My kid's bus driver told them to watch the news last night, I am very angry

[Disney1fan2002]

Usually, i don't get upset if my kids come home and say that a teacher, or a bus driver told them something. Even if it goes agaianst how I am raising them. They sees hundreds and hundreds of kids all day long, how are they supposed to know each family's belief system. When my kids question something, I explain that other families do things differently. IMO, it is a way for them to experience diversity.


I do not let my kids watch the news. I rarely have the news on when they are around. I just don't feel that the news that is making headlines is something a 5, 6 and 8 yo need to know about.

This morning, my DD6 said she forgot to watch the news last night. I asked her why she needed to watch the news, was it for homeowrk? She said no, her bus driver told her to watch the news. I asked why. She said because the bus driver told her that a man beat up a mother goose and stomped the baby geese to death, and to watch the news about it.

So I asked my older son what else does the bus driver talk to you kids about? He said nothing, it was just that the kids on the bus did not believe her about the man killing the baby geese, so she told us to go home and watch the news about it.

WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HAVING A CONVERSATION LIKE THIS TO A BUS FULL OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS???? sorry to yell, I am so angry.

I am thinking I should call and complain to her supervisor, but I hate doing stuff like that. (even though if it were anyone else here, my advise would be to call, I just don't like doing it).

 

[ericamanda01]

What kind of topic is that for young kids to see? I am grown and didn't read or watch the new about that story. I don't care for news stories like that and it is really inappropriate for children.

 

[NMAmy]

I wonder if the news item was on the radio and someone asked the bus driver about it and that's what started the conversation.

 

[pw2pp]

I wonder if the news item was on the radio and someone asked the bus driver about it and that's what started the conversation.

That could be true. You really don't know the context of the conversation. Maybe one of the kids said.... "Did that man really.......?" or "did they just say on the radio that........?" and the bus driver may have just replied, "I don't know, why don't you watch the news tonight to see" or something like that.
Why not just talk to the bus driver?

 

[Disney1fan2002]

I wonder if the news item was on the radio and someone asked the bus driver about it and that's what started the conversation.

I don't think that was the case, because my DS said none of the kids believed her. That is why she told them to watch the news. So, not only is she discussing this topic with the kids, but she wants them to see for themselves that it actually happened.

If it were on the radio, then the kids would not question her story.

 

[Charade]

Have your kids ever watched Bambi? Or the Lion King?

 

[MELSMICE]

Usually, i don't get upset if my kids come home and say that a teacher, or a bus driver told them something. Even if it goes agaianst how I am raising them. They sees hundreds and hundreds of kids all day long, how are they supposed to know each family's belief system. When my kids question something, I explain that other families do things differently. IMO, it is a way for them to experience diversity.

WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING HAVING A CONVERSATION LIKE THIS TO A BUS FULL OF ELEMENTARY STUDENTS???? sorry to yell, I am so angry.

I am thinking I should call and complain to her supervisor, but I hate doing stuff like that. (even though if it were anyone else here, my advise would be to call, I just don't like doing it).

The bus drive probably shouldn't have mentioned the story, but as you said, different families believe different things & maybe this bus driver speaks with her children/family about these type of things.

I would use it as a "learning tool". Tell your children that the bus driver shouldn't have talked about this story because it can really scare some children. I would also tell them that unfortunately the story is true & there are really some cruel people in the world and those are not the type of people whose example we should follow.

It wasn't right for the bus driver to say anything, but it's over & done with now. Move forward with it.

If it makes you feel better then call the supervisor. I'm not sure I would. I'd reiterate to your children that different families talk about different things & that you don't think those things are nice to talk about so you choose not to in your house. JMO!

 

[Figment]

Wayyyyy too much ado about nothing.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Have your kids ever watched Bambi? Or the Lion King?

I agree....there is such a thing as sheltering your kids too much.

 

[laurie31]

I agree!

I saw the link on here about that, and couldn't even bear to click on it. It would upest me too badly to read something like that. NO WAY would I try to explain animal cruelty of that degree to my girls. We do have two dogs and two cats that were rescues and they know that some very irresponsible person dumped them and left them to fend for themsleves and we've talked about how wrong that was and how animals are to be treated and cared for, but there's just no reason for them to know that level of cruelty (stomping baby birds) is out there in the world.

I also don't allow my kids to watch the news. It is not apporpriate for children. We do talk about the war in Iraq, mainly because they have classmates whose parents are deployed, so they can't help but know about that. They surely don't need to know about the nuclear capabilities of 3rd world countries or anything else that would give them nightmares. They knew about the tsunami but again, I explained it to them. I didn't let them watch endless coverage of dead bodies and crying survivors

The bus driver should never have brought up such a subject. I'd be very upset if my dd's even heard about the baby geese story from an adult. And then to tell them to watch the news because they didn't believe her, just to be proven right, takes it to the next level.

