Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

School Bus VS Mom Taxi

When my oldest started kindergarten last year, I wasn’t worried about how he would do in school or if he would get lost or if the day was too long for him: I knew he’d be fine.

But, one thing that did worry me was the bus.
I had all sorts of concerns: would my child get on the right bus? Would he get off at the right stop? Would there be bullies?
I decided I’d drive my son to school because we had to go past it on my way to drop off the preschooler. But, in the afternoons, pick-up was in the middle of my youngest’s naptime.
The school is only about a half mile from our house: if the road between our neighborhood and the school weren’t such a twisted back road, he’d probably be a walker.
The school pick up line was long and my youngest was a giant crab if I woke him up from his nap. So, my oldest started riding the bus home.
After about a month, he started telling me stories about mean fifth graders who tried to get him to give them his lunchbox and another child who spit on him while they were waiting to board the bus- and the teacher who waved him off when he tried to tell her. He said he didn’t have any friends on the bus.
And then my youngest decided he’d give up naps. So, I began picking up my child every day.
This year, with my crazy drop-off/pick-up schedule of having three kids in three different schools, all with various pick-up times with lots of lag time in between each, I asked my now first grader if he’d like to ride the bus home. And make my life easier as I was already a crazy mom-taxi the rest of the day.
But he was adamant that he did NOT want anything to do with the bus. I sighed, rolled my eyes, and tried to bribe him otherwise.
Until I realized that whatever, it’s not a big deal, I’ll keep picking him up.
So, imagine my surprise last week when he asked me if he could start riding the bus home.
I did a little dance of glee and told him of course.
Even though on the second day of him riding the bus home, the bus driver didn’t see him: the school bus went roaring past my house without stopping to let my child off. I called the school, where they told me that my son wasn’t there, that the bus must be dropping him off and not to panic.
The bus did drop him off, but it was after finishing the rest of the route- my son was the last one to get off the bus instead of one of the first.
I was starting to freak out and yet, he thought it was awesome. Plus, he told me that now he has friends on the bus and he likes riding it.
But, when he got home on Friday on time this time, he informed me that he got his ice cream, so he was done riding the bus.
Huh?
Apparently, the buses had had some sort of competition the week before, with the winning bus getting an ice cream treat on the way home one day this week. And the bus that goes through my neighborhood had won.
My little sneak had heard about this and decided he wanted in on the reward. Thus, his request to ride the bus home.
But, now that the reward was given, he was over the bus and wants me to pick him up again.
Sorry, pal… ain’t gonna happen.
Do your kids ride the bus or do you play mom-taxi?

Comments

  1. My kids are transfer students, so I have to drive them, the bus in not an option, but they come to school with me, so we are all going to the same place anyway. When they wen't to our base school, they either walked or I drove them. Again, bus wasn't an option.

    It's odd to me that so few people use the bus down here. When I loved up north carpooling just wasn't done (and still isn't). School aren't built with bus loops AND car pool loops and driving you child and picking them up, unless it's a rare exception, are discouraged.

  2. LOL, that's funny! He really pulled one over this time. I hope he enjoys riding the bus the rest of the year 😉

    Pierce rides the bus and he likes it, but I do cringe when comes home and says stuff like, "Sissy called me stupid". 🙁

  3. I LOVE the school bus. I was too chicken to stick my one and only precious little guy on when he was in Kindergarten. I sat in car pool line hell for the entire year and decided never again. My guy has been riding the bus now for 2 years with no problems. I love just dumping him off at the end of the block.

    You are so lucky you have bus service so close to the school. Here you must be 2 miles away, and they are strict about it.

    Glad you have at least a little more time in your life. Just wait until all 3 get on the bus each morning. Cheers!

  5. Busing…ugh…
    If we have a levy fail tomorrow, I will become a mom-taxi again. If it fails, busing for all high schoolers end and all busing for any middle schooler that lives less than 2 miles from school ends.

    This applies to my oldest and will apply to my second oldest next school year.

    For those of you that think "less than 2 miles" isn't bad…I would agree with you IF we had sidewalks. There is no safe way to walk or bike to and from our middle school. As for the high school, it is further away, and on the other side of a major highway.

    Currently, 3 of 4 of my kids take a bus. We have the best bus drivers. Caring but firm. Tomorrow will determine whether or not my kids stay bus riders.

