grade. And once he got to jr high, he had to walk home from the bus stop. Now that he's in high school, he rarely rides the bus home because of sports. And if he does, I usually pick him up because I'm on my way home from the elementary school anyways. But sometimes he has to walk if it's not convenient for me.

My youngest is only 9. My husband drops her off on his way to work. When she was in 1st grade she walked home, but escorted by my 8th grader. But once he got to the high school, that wasn't possible anymore. So, now I pick my 9 year old up after school. For some reason, I just can't get comfortable with her walking home ALONE. She has to cross a road that the speed limit is 45 - yikes! She can cross to the north side of the street at the 4-way stop. But then part of the walk has no sidewalk and she has to walk in the street. If she doesn't cross there, and stays on the south side of the street, there is a sidewalk. But then she has to cross in the middle of the street to get to our house. Both ideas make me nervous. I know, I need to get over it. Sometimes I walk down and get her and walk back. But I always seem to have an excuse to drive the car - like it's over 100 right now - yuck!

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D.N.

answers from Chicago on

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.

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J.W.

answers from St. Louis on

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.

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L.G.

answers from Panama City on

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).

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J.G.

answers from Cleveland on

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.

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K.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

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.

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C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

Why WOULD I make them walk to school? I enjoy my extra time with them. I do live less than 1/2 a mile from the school. Sometimes I do walk WITH them to school. Yes, we are close, but there is a busy street to cross that does not have a cross walk. We live too close for a buss too. I like to drive them because I get the extra time with them and I can watch them walk into the building and know that they got there safely. Growing up, I NEVER walked to school. My mom always drove me there until I could drive myself and I loved it!

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A.C.

answers from Savannah on

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)

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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

If its nice we walk if its rainy or snowy then we will drive. I'm a SAHM and I don't mind taking her. I think parents are more permissive about their kids being late to school they don't light a fire under them to get them going. I've seen more parents want to be friends than the authority figure so kids get to do what they want instead of being taught whats right.

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❤.I.

answers from Albuquerque on

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.

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K.F.

answers from New York on

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.

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

My Mom or Dad drove us to school when I was a kid.

I or my Husband, drives our kids to school. And I pick them up after school.
Even if we live close by to the school, the roadways to the school, are not safe.

In a different district from mine, there have been kids that got hit by a car, while the kid was walking to school. Some even died.

In my city, morning traffic and after school traffic, is KNARLY.
AND, with small kids (ie: in height), a car, cannot see a kid... walking across the street. Even if they are in a cross walk.

In a nearby district from ours, a 12 year old girl, was being followed my a Man in a truck as she walked home from school. And there have been sporadic instances, of attempts to get a kid into some van by a stranger.
In one instance, a parent SAW it... the kids didn't know what to do. They were standing there, just standing there as the stranger was talking to them motioning them, into the vehicle. Well anyway, so that parent that saw it... went over there and pulled the kids away, got a license number and reported it to the police.

It is NOT just about, parents being "lazy." Or about the kids being "lazy."
Nor about kids complaining.

And, schools are liable if something happens to a kid.
Thus the permission forms etc. to the parents.

I am a SAHM. I also work part time.
We are a one vehicle home.
I drive my kids to school, and like to. Then I drive my Husband to work too. He doesn't walk there. I also drive my kids to school and ALSO help at my kids school and work there on certain days. I enjoy... being able to take them to school, and to go INTO their classroom to help. It is a cherished thing... that I can still do, until my kids grow up older and don't even want me around at their school. All my kids' friends, tell my kids that they are lucky... their Mom comes to school and helps. And drives them. Instead of them taking the bus or walking or being dropped off by grandparents.

My kids are in elementary school.

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C.B.

answers from San Francisco on

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.

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N.M.

answers from New York on

We live 2 blocks from all the schools my kids go to. On my days off (rare) I would walk them to the elementary school but most days I drive my son in on my way to work. Once he is older, like his sisters he will have to walk because the school hours do not coincide with my work hours. My girls must text us once they get to school and call from the house phone once they get home.

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S.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

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.

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S.D.

answers from St. Louis on

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.

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