To expect my DCs (Yr 7&9) to walk 40 mins to school and home again.

[Lauresbadhairday]

My DCs are at an independent school and therefore most of the children live some distance away and are dropped off and picked up from school by parents every day. We live a 40 min walk away and I think my DCs should be able to manage this to and from school. They are 12 & 14.

They moan daily about walking - "it's too far", "my bag's too heavy, "it's raining", "none of my friends walk" etc, etc.

Now by my own admission I have been too soft and have dropped them off/picked them up quite frequently however I really want this to stop and for them to walk. I am getting much tougher and have not given them a lift at all since half-term but the moaning continues.

So, AIBU in making them walk 40 mins to school and back? If the general consensus is that I am then I will suck it up and give them a lift but I really think at 12&14 they are perfectly capable of walking this distance daily.

My walk to school was about 25 mins, and about 1.5 miles, and for many years we had no lockers, so if we were wet, we were wet... My home town is a valley, so the walk always started with a downhill, and finished with a long boring uphill... I still shiver at the words "the Bankhead steps"! Some days I had to do it in snow...

They won't harm from it!

OP-they've only been walking just over a week, if they're used to lifts of course they'll still be moaning. A term down the line and they'll be used to it.

Maybe I belong on the grumpy old ladies thread Dame

Just looked it up and I walked that distance from my drop-off point to school at that age.

Fanjo, I'll join you there

To all those piously saying that the dcs fitness is in question if it takes them 40mins to walk 1.5 miles - I'm not sure if people are mixing my earlier post up with what the OP said.
I said my dc take 40 -50 mins to get to, or from school, which is 1.5 miles away. It goes like this....dd1 walks to friends house (about 100yrds away), rings bell, waits for answer. Friend may, or may not be 100% ready, so she may hang on there a couple of mins. They then walk to friend 2's house, who, once again, might, or might not be chomping at the bit as they approach her house, so it might involve walking up the pathway, ringing the bell, waiting whilst she looks for her keys/phone/PE kit / whatever and then they set off for Friend 3's house..... you getting the picture?

I did also say they do it quicker if they are on their own. However, another really positive part about walking (apart from a little gentle exercise twice a day) is the social side. Once in school, there's not a huge amount of time to chat - they make up for it on the walks to and from school.

I happen to think it's really positive use of time.
I left school over 30 yrs ago, but am still in touch with the girls I travelled home with - it's where so many "useful" discussions about life took place

I think that will sounds great and all the calling for friends. I think it might be a really good idea if the school got some lockers and only allocated them to the children who walked to school to help solve the heavy bag problem. I can't imagine they'd get away with it though, the non walking parents/children might demand they need them just as much.

Oh no Dame, dd has been doing it for two years and still moans, I still don't care.

I can't imagine they'd get away with it though, the non walking parents/children might demand they need them just as much.

How would such a system be policed? I imagine that many of the "walkers" may sometimes get a lift, an many of the "lifted" may sometimes walk. Some kids may walk/lift 50/50, others 80/20.
What criteria would you use to allocate just a few lockers?

Does it need policing? Maybe if a child generally walks 2.5+ days a week, they could pay for a locker? Maybe it could be reviewed yearly and the kids could reapply for lockers yearly

"Generally walks"but what if that drops to 2 days ponly- is the locker removed?

Is it fair to give a child a locker who walks to school every day but only has a 3 minute walk, while another child who has to drive as they live 5 miles away don't get a locker. Some kids do lots of sports- my DD does dance, PE and often swimming, having to carry 3 loads of kit often on the same day. She has a better case for a locker than a kid who lives around the corner and walks.
I can't see it being fair.

I am happy to drive my kids to school in the same way I would drive my OH to work or he would pick me up in town if I needed a lift.
Six hours a week is too much to waste walking.

Six hours a week is too much to waste walking

It isn't a waste at all. it is calming, healthy and social. It is a lovely, and productive use of 6 hours. ( in our lives it is closer to 10 hours) i can't think of many better ways to use the time.

I can.

My kids are exercising, doing extra curricular activities, studying, enjoying family time seeing friends or sleeping.

Agree 100% Karbonfootprint
It always amazes me the number of people who spend time and money (as adults now, veering a bit away from the thread) going to the gym or fitness classes, who are then the same adults that never walk anywhere, or use the stairs instead of lifts, etc.