  6. My kids have ridden the bus since day one. Wait not quite when we lived in town they walked to the middle school which was at the end of our block then rode a bus literally 5 blocks to the elementary school and another block if they went to high school. So yeah still since day one. I also grew up here we KNOW personally all the drivers, teachers, yadda yadda. So I know if my kids are in trouble or get in trouble the drivers will deal with it period. If I didn't know them I may not be as easy going as I am about it.

  7. Ooh! He's so smart. *So* smart.

    I'm not a fan of the bus, but we also live across the street from school so I have yet to play taxi. So in other words- I have no right to weigh in here! 🙂

  8. What a little smarty. I always have bus fears and was relieved when they agreed to move my daughter to a special Ed bus. My husband is a principal and the bus issues he has to deal with scare me.

  9. I have one on the bus and one I taxi – a foot in both worlds! Love the bus/ice cream campaign! What a smarty!

  11. bahahaha hes one smart cookie 🙂 But i wouldn't start picking him up again he did it for a week he can continue unless something happens like you previously stated

  12. Oh Shell…you are gonna have your hands full with that one! Sounds just like my Bean!!
    My girls are bus riders. I was working when Ash started school and it was just easier to pull up to the bus stop and head straight to Bean's preschool & then off to work. Now that they are both in school and on the bus together, they actually love riding the bus and consider it social time. They have about a 15 minute ride with all of the stops. They also have a wonderful bus driver!

  13. Ha! He's a smart one!!

    Buddy rides the bus. He has no choice. I drop him off at a school near our house and he rides it to his school. Then at night, he gets dropped back off at the same school and Jdaddy picks him up almost just as soon as he gets dropped off. The pick up/drop off times in our neighborhood just don't work with our work schedules.

  14. I hate the school bus for the same reason – the bullies. No matter how great a bus driver the kids have, there is no real supervision. And the bullies know and take advantage of this time. I`ve heard a lot of horror stories the last two years, and the teachers can`t do a thing about it. I wish I could pick them up!

  18. How sneak! I would ride a bus for ice cream, too.

    We don't have buses here and I'm kind of happy about that. I know I would be a nervous wreck.

  19. That is hilarious!!
    My son gets taken to school by Daddy and picked up by Mommy. Our small school is K-8. There is no way I am exposing my 5 year old to conversations of 8th graders.

  20. We did the Mom-mobile for a number of years but started the bus routine in Junior High and now the Metro bus (county transporation) with high school. County busses? Now that's scary! LOL

  23. What a sneaky little dude! Love it.
    My little guy loves the bus…and so do I! One less thing to worry about.

  26. Thankfully, my kiddo can drive herself now. But before that, I was always the Mom taxie. Thankfully I've always been able to. She WANTED to ride the bus, but I remembered the fights, bullies and just downright nastiness of the bus as a kid. So I wouldn't let her.

    Your kiddo is pretty darn smart!! Got to give him points for that!!

  27. What a clever little fella 🙂
    I'd probably send mine on the bus if they went to traditional school as long as the ride wasn't 3 hours long like mine was.

  29. Mine bus it. The Twins, now in 5th grade, look out for The Small One, who's in 2nd grade. And The Small One, in turn, tells on The Twins if he witnesses any out-of-line-I'm-a-big-shot-5th-grader-behavior.

    Checks and balances, my friend.

    What will I do when The Twins move on to middle school next year, you ask?

    I have no clue.

  30. Lol! He is a sneaky one. There aren't any buses here- they were eliminated with budget cuts- otherwise my son would be riding it for sure- unless there were problems- I had a horrible year on the bus my seventh grade year, so I would definitely be compassionate to problems.

  31. Ha!! That was pretty sneaky. (and I totally would have done the same thing…heck, I'll do the same thing now – let me know if you hear about any ice cream buses in my area!)

    Homeschooling eliminates the bus needs. But when I was a kid, I rode the bus. I actually rode different buses in the morning and the afternoon, because I went to my grandparent's house after school. My morning bus was torture, but my afternoon bus was fabulous, and I would have loved being forgotten every day so that I could ride through the whole route with my friends.

  32. Ha ha! That's hilarious, but very smart! You have to admire him and his little scam! I hope, though, that riding the bus continues to go well. It can be a traumatic place for a kid.

