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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder why so few parents walk their kids to and from school these days?

159 replies

JellyDiamonds · 11/09/2014 20:02

This evening I had to quickly pop into town and my route takes me down a side street where there's a large old Victorian primary school with a smallish car park that's for teachers only. It was 3.15, and despite the fact that it was absolutely glorious, warm and sunny, I couldn't get over just how many parents had driven to collect their kids from the school.

It was absolute chaos, cars double parked, parked on corners, parked at strange angles, blocking entrances to a business and even blocking the entrance to the school itself. I felt so sorry for the people who live there, most of the houses are terraces with no off street parking at all. It made me think, I was rarely picked up or dropped off by car. I always walked, even in the rain. When I got to secondary school I got the bus as it was further away. The only time my parents even picked me up by car was if we were going somewhere straight from school, which was so rare.

Surely most children live within walking distance of their primary school? And on a gorgeous late summers evening there is surely no excuse for such laziness? We have all legs don't we? Why don't we use them more often? I don't understand it...

OP posts:
LizzieMint · 11/09/2014 22:43

We live a very pleasant 10 minutes walk away from our school but in the last year or so, I've been that person getting the kids in the car even though it takes just the same time to drive round. Initially last winter it was because I suffered many chest infections then finally pneumonia which left me too exhausted afterwards to walk that measly distance. Then when I recovered from that, I had a bad accident which left me with an ankle injury which is still painful 5 months down the line. I don't limp any more but a lot of times the walk there and back is beyond me. I'm sure I've been judged by the other parents walking past but you just don't know the circumstances people are in.

CarryOn90 · 11/09/2014 22:44

I'm sorry, haven't read all the thread but:
"evening?! Pick up is at 3:30"

"Ok late afternoon then if you want to be really pedantic"

OP you cannot be for real Grin

littlejohnnydory · 11/09/2014 22:50

not related but does anyone else sort of snigger when they hear a grown adult profess they 'don't drive'? that's like hearing someone at 50 say they live with their mum - not very adult or grown up.

Pots and kettles? You don't sound very adult or grown up, really.

Reasons why a grown adult might not drive:

Illness or disability
Finances
Phobia / PTSD / clinical anxiety
Environmental awareness / principles

But snigger away!

Oh, and I don't drive.

treaclesoda · 11/09/2014 22:51

katie my mistake, I just assumed it would have to be a big city to have the population density necessary for everyone to live so near the school. I'm in rural village, no catchment areas where I live, hence my ignorance on the matter!

A five minute walk sounds good though.

KatieKaye · 11/09/2014 23:02

I would have loved that when I was at school, treacle! I had to travel from my town into the city, which meant 2 different buses each way. Mum was a teacher, but in a village school in the opposite direction, so I did the journey myself from primary 3 onwards. Some of my best memories from school are from those journeys though I do sometimes feel sorry for the other passengers. I once sat on an otherwise empty bus and sang "Waltzing Matilda" at the top of my lungs for 6 miles, having forgotten that although there were no other passengers there was a driver.... That poor man. I still feel bad about it.

NotOneThingbutAnother · 11/09/2014 23:20

Many reasons why - its not as simple as just being too lazy to walk - work is a big issue, if you have to be at work immediately after drop off how can you manage that without a car; however at my DDs' previous primary we couldn't walk easily because it was a steep hill and narrow pavement with cars whizzing past your elbows on the way there (in fact DH was hit on the arm by a car, at what was then DD's face height ifyswim) and then when you got to the bottom of the hill, cars parked across the entire pavement outside the local pub and the landlord said it wasn't his problem. So you'd have to walk into an A road to go round these cars.

No one would address these problems - I even did a walk round with the local authority traffic planner and she said she couldn't help - so I decided to drive every day, sad but true.

sheepgomeep · 11/09/2014 23:43

I will tell you why i dont walk my kids to school op.

Firstly i have 4 dc in 3 different schools. Two in primary and 2 teens in two different secondary schools. One of the teens has aspergers and cannot get a bus. I have to pick up dd2 and 3 at 3.10 and travel 4 Miles to pick up ds at 3.20. Dd1 is then picked up at three when she cant get the school bus home due to over capacity.

