I am very lucky that I able to be home with my kids. I’ve been home all but Katie’s first year and I know that is hard in these day and times for a lot of families. So, I cherish the things I get to do as a stay at home mom.
Like waking up my daughter – 3 attempts minimum to get her up – helping her get ready, loading her in the car and driving her to Kindergarten every morning. And every afternoon I load up my younger two daughters and go sit in the long car line, play on my phone, search feverishly for the sign with her name to show the guys taking the line down, repeat 3700 times that we are going to move in just a second to the ones in the back screaming, “GO MOM GO!” and pick her up.
It is a pain, I can admit it. But when she gets in the car and she gives me her sticker that she gets for being quiet in the line, it melts my heart and makes it all worth it.
But now there is a recurring conversation as a result of the fact that Katie got to ride on a school bus for a field trip a while back. Ever since then, she has asked if she can ride the bus. I always just tell her that she is a car rider and try to change the subject. But as she has gotten to know her friends she has figured out that some are car riders, some are bus riders and some are both, the pressure is rising.
Now, she really, really, Really, REALLY, REEAALLYY MOM PLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE, wants to ride the bus.
I don’t want her to. Call it mommy selfishness, call it unreasonable ridiculousness, call it “I will get my way as her mother” stubborness, but I really, really, Really, REALLY, REEAALLYY KATIE PLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE do not want her to ride the bus.
I tell her they are not as safe as a car.
Lie.
I tell her they don’t have seatbelts.
Truth.
I tell her it is my job to drive her to and from school.
Kinda the truth.
But the reality is that I just don’t want to lose her to the grown up, independent, ‘I don’t need you anymore, Mom.” crowd.
So, rather than suck it up and be an adult and let her ride the bus a few times, I subject myself to the same argument every day on the way home. And I shake my head in disbelief that my little Katie is old enough to even have this option.
I just can’t believe that my kindergartner wants to ride the school bus.
Image borrowed from apollokidz.com.
This is great, I love how you convey both of your desires for what you want. It’s very cute. I am a stay at home mom of 3. My oldest is 12 in 6th grade and is autistic. My daughter is 6, in 1st grade and my youngest son is 5 and in Kindergarten. I home schooled my oldest out of necessity until 2nd grade. When he got diagnosed with Autism and started attending public school I made it mandatory that he have private transportation on a special needs school bus. When my daughter started school, I didn’t have a vehicle I could drive them to school with. We only have one vehicle and my husband needed it to commute to work. I was not ready for her to be on a regular school bus with bigger kids and realistically I couldn’t be in 2 places at 1 time when it came to getting them on and off school buses, as her bus stop would have been up the road and my son got dropped off and picked up at my front door. I made arrangements that she ride the same bus with my special needs son. We have since moved and I can no longer do that. We have moved to a school where we live 2 blocks away and are in the walk zone so a school bus is not an option for my 1st and 6th grader. I walk my kids to and from school. My kindergartener wanted to ride the school bus though and it was an option for him to ride the bus on the way home. I think it’s important for kids to have the opportunity to ride the bus and be able to do it. It is one of those things that creates memories for them. As silly as it is I allow my Kinder to ride the bus because I know this is the only year at this school that he will be able to do it. I would consider letting your daughter ride the bus and being able to stay home with your younger 2. The independence will come whether you are ready or not, being that it’s something she desires a lot and is simple to arrange… I’d let her do it and see how it goes. The cool thing is that you have the right to revoke that privilege at any time. I guess it would depend on whether she would be on a bus full of older kids as well. My Kinder is on a kinder only bus.
Here is a better reason for not wanting your little baby girl to ride the school bus (I have the same problem as you, by the way). I personally know of four separate young women who went to four different schools who were each sexually molested on a school bus by an older child. I, myself, was bullied on the bus since there is little, if any, adult supervision. I don’t let my kids ride the bus, and I never will unless the problem of supervision is solved.
when my son started kindergarten, he wanted to do the same thing. I told him no. It was my job to make sure the he got to and from school safely. Under no circumstances would he or his sisters ever ride the bus to school.
I know that a lot of families dont have the same options that we have. I was always picked up from school by a family member and I will do the same for my children
My oldest begged to ride the school bus to school from day one. Her dad said let her. So I did. I then followed said school bus to the school and got out and went to see where she was. I eavesdropped outside the door. I am thankful I did because there were not one but two Kaitlyn Smith’s in the class and not two but three kaitlyn’s and they had messed them up and my daughter had the wrong bus number pinned to her shirt. So, that verified I had been correct to follow the bus. :) I took all I had not to follow it every single day. Every afternoon my nerves would get jumpy until I saw her smiling face walk down the bus steps towards me.