  34. Too funny that he just wanted the ice cream!
    My boys are in Kindergarten and 2nd grade and they ride the bus to and from school every day. Neither kid has ever said anything about mean kids on the bus. They say the bus drivers are mean though. (Mean because they tell the kids to sit down and stay quiet!)

  35. What a prankster!
    Our travel situation is ridiculous. I have 2 kids in the same school. I pick up PreK girl. But my 4th grader insists on taking the bus. So we have to race the bus home every day. So silly. But, you know, he has his thing going on…there's a bus 'scene.' I'm not gonna get in the way of that. And next year they will both take the bus together. And I will get a job.

  36. Jack isn't old enough for me to make that call yet, but now you've got me wondering what I'll do.
    I went to a catholic school & we didn't have bus service, so I was always a part of mom taxi (We had a big carpool w/friends so it was kind of fun!)

  37. I say a little thankful prayer of happiness for the bus everyday. I truly never have to leave my house now. LOVE the bus. BUT I have a rule that they have to sit in the first 3 rows of the bus only.

  38. I worry about the bus, have started to think about only working PT when they start school so that I can take them to school etc. It's over 2 years away and I get night sweats about it. I never took the bus,I always walked so I have nothing to compare it to….and I have to say I do have preconceived notions about it. 🙁

    but that little guy of yours is such a smarty pants, I'm so impressed with his NOTIONS 😉

    I guess the closer it gets, the more I'll email and bother you about it xo

  39. We haven't entered the phase of buses yet, but I think I'll probably have my daughter take it.
    I love how "clever" he was to get in on the treat 🙂

  40. Ha!! You've gotta give him credit though!! That's pretty clever. My 2 oldest boys do indeed ride the bus. I can watch them get on and off (plus my oldest is almost 13…he takes good care of the 8yo). AND he carries his cell phone..I know every move they make.

  42. Hah! A kid after my own heart. Mine is too young for buses yet, but I remember being the rider and had the same thing happen where they blew past my house.

    In the 80s, they didn't care (read: weren't sued all the damn time) as much and so instead of brining me to my house, they just made me get off the bus at the end of the line.

    No idea where I was. In kindergarten.

    THAT went over real well with my mom…

  43. I used to pick my girls up from school and now they ride the bus! This is actually their second year of bus riding! Whoo! Whoo@! I don't know about your son's school but the car rider line was always UBER long and very frustrating. You had to hit it just right or else. Then you had the over acheiver that would get in the front of the line by getting in the line 45 minutes early— The Bus is Fabulous!

  44. Other than field trips, my oldest two rode the bus for a couple of years but that was so long ago I can't hardly remember. But my Autistic son rode a bus from the time he was three until he graduated from 6th grade. And not just any bus, it picked him up and dropped him off right in front of my house. This special bus also had seat belts and straps for wheel chairs and even car seats for kids with disabilities. My son loved the bus from day one. It was never a chore to get him to ride for about an hour each way. Of course it was never a choice either.
    Sandy

  45. That is some serious smartness right there.

    I admire his thought-process and think it's hilarious that he didn't tell you until after the fact.

    Yep. Smartness.

    p.s. I am a taxi. For better or worse. And the kids never get ice cream. Ha!

  46. Ah, the siren's call of an ice cream party! So funny.

    I met my best friend through all of Jr. High and High School on the bus, but also had some of my worst school experiences on the bus.

  47. I am so playing mom taxi this year. My boys, who were both still in elem. school last year, decided to ride the bus because they both had friends on there and loved the bus driver.

    This year one is in middle school and one in elem. school and they are on different schedules. My oldest rode the bus one day and begged me to not make him ride it again because he said there were "wild high schoolers" on there (they share buses with the high school.)

    So one mom (who works outside the home) takes my two and her two in the mornings since she also has one in each school and I pick them up in the afternoons. But the time difference is such that I have to turn around and go back 30 minutes after I get home from getting the first ones. But it beats sitting there in the car.

    Sigh…the things we do for our kids!

  49. My kids take the bus. I could drive them easily (one advantage of living in small town – literally would take me under 5 minutes to drive there and back), but they love it! We are blessed to have the most lovely, also from our church, as the bus driver. Also, we are blessed to live in a great family neighbourhood – most of the kids on their bus, are the kids they play with outside all summer long. which is great because they are not always in the same classes.

