To make the kids walk 3miles to school?

I don’t really get what the fuss is. A 3 mile walk is fine. The kids will arrive invigorated and ready to sit their legs down and turn on their brain.

my kids are younger so I still do the school run which is 1 mile so 2 miles ‘return’ for me. Even my youngest before he started walked there to drop his sister off and walked back (occasionally cycled if we were a bit more time pressured) so he did a 2 mile trip come rain or shine. Ok you’ve got some extra hills by the sounds of it but as long as they know the route and have a good rain jacket (and maybe a spare pair of socks) I reckon it’s a good life lesson for teens that sometimes there’s road works?!

I was delighted with my 32 minute PR for 5k (3.1 miles)! I felt like that was proper running. Now I realise I should be able to do it uphill in school shoes and carrying 50% of my bodyweight in books! 😥

@MyrtlethePurpleTurtle , the OP went up without the ages mentioned. It was edited to add the children's ages. The first posters replied before the OP showed the ages.

I think 3 miles is fine. My 10 year old cycles to school every day rain or shine and he has not once complained.
If they go out and play football/meet friends and stroll around town after school they'll be running/walking more than three miles anyway, what's the difference?

The responses on this thread are showing how sedentary the general population has become.

I mean I would probably tell my DC to suck it up and walk as it’s only for a month did you say OP? However if my parents had expected me to do that at their age then I would’ve played merry hell! lol

Yeah - and I love that the post you quote is literally the first response and the giving of the ages in the line immediately above.

This seems totally fine for a month in early autumn. A bit inconvenient for them but not the end of the world, these things happen.

A 15 mile detour to get from one side of a village to the other seems bonkers...

But yes, like others have said, I think 6 miles a day is too much. But it is only for a month, and even mid-October is hardly the depths of winter.
Perhaps you could reach a compromise? You drive them Monday and Friday (the days of the week kids tend to be most tired), and they walk/bike the other 3?

What does that have to do with anything?

Should be no issue for fit healthy 12/13 year olds to walk, as long as there is a proper pavement the whole way. Your DH can pick them up in the afternoon if he really wants to but no reason why they can’t walk home as well.

Get them to walk to the other side of the roadworks and see if someone can take them for you from there in the mornings, then reciprocate in the afternoons? Or see if there's a bus?

It would take an hour I guess, so not too bad, but harsh in bad weather.

I'd ask how they feel... might value the exercise!

if your kids are healthy and fit and doing it together that seems fine to me for a month - maybe you could take them in if it's really wet out just so they aren't sitting around wet all day (my daughter has eczema so I'm always thinking about that).

It wouldn't work every day for my daughter because she has a really late night most nights with dance class and stays after school a lot but if I was in this situation I'd do something in between the two - drive in sometimes, pick up sometimes, walk sometimes.

My kids walked just over a mile to school most days from when they were 5 so 3 miles doesn't sound terrible depending on their schedule.

I used to walk 45 minutes each way to school as a kid, rain or shine. I used to listen to my Walkman: that's how long ago it was 🤪

It's set me up for a very fit and active life, I workout 5-6 times a week and walk a lot, around my full time job.

OP this seems totally normal to me and I can't understand the responses you're getting!

So what is stopping you and your DH just making an individual choice about this? Your DH makes a decision about the runs he's responsible for and you make a decision about your school runs?

You seem to be avoiding all the suggested compromises. Is this because this has turned into an argument where your or DH needs to 'win' ?

They’d be pushing their bikes uphill on the way home, so much easier to walk. The gradient at the steepest part of the hill is 20%.

I work remotely and we have to have our cameras on for all meetings (even all staff meetings of 50 plus people!) It is made very clear from the beginning. We also have to attend HO twice a year. Can’t quite remember if this is in our contracts though.

I would drive them in the morning - so they arrive fresh and not wet if raining and not sweaty if hot.
They can walk home in the evening - doesnt matter how long it takes them and if they get wet they can get changed as soon as home and have a hot drink

We live 2 miles away from school (and it is up a big hill) so I do the above for my kids. DH WFH so occasionaly will collect them if it is hammering it down.

If you're feeling more generous, you could split the school runs with DH. But the principle is that the inconvenience is split across the whole household rather than all on the kids or the parents.

I would drop them in the morning and let them walk home. 3 miles with a filled backpack will take between 45 mins to an hour.

If school starts 8.30 ish they would need to be out by 7.30 with breakfast because of the fuel needed for the walk, which means they would need to up at 6 something, if they are anything like my were teenage boys. Good Luck!

If you live in a village do they have an adequate footpath to walk on the entire way? What is the public transport like? Could they cycle instead? Do they have any friends travelling in the same direction? How are they getting to school? Could they all meet up and walk together or jump in with another parent?

Failing that could you park one car on the other side of the roadworks. Can you cab to elderly parents every other day instead?

Could hubby take alternative transport to work and leave you with the car. Lots of options.

So it sounds like you usually do the morning school runs and DH does the afternoon and you disagree on the approach to take? Well you both do as you think best, ie you let them walk in the morning (which sounds like it's mostly downhill), and he goes to get them in the afternoon!

It's a compromise on driving and walking, kids still get exercise. Let's see how long DH's principles hold up... You can relent and give the occasional lift on rainy days. I'd bet anything those lifts will be more appreciated for having had to walk the other days! And it's only for a month.

The obvious answer is... see how it goes. If they manage and are fit and bright-eyed from the extra exercise, then all good. If they're exhausted, not keeping up with schoolwork and their backs are aching, then you may need to find another solution.

It also depends on their secondary school imo. If it's a sensible, caring sort of place with a comfortable uniform that doesn't mind two children limping in bedraggled and soaking on occasion with books that could do with a stint next to the radiator, then all fine. My secondary was like this. But if it's an ultra-smart "zero tolerance" academy where they have to be shiny as a sixpence all day, then I think that's an unfair ask - you're setting them up to fail.

Please tell me you are joking!!

Reasonable in my view.