To make the kids walk 3miles to school?

[DHdoingmyheadin]

Due to ongoing roadworks, the main road through the village to my kids school is closed and will be for c. a month. We are right at the edge of where the roadworks are so we have two options:

(A) A 15 mile detour by car, down the road all the traffic is being funnelled down (a main A road that is congested even when the road through the village is open). Which I trialled yesterday, and took me 45 minutes each way. This was with no school traffic as schools go back tomorrow. So I’d be doing at least 90 minutes of driving each morning and DH 90 mins in the afternoon.

(B) The kids walk to school and back. 3 miles each way.

DH is adamant I can’t possibly expect them to walk. It’s hilly. It’s due to rain. I think they walk. I think it would be insane to drive when it’s literally faster for them to walk. It’s 3 miles. I’m not asking them to swim the channel and then scale Mount Everest. Kids are 12 and 13.

AIBU to put my foot down and refuse to drive?

They'll be fit as fiddles and full of self confidence. Erm....

It doesn't rain every day! And if you're suitably clothed, even walking in the rain can be pleasurable.

I can't believe how against this everyone seems to be. 3 miles is not far whatsoever. And for two children who are probably at the peak of their energy levels. I would absolutely not entertain driving 2 healthy children to school and back!

He eats in school so just his waterbottle. But all the school books he need to bring in every day🥵 it's crazy.

I think they will be fine to do that.
My three year old walks or cycles a mile and a half to nursery and back every day.

You three year old cycles???

If they’re 12 and 13 they can cycle (hopefully). The problem is what if it’s raining.

Is there somebody just the other side of the roadworks that can give them a lift?

Yes.

Its like competitive walking on here...

My DC and I walk a good 30 miles before school but we're fairly fit so it only takes us 47 seconds...then we walk to school which is another 35 miles there and back. What do you mean you don't do the same? No wonder everyone is so unfit these days...

Let 'em walk - this used to be normal for goodness sake.

Oh come off it!!

Are you serious?

I don’t know whether to be annoyed at your assertion that I’m lying or sad that you think it’s beyond the realms of possibility for a three year old to ride a bike?

Personally, no. I wouldn’t ask my two secondary school aged children to walk 6 miles a day. That’s 2 hours of walking per day for a month. Ask yourself if you could bring yourself to do that everyday for a month? They’ll be exhausted by the time they get home. I’d ask around maybe there’s a car pool going, you offer to do one week and another parent another week maybe? If the options there for them to cycle and you feel confident enough to send them on their bikes then I’d rather that than them walking it. The weathers going to be pretty rubbish in the coming weeks too.

Mine all walk 2&1/2 miles each way once they went to high school rain or shine. They'll survive, it's only water. At those ages they should be able to walk this far.

@DHdoingmyheadin It sounds like a nightmare! What I don't understand though, is why your Local Education Authority is not providing school transport. 3 miles is the cut off where I live, but it's not as though parents can drive that 3 miles in the mayhem. At least if school transport gets stuck in traffic, there is no comeback on the parents.

Well, 3 miles is our councils cut off distance for getting free home to school transport, so it doesn’t sound like an unreasonable distance for two fit and healthy secondary school kids to walk, especially as it’s just a short term thing until the road works are finished.

And as you say in the OP, it’s likely to be faster than driving at the moment.

No wonder people are so overweight these days if they think 3m is a long way to walk. I did the same distance every day for high school, it was fine.

For context my 6 year old cycled a 4 mile daily round trip for holiday club, up and down hills.

Make it a permanent change!

Skin is waterproof! Anyway, there are good waterproof jackets etc available. There's a saying about there being no such thing as bad weather - just inadequate clothing.

I did it for 5 years. Just over 2.1 miles each way 47 minutes according to google maps. Sometimes I took my bike, sometimes I would catch the bus home because the return bus stopped closer to my home. Depended on how much I was carrying. My mother didn't drive and my father needed to be in the nearest city in totally the opposite direction. No other choice. I now understand why the weight piled on when I got a car and went to work

You need to drive them. That’s not a short distance. Your husband is right.

I walked 3 miles to school at that age. Didn’t enjoy it but I did it.

No it’s not the same. They are walking six miles a day not 4!
Op is being incredibly selfish and negligent. Put them on the bus. Lots of other children will also be late, dh can collect them.

If it's only a month i would drive mine , 6 miles a day with heavy school bags and possibly bad weather on top of a school day ,doesn't sound like fun to me.

You understood correctly, carpool, and any journey I have checked on Google maps would seem to bear this out. That would be for the average walker rather than some of the super-speedies on this thread.

I’d rather be walking for an hour than sitting in a car in traffic for 45 minutes.

It’s so good for your physical and mental wellbeing. It’ll see them up in really good habits if you make it regular.