    Also, our school board has very strict transportation policies. and I do mean strict. All students must attend a safety course at the beginning of the year, then sign a contract stating they will obey the rules, or else bus transportation privleges are revoked. for good. for the entire year.
    and they mean it. I know someone who had to quit her job because her triplet boys were kicked off the bus, and she had to be home to drive them and pick them up each day. She could not find any daycare because she needed 3 spots!

    oh yes! the rules of the bus must be followed, must be followed, the rules of the bus must be followed….all through our town. 🙂

  50. We live a ten (well, fifteen depending on the kids' speed) minute walk from the school. Whew. The bus stresses me out!

  51. Oh that little turkey! Bwhahahaha. My kids ride the bus home, but I drive them in the morning because it shows up at 6:20 and my kids are still sound asleep in bed at that ungodly hour.

  52. I'm not a big fan of the bus, mainly because of my own bad memories from my bus-riding days. But when Lil' Bit starts school, it will be a strange hybrid of bus riding and mom taxi, as I'll have to drop her off at daycare where the bus will then pick her up. Best of both worlds?

  57. My 7 year old rides the bus, and I have some anxiety about it, but it's just the easiest thing to do. I tried the taxi thing and it super sucked and made absolutely no sense. So I pick her up on the bus and it's fine. I can't imagine having three kids at three different schools. Oy.

    I do think they learn things on the bus because that time is basically unsupervised, but so far the worst thing that has happened (that I know of) is she picked up the word "Loser!" which she actually used against me when I pissed her off one time. So it goes, right?

  58. We are still a few years away from the bus question, but as someone who works in education, has friends with kids who ride buses, and as someone who rose the bus as a kid, I can honestly say that as long as I can help it, my kids will not ride the bus. Too many horror stories, especially when you have a wide range of ages.

  59. Hahaha! If only he'd kept quiet about the ice cream, he might have got his treat and then conned you into continue picking him up. Kids are such sneaky little things.

  61. I'm a taxi…as relaxed and cool as I am I just can't let my precious cargo ride that mean yucky bus that my boys would only be on for about 7 minutes…
    and I pass it on the way to and from preschool…and I'd actually have to leave the house earlier in the morning to get them on the bus…and then come home from preschool pick up and go back to the bus stop 15 minutes later…
    so that's my excuse

  62. Ha! Too funny! My oldest was SO excited when I finally let her ride the bus consistently. I drove her everyday except ONE afternoon all year during Kindergarten year. Finally, the next year, after my 3rd child was born, I gave into the pressure due to nap schedules. Now I have two out of 3 that ride the bus… I do it more because I have too (and I'm STILL a mom taxi 😉 !) If I had the choice though, I'd drive them if it was at all realistic.

    P.S. Full disclosure: my husband was a Jr. High principal for years, and I heard horror stories about the busses… So maybe I'm a bit over-paranoid????!?!

  63. That's one smart kid.

    Honestly, I hated the bus growing up. I don't want Donut to have to take the bus and I'm too paranoid to let her walk. Maybe I'm overprotective, I don't know. But I've already decided I'm driving her. Or homeschooling. 😉

  64. What a smart little dude! I hated the bus when I was younger. I rode it when I was in middle school and it was terrible. The things that went on with the older kids in the back were unmentionable. I'd never want my son to ride the bus. My husband's mom actually works for the School's Transportation Department, handling all of the bus routes, etc. And some of the videos that she's told us about (things that the ELEMENTARY school kids have done) is enough to make me stay far, far away from the bus system.

  66. He is too darn smart (for your own good Shell!)

    We do the bus. We did it last year in Kindergarten and this year in 1st grade. Ben will have it easier since he will be riding with his brother, he won't have that anxiety about where to go or what to do! (And neither will I)

  67. Wow! I love the way his mind works.

    My two oldest used to ride the bus, but two years ago we started doing School Choice so now we have to drive them back and forth to school. I think they like it better.

    My little one starts first grade in September and she is dying to ride the bus, but it is not going to happen because she will also be doing school choice. So far I have just put off her bus riding requests.

    On a side note I have ridden on school buses in the past couple of years for field trips and games and such and I can tell you it is probably the most uncomfortable ride ever! I can't believe that someone hasn't figured out a way to make school buses more comfortable and less smelly!

