Thursday, February 17, 2011

The Kid Will Be Alright

So the subject of Violet riding the bus to school came up last night (I know, a little premature). I mentioned how some parents religiously drop their kids off each morning and pick them up because they don’t want them riding the bus. Linda surprised me by agreeing with their behavior. “Violet could get picked on if she rides the bus. And all those big kids…and all the other bad things she could hear and pick up on the bus.” I responded that Violet will need to learn how to deal with these things on her own sooner or later – that I rode the bus and I learned how to do it. As I said the words, I pictured a five-year old Violet, tiny backpack on her back, lifting her little legs high to step up onto the bus while leering middle schoolers stared from the windows at the back of the bus, waiting, and part of me could very much see my wife’s point. But the rest of me – the part that includes the second grade teacher – wants to see Violet develop coping skills and independence – because bullies and bad words aren’t just on the bus. And from what my students tell me, the ones on the bus are – usually – age appropriate, if that makes sense. In the end, Linda and I decided to leave the conversation for later. Violet’s first day is a long way off, and both of us could change our minds by then. Maybe we’ll home school…

89 days old

2 comments:

  1. Well, it depends....
    Be sure to make friends with the bus driver. Ruth ran a tight (and kind) ship. I knew my children were safe with her on the way to Wales.
    My kids didn't like riding the bus, but they did except when their father was driving to work past the school on Girdle and dropped them off. No special trips.
    However, we named another driver "Who" after she questioned one of my boys in February, "Who are you? You don't ride this bus."???

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  2. Anne - I agree - the bus driver makes such a difference. I rode the bus from K-12: there were some rough days and I would have loved for my parents to drive me instead, but I think it was good for me, too - of course, I usually had an older brother on the same bus watching out for me (or tormenting me).

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