Does Your Kindergarten Child Ride The Bus???

[belle&sebastiansmom]

Does your kindergartner or young elementary child ride the bus to school?

After witnessing the chaos that is the drop off and pick up line, it may be safer and easier for my 5 year to ride the bus.

But, I'm majorly scared and nervous for her to ride!!

Put my fears to rest, or convince me not to let her until she's older.

Thanks!!!

 

[quentina]

No, none of my children have taken the bus. To me, it is just easier to drive them to school then deal with the waiting at the bus stop. Too be honest, I feel it takes less of my time.

I work FT however, someone is always home with my smaller kids so, they always get dropped off and picked up.

My 12 year old is off to middle school this year. He is taking the bus the 1st day only...just incase there is an emergency and he needs to take at some time (so he knows where to go). My kids do not want to take the bus and prefer to be driven.

I am not a fan of school buses. I have no reason for this and know that there are tons of great people who drive them....I just prefer to have my kids with me whenever possible.

 

[Kae]

Both of mine did, it was the one thing they looked forward to. It was all they talked about before kindergarten.

Kae

 

[DisneyBlonde]

Kindergarteners at our school had a seperate bus than the other kids...but no, my son didn't take the bus, he was driven to school.

 

[beattyfamily]

Yep, both my girls took/take the bus.

I think every mother of a 5 year old goes through the fears of putting their little one on the bus and I did too. I cried as the bus drove away.

But my kids love it. They feel 'grown up'. They get to socialize. IMHO, it's part of the school experience.

However, I would not hesitate to drive them if there was a reason to like if there was trouble on the bus or if my child had anxiety on the bus.

 

[ajk912]

I haven't decided yet. School starts Sept 8 here. In the past I have always just walked my kids to school and picked them up in the cafeteria (I have to sign them out first) for the first month or so of school, and then when the weather starts to cool off they ride the bus. Either way, they get home about the same time..within about 5 minutes or so. School lets out at 3:40 here, and if we walk we may be home at 3:44 or so and the bus drops off at 3:48 (we are the second stop).

I am terrified my K will forget which bus to get on on whatever. BUT, with her being the second stop, I will know INSTANTLY if there is a problem so I could call the school. My 3rd and 5th graders will be on the bus, too, and they both really want to ride the bus to see their friends. I hate to just walk ONE kid to school. I wish admin at the kids' school wasn't such a bunch of turds..and to see if my older kids could walk with my K to the bus. They would never allow that. And I wouldn't feel comfortable doing what I have in the past..switching over mid year..because that's fine with the big kids, they can find the bus no big deal..but a 5 year old? Oh, and she REALLY wants to ride the bus. She has been wanting to ride the big kid bus since she was 3, silly kid! But, the bus stop mess is a mess in the morning..waiting with a zillion kids and me feeling like the only chaperone. Ugh.

But like you..the pick up/drop off line is a MESS. And then we have to be walking across traffic for a few minutes. It's kind of stressful there for a minute. No crossing guards here, the state of VA supposedly requires safety guards OR transportation for all kids..so they do transportation for all kids here..even if you live right across the street from the school. Silly, I know.

Anyway..talking out loud..haven't decided yet.

 

[mum4jenn]

Our system has elementary and middle/high ride different buses. Also the younger kids sit up front. THe buses also drop off and pick up direvtly in front of that child's house and will not leave a child in the sfternoon if they do not see a car in the driveway.

Our Dd rode some but it was always so hot here she would be soaking wet each day and just wiped out from the heat. Since I work at the schools I just started staying until school got out and took her home with me.

 

[vettechick99]

It depends on who she is going to be riding with. I teach school and I would not want my daughter on the bus with some of the kids I see everyday. But if you live in a nice neighborhood and she will be riding with those kids, I'd feel ok with letting her ride.

 

[maelstrom]

I took the bus from kindergarten through tenth grade. In kindergarten, I rode the same bus with fifth graders in the morning; in the afternoon, we had our own bus (kindergarten is half-day here). After that, 1st thru 5th grade all took the same bus. It isn't that way anymore, though, because none of the schools are K-5 anymore.

 

[MushyMushy]

Both of mine were very much looking forward to it. For both of them, I drove them to school and let them ride the bus home.