  68. HAHAH! That is super sneaky. I love it.
    Unfortunately, since we live so close to the 3 schools in our area, we don't have any bus option. Just mommy taxi or mommy walking service. It's ok though, I could use the exercise 😉

  69. That's hilarious! He is very smart, if only it hadn't backfired on him. 🙂 I am a huge mom taxi and have to end my toddlers nap early every day–I still have a bad attitude about that.

  70. Oh my gosh, that's hysterical. Yeah, he needs to ride the bus. 🙂

    I do car pool, but we go to a magnet school and it's a 12 minute car ride, but on the bus, it would be much longer. My son wants to ride the bus, but we're holding off right now.

    Thanks also for the FB love today. I appreciate it.

  71. Wow…well my kids have always been bussed and the elementary-only riders have been pretty mellow. But our schools have banned any form of food celebrations! No birthday cupcakes, Halloween candy, Valentine candy hearts with words – all gone! My kids would probably do anything for an ice cream reward at this point!

  72. I would love it if my kids could take the bus but we're too close to the school and the school's budget just won't allow it right now.

    He sure tried pulling a fast one on you…and I love that you're gonna have him continue riding the bus! Trust me, he'll laugh about this story someday…when he has his own kids and they pull the same thing!!!

  73. My kids ride and are on the bus for about 20 minutes. I was worried about it at first but overall their bus experience has been positive.

  75. We always lived too close to the schools to have to deal with buses. They could either walk or be driven. Everyone in the neighborhood would hit me up to join their carpool and I always refused. I loved those last few minutes with my boys hostage in my car for my daily dose of love, talking, and reminding them to be good.

  77. Sneaky sneaky! Watch out for him. hahaha. Let's in VA the girls rode the bus. Loved it! (me not them per se) Little Middle missed it more than once.

    Out here we don't use the buses as it a huge fee. No thanks. I will use that money I "save" being the taxi.

    I never rode the bus. I either walked or rode my bike.

  78. OOOOHHHH the big bad bus. I wrote at least two (that I can remember?) posts about my feelings and the bus back in August.

    My oldest rides it one day a week to school. I drive him and pick him up every other day. It's worked out just right for us… but it took a lot of tears from this Mama Bear to get there!

  79. That's a great prize if you ask me, though I'm sorry it's not a year-round thing for your sake!

  80. I'm a total mom-taxi. In fact, on my way home from picking up from school, I pick up other kids (friends) along the way, if we see them walking. Sometimes when I pick up my son from middle school, there can be 3 or 4 of his friends standing there with him…all ready to get into our van for a ride home. I love it. LOVE it! You see, they grow up only too quickly and my driving-them-around days will one day be gone forever. So, I drive them while I can. I enjoy it! I'm the mom of 9 kids, and so no, it's not always convenient to get back into the car to do the pick-up thing. Yep, it's right in the middle of nap time. But the younger ones nap pretty well in the car, too 🙂

  81. The bus scares me for all the reasons you mentioned — bullies, missing a bus or getting on the wrong bus in a transfer (that happened to me as a kid and it was scary as hell), etc, etc. We send our kids to Catholic school (since the public school is shit here) and there's an extra fee for them to take the bus, so it was a no-brainer that I'd just drive them to/from. Mom-taxi is a role I'm not always crazy about, but sometimes the choice is made for you. Good luck with the bus vs taxi battle!

  82. ! What a sneaky little guy you have!!!
    Growing up, we were one of the last few to get off the bus… SUCH a long ride!!!

  83. This is an ongoing comversation in my house right now. My husband who is always the pessimist of the family took the bus course in hopes to going out west for work. Needless to say, when our daughter was in kindergarten last year we were all for driving her to and from school, which is approximately 10 minutes of highway away. It was alright for me at the time, he would drive her in the morning and I would pick her up in the afternoon. This year on the other hand, I think that she is old enough to go on the bus (really I just don't want to get me and the baby dressed and go out everyday.) So my hubby and I talked about it and he is so against her taking the bus because he thinks that most bus drivers are crazy. "HMMMMMMM,you may be right sweety!!" (rolling my eyes and reminding him that he too took the course.) Guess he hit the nail on the head this time!! HAHA As for now, Hi, my name is Lynn, and I am a school taxi! lol

  84. HA! You've got a smart one there Shell. Ugh, taking the bus does sound kind of scary at that age. I don't think Sebastian will take a bus here in the city until high school since most schools are pretty close by. I walked to school as a kid and didn't take the bus till high school when most of that nonsense was over. Good luck!

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