I now see the post that maybe a child brought this up, but if that's true, the driver should have said something vague and sympathetic like, "Oh that was a terrible thing," and let it go at that.

Perhaps the driver forgets how literal-minded children that age are. Your 6 year old thought she really was supposed to watch the news because an adult who has authority over her told her to do it. Certainly she has to sit down and stop talking when the driver tells her to, so to her "Watch the news" is also a command to be followed.

I also have problems confronting people about things like that, but I think you should. I think it could be done in a nice "did you realize a topic like that is not appropriate for kids" kind of way and not a "what kind of idiot are you" kind of way.

Keep us updated!

Laurie

Edited to add: I have more of a problem that the driver told the kids to watch the news to validate the story that anything else. NOt because some kids aren't allowed to watch the news but because it comes across as "Oh yeah? You don't believe me? Well see for yourself!"

 

[Disney1fan2002]

Yes, my kids have watched Bambi and the Lion King. There is a huge difference between watching a CARTOON, which they have known since they could understand, that what happens in a cartoon is not real.

Look at the thread on the topic yesterday. How many ADULTS on this board were disturbed by the news?

I do not shelter my kids too much. I just don't think they need to know how big, bad and cruel the world really is at THEIR AGE now. Yes, in middle school, maybe we will have a weekly current events night in my house, and we can discuss in detail all the rotten news. But I do not appreciate an adult discussing with my 6yo and 8 yo, and all the other 6,7,8,9 yo olds on the bus, about a man stomping baby geese to death.

Way too much ado about nothing? Ok, I guess I am weird mother. I guess I didn't realize that not wanting my 6yo to know that a man can just get mad and stomp baby geese to death was going overboard.

 

[LoraJ]

While the topic she wanted the kids to watch is a bit heavy for young kids, I don't see anything wrong with kids watching the news.

When I was in Kindergarten, I was taped for something that was going to be on the news. My mom told the teacher and she wrote it on the board for everyone to watch me on the news that night. Was that a wrong thing to do? I don't think so.

You can't shelter them forever. They are going to start hearing a lot worse than what is on the news from schoolmates.

 

[pw2pp]

I can understand that the OP would be a little bothered or annoyed that the driver discussed this topic with her kids.
But I would say (now that my kids are 17 & 15)...... that it is impossible to sheild your kids from these sort of things and while it is upsetting when they are young and you are first going through it, you will come to accept the fact that your kids will hear about things like this (and even worse), so the best thing you can do is discuss it with them after it happens.

 

[golfgal]

My kids watch the news and I would have not had a problem with the bus driver saying that to my kids. I guess I look at it this way, watching the news is LIFE. I feel they are better to be informed then to live in a bubble.

 

[cl1067]

My kids are 9 & 4. My 9 YO watches the news every night with me, by her own choice. I feel she is old enough to begin to learn that not everything is perfect in the world and to begin to learn about the world outside of our town. It has actually brought about a lot of questions and conversations and she is even beginning to have her own well thought out opinions on things such as politics.

I just really feel that although we need to protect our children, we also have a responsibility to teach them to be good citizens that care about what is going on around them and to know the importance of things such as their vote, etc.

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Yes, my kids have watched Bambi and the Lion King. There is a huge difference between watching a CARTOON, which they have known since they could understand, that what happens in a cartoon is not real.

I found this interesting since both of these movies deal witha death of a parent. So parents never die? I mean you say cartoons are NOT REAL, which they aren't, but they do deal with real-life issues, especially in the case of these two movies.

Moving on, eh, I don't see what the big deal is. I grew up watching the news and I think I turned out okay. I don't think my world would have been shattered by the bus driver telling me about geese being stomped to death.

 

[Planogirl]

The younger kids might be a little young to watch the news on a regular basis but they're going to hear things. I think that the bus driver probably shouldn't have talked about it but it wouldn't really upset me all that much. I would have discussed it with my son and let it go. JMO.

 

[RickinNYC]

Wayyyyy too much ado about nothing.

Holy crap! I kinda sorta agree with Figment!

In all seriousness, I kind of think that in cases like this, one should pick one's battles.

 

[Sandy22]

I think bus drivers are trying to concentrate on the road and getting the kids safely to their destination. She probably made a quick comment about watching the news just to keep the kids quiet. I wouldn't get upset about it.

 

[ckay87]

I just kind of doubt that this took place with the bus driver standing up and lecturing the entire bus about it. Conversations with little kids can become ridiculous and, when translated by a kid, even more ridiculous. I'll bet the topic was brought up by one kid (sitting up front), then proceeded as...
kid #2: "no way"
kid #1: "yea way"
kid #2: "you're lying"
kid #1: "am not"
kid #2: "are too"
bus driver: "yea it happened. Watch the news tonight and you'll see."

Whether the bus driver should have chimed in, who knows. But IMHO, nothing to get that angry about.

Also IMHO, bus drivers are saints!