We also live 20 mins walk from the primary. I couldnt get the dds into the nearer one.

sheepgomeep · 11/09/2014 23:43

Should say walk my kids to and from school

Babiecakes11 · 12/09/2014 00:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

chocolatemademefat · 12/09/2014 01:54

Oh dear. You were asking for trouble with this one. Don't you realise all the cars will be full of working parents and people with mobility difficulties. In no instance will anyone just be heart lazy.

You were asking a sensible question so of course on mumsnet this means you are being VVVVVVVVV unreasonable.

CatWitch · 12/09/2014 02:05

Dear OP, I would give anything to be able to walk my lovely dd back and forth from school. Unfortunately, my husband and I are both disabled.

As to your merry little statement "We all have legs".. I don't..

hth

Lally112 · 12/09/2014 02:27

don't worry, it wont stop me sniggering from up there in my truck at all these people who try and lord it over other people who have to drive to go about daily life.

writtenguarantee · 12/09/2014 03:00

not related but does anyone else sort of snigger when they hear a grown adult profess they 'don't drive'? that's like hearing someone at 50 say they live with their mum - not very adult or grown up.

I live in London. the motivation to get a license is almost 0.

@OP: My guess it's a mixture of laziness by some, and lack of time by others. I am however surprised at the hostility towards your post.

CheerfulYank · 12/09/2014 03:44

Because all of the reasons listed here!

I walk with mine and the children I am a CM for but I don't drive so don't have a choice, plus we live 2 blocks away. But it gets down to -30 here in the winter so my DS will have to be driven then.

CheerfulYank · 12/09/2014 03:50

Sigh Lally...try being American and telling other Americans you don't drive. It's akin to saying you don't know how to read.

Although I don't really know why I don't!

Andrewofgg · 12/09/2014 05:27

OP Because they are too lazy to pick up the phone to tell the butler to send the chauffeur. Obviously.

CPtart · 12/09/2014 06:38

Because school is 3 miles away then I have a further hurried 30 minute drive to get to work on time!

Hurr1cane · 12/09/2014 07:02

I drive. I do to fancy walking 35 miles a day with a disabled child though.

picnicbasketcase · 12/09/2014 07:09

Some people live too far from the school to walk it in time, some have to go on to work afterwards etc.

The thing that baffles me is the woman across the road who takes her two DC to school in the car probably 3 or 4 days out of five. It's a 5-10 minute walk. She leaves in the car at the same time we leave walking. We then arrive at school at the same time, once she's found a parking space. It doesn't save any time at all to drive. Bizarre.

EndoplasmicReticulum · 12/09/2014 07:13

At my boys' school some live out of catchment or come along country lanes that are not safe to walk with children. Some combine school run and work travel. Some are just lazy. Like my neighbour. We walk, so I know it takes five minutes. In fact sometimes we race her, by the time she has put kids in car, driven, parked and unloaded we get there first.

MyFairyKing · 12/09/2014 09:17

When will the arseholes stop invading MN?!

Ididntseeitsoitdidnthappen · 12/09/2014 09:21

I would love to but am one of these evil parents who work and get to school just in time for pick up. I'm also disabled so it can take me an absolute age to walk from home to school which is time and energy I simply don't have

halfdrunkcoffee · 12/09/2014 09:24

Most of the children at DS's school live a mile away at the very most, usually much less, but many are driven. The same at the neighboring schools. I wish more people would walk or cycle if possible. I think many of them could easily do so and it would make the streets near schools much safer.

Some parents may be on the way to or from work. Some may have bad time management or find it hard to get their children to walk. A few may be disabled or have other health or mobility problems.

I admit I did get dropped off when I was at primary school when my was on her way to work. If she wasn't working then we walked.

DownByTheRiverside · 12/09/2014 09:25

'not related but does anyone else sort of snigger when they hear a grown adult profess they 'don't drive'? that's like hearing someone at 50 say they live with their mum - not very adult or grown up.'

OH doesn't drive, which is why he'd still fit into his wedding suit 30 years later.
Unlike me.

Stinkle · 12/09/2014 09:45

We walk 99% of the time, but occasionally I have to be somewhere and I haven't got time to walk back home for the car, or I'm picking up on my way home from somewhere and I haven't got time to drop the car at home and walk back round to school.

Sometimes I'll drive because it's pissing with rain, and sometimes, being downright lazy