Aiden wants to ride the bus. He's wanted to ride the bus since his pre-school last year got to "tour" a big yellow school bus and take a quick ride.
I hated riding the bus. In fact, there is still a vague feeling of revulsion that settles deep in my belly every time I see one of those yellow and black beacons of childhood roll by. For me, the bus was just one more place to be tormented by the "popular kids". I remember begging my mom to please just take me to and from school. Which was impossible for my family at that time, and not realizing (this was middle school) how far the school really was from our house. Needless to say, I ditched riding the bus as soon as my friends started driving. And I vowed that my kids would never ride the bus unless it was their choice.
Enter kindergarten bussing. It's the same as regular bussing. My sweet little 6 year old on the monstrous yellow behemoth with kids all the way up to 5th grade. With no seatbelts. And no child safety seats. Kids are supposed to stay in boosters to 8 years or 80 pounds these days for crying out loud!!! My smaller-than-average little man does not need to be rattling around in something so unsafe! And, with Chris and I both home during the week, we can take him back and forth ourselves.....
But he begged, and argued, and pleaded his case. For those of you who don't know Aiden well, this can be a very arduous process. Aiden is a natural debater- we think he'll make a great criminal attorney someday. I was not, and still am not, ready for him to ride the bus. But isn't part of parenting learning to let go- a little at a time?
So, we compromised. This morning at 1121, the bus is going to pick up our oldest and cart him off to school. (School that starts at 1215.) We are going to be there to pick him up (at the school)when the day is over. In a month or so, if he likes it, we may flip it so that we take him and the bus brings him home. And if that goes well, and he still really wants to, we may just let him ride all the time.
But then again, we may not let him ride back and forth until next year, when the school is a little closer to home.
We went throough this same thing with Jadelyn. I drove her to school last year. Now she is a first grader and insist on riding the bus. I don't get it. I also hated the bus. I think it will wear off as they get older. I was a nervous wreck the first few days she rode the bus. I am all about seatbelts and boosters.
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