To make the kids walk 3miles to school?

Plenty of us are saying we walked that distance to and from school in all weathers for years. My standard morning dog walk is 4 miles, even with letting the dog stop to sniff and go to the loo it only takes me an hour and ten minutes. If you think it's so unbelievable I suspect it's you who has never done it.

Meet halfway. Drive them 3 days and let them walk two or drive them two miles and the walk the last one. It is temporary until the road is fixed. No one will die if you drive them 20 days. I will do it tbh. Will be crap, of course, but I will do it.
Ask them to ask some other kids you may well find other parents around the neighbourhood willing to spare the driving.
It is temporary.

Im guessing its speed walking but just feels like normal walking to me, i didnt really think it was unusually fast but evidently as people are pointing out it is 🤷🏻‍♀️ xx

But in the end it matters what the kids think. If they're fine then this is a non issue.

Get them to cycle, but on days where the weather is grim then drive them.

My first thought was that it is far too far but then I remember I used to walk to school and back so that I could pocket the bus fares and spend it on sweets.

I have just had a look online and see it was 2.6miles so not quite as far but I think I could have walked further if I had had to. I did have the option of getting a bus if I didn't feel like it though.

I think that now I am such an old person I just cannot remember what the energy of a teenager was like.

I think he needs it for work.

Drive them? Or drive them most of the way? Drive them 2 miles? I can't see anyone who hasn't done it many times before suddenly being fine walking over 1hr 15 mins each way to school and completing a full school day on top. For the sake of 4 weeks I would be driving them or at least driving them most of the way.

I'd have them walking. My kids did it at that age for a similar distance - we live at the top one side of a valley and the school was at the top of the other side of the valley so they had a big hill to walk up each way.

I'd be inclined to take them/fetch them if the weather was really bad though.

Oh sorry not read the whole thread.

And I suppose your dh doesn't have a car and can do this?

Maybe walking to school if the weather is good but not coming home when they are tired. If they have bikes, that's different as long as they can carry their bits and pieces. I used to walk one and a half miles each way which was OK in good weather.

As she has said, she needs it to visit elderly parents.

Are any other parents at your children's school in this position, and what are they doing?
Walking for a week would be fine (my kids had to do this during a bus strike) but they'll be hacked off after a month. I'd ask them to scooter or bike it on good days. Electric scooters are a menace but you can get quite good manual scooters which are very light and designed for teenagers/adults.

Why not just find somewhere to park your car on the other side of the roadworks if you are right by them?

12 and 13, yes it's fine

Not ideal but fine

I cycled three miles to school every day from 11 onwards, as did plenty of others. And yes, it was on busy main roads. Cycle, but take the car in bad weather, seems fair to me. It's a long way to walk.

I used to walk 45 mins each way to and from school from about age 14-15? it was alright but it was long and felt like a grind at times especially in bad weather. I'd say 30 mins is alright, 45 is doable but it's a bit miserable.

Do you know anyone who lives on the other side of the roadworks who drives to the school. Or could you ask for help on the school/ class website or WhatsApp group? Someone might be willing to help if it's only for a month.

Are you speed walking or jogging? Are you sure it's two miles... because if you walk 2 miles in twenty minutes that's a pace of 6mph... average adult walking speed is 3 miles.

Edited to add...I see someone has already asked you this

Poor kids. What a long and exhausting day.

I've just checked the distance that my son walked from age 11 to his Senior school. It's just over 3 miles and he did that every day for 5 years. Rain, wind, snow, whatever.

I wouldn't make them walk but that's because I'm a bit of an idiot and far too soft and I'd be worried about them. However, it seems a bit odd to me that people think that three miles is a long walk. Surely a lot of kids do after school sports that expend more energy?

This. Not sure where OP is getting her walking times from.

It’s 3 miles to and from my work and its flat surface. I rarely walk back and when I have it’s a fair trek (and I’m a fast walker). I think it’s unfair to expect them to walk and completely unreasonable to have to walk both ways.

Walking home is acceptable, but not every single day. That feels a bit mean. I wouldn’t make them walk there especially as they could get soaked.

My children's school is exactly 3 miles away. I'd let them walk. It's only for one month, it's September so still decent weather and light, and your children are in good shape (runners, even!). But I would drive them when it's raining and a few times extra, say on Friday afternoons. You could give them a monetary reward for all their efforts and for helping mum and dad out (mine would love that). You could also ask the school for a bit of help (can they leave heavy books at school, just for this month?) So: I'd try to find a compromise but would let them walk most of the time. They'll be fine!