I think any exercise that is likely to be maintained, is likely to be exercise that is easily incorporated as a habitual part of the day - so walking or cycling to work or school or the shops or your hobby or whatever, is a great place to start.

x-posted, But keep my dc do that too...indeed, they are actually walking with their friends.

backfor- I have exercised for many years. Walking would be a poor replacement for the exercise I do.

I don't really think walking is intense enough exercise for older children,

Could they cycle instead, that would probably cut the time in half. I did a 1.5 mile walk as a teenager, didnt bother me in the least, took 45mins, but .... i got pestered twice the 2nd time only being saved from a young guy very obviously not at all there, by a passerby asking if i was ok. And that was in a posh/'safe' area. After that I cycled.

Used to get a lift half way in the morning most days and walk home every evening. If the weather was bad I would save back some lunch money for the bus (which again would be half way) and walk the remainder. The walk was easily 30-40mins with parts of it being uphill. So for me yanbu.

What is odd, is the no lockers. Our school was being refurbed for most of the time I was there. They absolutely didn't have enough space for lockers in the halls, but they got round it by putting free standing lockers in the classrooms which doubled up as our form rooms. Some girls had to share. Our school site was so big that you mostly ended up carrying all of your books for the day as you'd never be able to get to your locker between lessons. We weren't allowed to wear outdoor coats, wellies etc. during school hours so lockers were essential. We were desperate for cool us high school style ones though, but it never happened.

Having just realised i missed OP's 2nd post, if its only because you find sitting in a traffic queue boring, i think its a bit mean. Other parents do it, you sound like my DM. She resented basic normal stuff like that about parenting as well. You can use the wait time to wind down from work and then, actually enjoy quality time with them in the car. How do you think they feel knowing you are perfectly able to pick them up but just cant be bothered to?

walking is great exercise
walking is relaxing
walking is a great way to socialise with others - and become more aware of your surroundings

1.5miles is NOT far!

It's like most things in life keepto - walking 3 miles a day isn't as intense as the mile - mile and a half swim per day my dd is doing at the moment, or as high impact as a spin class or zumba or something but it's a damn sight more than an awful lot of the nations dc are doing, so therefore, it's an easy way to start exercising, or to add to the exercise they are also doing elsewhere, whilst also getting fresh air and also there's the social aspect all rolled into one.

The fact it's "the way they get to somewhere they have to be" every day, is important, because it means they have to do it even when they don't feel like it - unlike when you go off to do some exercise as a separate activity.

As a Primary school Teacher for more years than I care to remember, the difference a 15min playtime can make to the class as a whole - even the ones who don't run about that much - is immense. You certainly feel the difference if it's been too bad to get them outside at playtime. To me, it's the same principle. Bit like if I've been working on a report, or sitting at the computer for any length of time, you just feel refreshed after a brisk walk around the block.

I havejust checked on the map how far is 1.5 miles from our house. It is NOT far!!!

Of course they moan, I used to moan at that age but enjoyed it as well. Walking and chattibg with your friend, sister etc. And of course it takes them 40 min... What's the rush? I live near a secondary, I see no kid brisk walking, they all dwadle and chat. Perfectly fine imo.

Walking is a great habit to develop. Yes, plenty of children and teenagers do physical activity such in the form of team sports and extra-curricular lessons, but to what extent is that maintained in to adulthood? But if you've grown up thinking that walking or cycling a couple of miles a day is no big deal, you have something to fall back on when you no longer have the time for or interest in several hours of judo / ballet / swimming a week.

I've never set foot in a gym, but I credit the habit of walking 2-6 miles a day for my excellent cardiovascular health (confirmed by a medical study I took part in recently) and maintaining a BMI of 20 (despite a fondness of cheeseburgers).

Why do think there was no obesity crisis in previous generations? Do you think folks in the 1950s were doing the 5:2 diet and hitting the gym after work every day?

lauresbadhairday me and the little ones who are 3 and 6 walk 1 and 1/2 miles to the bus stop every day. I use a stick because of back/pelvic problems. The older ones sometimes by choice walk the 3 1/2 miles to school or back instead of getting the school bus.
And they don't melt in the rain

Keep it would have to be reviewed yearly as I already said. Yes and maybe it should be any distance walk - treating half a mile the same as two miles