another parent gets the smack down

[KabeRinnaul]

I live just past the outskirts of the city, on top of a steep hill. My house was only a few hundred feet from the bus stop I used as a kid, but you couldn't get down that side between the slope, thorn bushes, and fences. So days I walked meant going all the way up the neighborhood away from the stop, and back down along the foot of the hill. Altogether, it was about a mile. And the road is steep enough that if there's enough snow on the ground for you to actually see it, it's impossible to get up the hill without 4WD and chains. The Escort I had for a couple years would get about 50 feet up the road, spin out, and start sliding back down.

And yeah, I walked that. Wound up gaining most of my current weight after I quit walking it, too...

[IDrinkaRum]

D'oh! Whip me with a wet noodle!

What was I thinking?

The bubble wrap!

The extra padding!

Don't forget the styrofoam peanuts neither in her shoes in case she bangs her toe, right?

Yeah ... I'm making my daughter be prepared for the real world!



I'll just crawl back into my hovel now and hope that everyone forgives me.

[KnitShoni]

Shame on you all. None of you remembered the helmet?

[IDrinkaRum]

OMG! I have to get a helmet too!?

Viking helmet.

Motorcycle helmet.

Child does have a bike helmet. Should she wear that to/on the bus?

[blas87]

I truly hope you don't mean a Minnesota Vikings helmet

[KnitShoni]

Oh, definitely to! You wouldn't want people to think you only cared about her safety on the bus!

[IDrinkaRum]

I truly hope you don't mean a Minnesota Vikings helmet

No no, not a Minnesota Vikings helmet ... An actual Vikings Helmet. Complete with horns. OoO .. that might be too dangerous for the other kids. It would have to be a football helmet. Since we're in "Redskins territory" it'd have to be a Redskins helmet. Until we move to Maryland and then it'll probably be a Baltimore Ravens helmet.

Man oh man ... Child loves her bike helmet! She'll be sooooo excited!

[DGoddess]

These times are getting ridiculous. I too, see buses stop every 3 houses to drop kids off. If there's this rule that they can only release the kids under a certain age to parents, okay fine. But why the hell can't these parents just converge at one house or corner? Why hold up the traffic, which is already bad enough at school pick up and drop off times, to stop every 20 feet?

Back when I started school in the 1970's, I had to walk up half a block, take a left and walk down another short block to get to my bus stop. And I was by myself, as my Mom would already be gone off to work (single parent at the time) and I walked home by myself too. Nobody called Social Services or the school to complain . . .

But then I had a grandmother who was afraid of the world and basically sheltered me to the point where I wouldn't even talk to people. . . .so abductions wasn't a real concern in those days. I saw a stranger, I'd automatically go the other way.

Only time I was driven to school on a regular basis was my senior year and my stepdad would drop me off at the Satellite school where I had a 7:30 computer class before my regular classes at my home school. And then I'd catch a bus to my regular school and then the regular bus home in the afternoons, where it would drop me off right in front of my house (even though the assigned bus stop was at the corner PAST my house, it made more sense for the driver just to stop in front rather than me walk all the way back up half a block.)

Times have sure changed . . .

[Boozy]

My mother tells me stories about her wandering the neighbourhood alone at the age of 5. When she got bored or hungry, she'd knock on someone's door and ask for milk and cookies. And usually got them.

Of course, this would have been considered cheeky behaviour even in its day (the 1950's).

But it wasn't considered unsafe.

Today, I'd consider it unsafe behaviour mostly because of traffic changes. Even quiet suburbs have a lot of cars on the street during weekdays now. This wasn't really the case in the 50's.

[Lace Neil Singer]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...ool-alone.html

Not starting a new topic, cuz I feel this ties in with this topic. What do you think?

My only problem with it is the safety aspect; traffic can be very problematic at that time of day. But as long as the children are taught about traffic, given helmets and safety gear, what's the harm? They cycle on the pavement. They keep together, and are supervised on the way home.