They spent less time away from home that way. I got them to school later than the bus would, and the bus got them home earlier than I could have (parent pick ups had to wait 20 minutes to get the kids, so they got home before I could have done it)

 

[Chipmunk89]

My ds starting riding the bus for pre-k. He loved riding the bus. I was very nervous since he was only 3, but our bus was only for pre-k students. When he started Kindergarten, I was again worried because there would be older kids on the bus. It turned out I worried for nothing. The bus driver kept the younger kids up front. And DS loved being a big boy.

 

[Nik's Mom]

Both of my kids rode the bus in kindergarten. We had a couple of bad experiences where a temp driver got lost and the kids were about 30 minutes late being dropped off. Of course, I would panic but a quick call to the school would confirm that the kids were on their way.

I was so nervous at first, so I understand where you are coming from. As long as the bigger kids are on a different bus, you should be fine.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

I remember the summer before my oldest rode the bus. I was a nervous wreck about the bus!! Within a week I realized I had worried over nothing. The little ones sat up front, plus the bus driver was "mean." He kept everything under control!!

 

[bigbabyblues]

My boys go to private school, but if they went to public school, I'd let them ride the bus. They will be in 3rd grade and K this year, fwiw. Our neighbor kids ride the bus. Their mom started out driving them, and the oldest begged to ride the bus. They are only on the bus for maybe 10 minutes, though.

 

[descovy]

Yes, my kids at Kindergarten age ride (rode) the bus.

I find it safe and reliable transportation. And my tax dollars pay for it, may as well use it!

If you don't find it safe, think, would you let them attend a field trip?

Last year, my older daughter had a dance class once a week that was so soon after school that it required me to pick the kids up from the car rider line. I shake my head at all the families who do this daily... sometimes waiting up to an hour in line... running their engine and A/C the whole time. Especially in our school district, where everone has bus service available...even if they live accross the street from the school.

The money, time, fuel consumption to pick up one little child just boggles my mind. My oldest went to Kindergarten on the bus... and this year my youngest is going to Kindergarten and she'll be going on the bus!

Does your kindergartner or young elementary child ride the bus to school?

After witnessing the chaos that is the drop off and pick up line, it may be safer and easier for my 5 year to ride the bus.

But, I'm majorly scared and nervous for her to ride!!

Put my fears to rest, or convince me not to let her until she's older.

Thanks!!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

They have been driven, walked and rode the bus. Oldest is going off to college with a car.

I did drive my youngest last yr, 6th gr. This year she is taking the bus.

My kids never had issues when they were younger on the bus. It is when they get older you have to worry.

I think my advice is to start with the bus and then if you have issues you can start driving them. It is harder to drive them and then switch to the bus.

 

[luvmy3]

All of my kids ride the bus and have since Kindergarten. Of course the first was the hardest to see go, but by the third I was practically throwing them out to the bus stop. Not really, its just gets easier. For my youngest who was in K last year, riding the bus was the highlight of his day, and I also liked the independence it gave him. He felt like a big kid, just like his brother and sister. The young kids sit up front and there are older %th and 6th grade students to help them get to their classrooms, and help them back on teh bus at the end of the day. I admit I was very worried about the safety issue, and having someone else responsible for driving them and trusting them but
after the first week, the over worrying was gone.
You could always put her on the bus and then follow it to school

 

[Piglets Mommy]

My DS has ridden the bus since Kdg. and DD is starting K in Sept. and will ride the bus. It's K-5 in the morning and just K in the afternoon (1/2 day K here.)

 

[mtemm]

my 5 year old twins won't when they start kindergarten next month, and their brother (7) never has.

I have a few reasons for it. part of it is the fear and having read too many stories of problems on busses. but honestly it also comes down to the fact that we are within walking distance of the school, so I enjoy walking them to and from school when the weather is nice. and when it isn't, the drive takes me all of 3 minutes. when I pick up I do have to wait about 10 or 15 minutes usually (line to pick up) but contrast that with the fact that the way the bus routes run they would be riding about half an hour to and another half hour from, it just makes sense for me to take them.

 

[EthansMom]

DD5 is looking forward to it and DS8 has never had any problems.

Our small school only has 2-3 busses. The younger kids sit up front. An aide meets all of the Kindergarteners as they get off the bus. Our bus stop is right next door so on cold-weather days, my kids can stay inside and run to the busstop when they see the bus coming.