1) I hated riding the school bus. It caused me great anxiety when I was in middle school to ride the bus. And I didn't ride it long. I was always afraid I would miss getting on the right bus in the afternoon & that there wouldn't be a seat for me.
2) I am perfectly available to take and pick up my child. So why would I put him on the bus if I was available?
3) I am not a fan of buses because I think not-so-great things happen on school buses everyday. There are bullies, there is potential language from older kids, there are NO seat belts... the list could go on & on!
However, I have really been looking at every possible angle on how to cut corners financially because gas & groceries are about to kill our budget. If I am honest, they already have. They aren't the only things either. Randy's insurance has changed to an HSA with a $5K deductible. Yes, you read that right- i said $5,000! And with his medical history- we will max that every year. So, I have been forced to look at cutting corners where I can. And, I have been forced to see that riding the bus will save me in gas mileage everyday of the week. I have a 10 minute drive to the school, so that means just in driving time I have 40 minutes a day in the car. And then when you factor in the carpool wait- usually about 30 minutes from start to finish, then I have 1 hour & 10 minutes everyday in gas mileage. And when Jackson has been asking to ride the bus off & on since Kindergarten... it just made sense. So, this past Monday I filled out the paperwork in the front office & today he rode it for the first time this morning! He looked so timid that I came in and cried for a few minutes. It just hurt my stomach to think about him on a school bus. But the driver was very nice & she sat him in the seat just behind her to keep her eye on him! And his teacher told me that she would be responsible every day to get him on the right bus. (Apparently this is her afternoon duty).
I got out my camera to catch the bus this afternoon....
He was very proud when he got off the bus!
(Meanwhile, I was behind the camera doing my nervous chuckle thing for the sake of not crying!)I am not going to lie. I am still not comfortable with it. But I feel like it was a choice I had to make. I also had to consider all the members of my family when making this choice too & Eli came to mind immediately. He hasn't had a full nap since Jackson started Kindergarten because I always have to wake him up to go get Jackson. So this will be a positive for him as well. And I hope that one day I will be able to stretch a full tank of gas to last me a week! Here's to wishful thinking!!
After we came in the house, Jackson was telling me all about his friends from school who ride his bus. He named at least 7 kids that I knew between his class this year & last year. So, that made me feel a little better too. Knowing that he knew other kids on the bus besides Katie & Farrah who live in our neighborhood. He was very excited about the bus!
My little boy is growing up! (tears....)
No comments:
Post a Comment