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?

Everyone should be able to ride a bike, just like they should be able to swim.
Classes are given in primary even if parents fail with these basic life lessons.

I’ve managed to survive 72 years without that ”basic life skill”. My inability to ride a bike has had zero impact on my life.

Out of nosiness, why didn’t you learn given you’re obviously a very active person?

Did you children learn?

No sense of balance. I tried loads of times and got sick of falling off. Yes, my son can ride a bike and both my parents could.

DC are walking. DH went out about twenty minutes ago to work and said it’s ’absolute fucking chaos’ with loads of cars trying to force their way past the roadworks (er good luck there’s a bloody ten foot deep crater across the road) and lots of road rage because of queues (not great when the detour route is 50mph.).

DC are happy to walk. They seemed surprised we were even considering driving as they’d assumed they’d walk anyway.

But this thread has been eye opening as to why so many people are a tad unhealthy. Three miles to a young teenager is nothing, in their eyes and in mine!

Edi: ‘ten foot’ crater not a ‘red peep’ crater!

You setting off for your 4 mile walk to the station soon? Or WFH mumsnetting today?

It would be sad, and would most likely due to not getting the opportunity to learn which every child ought to get.

They all (apart from those who have electric scooters, though I'm sure they know how to ride bikes too as they would have learnt before their parents bought them a ridiculous scooter) ride bikes by that age in my town, they have to, bikes are essential for upper school.

@Stowawaysue im already in London. Have been for over an hour. I get up at 4am so you can pipe down with your nasty comments. Not all of us can afford to park at £7per day three days a week - I know it’s the ‘done thing’ in MN to be difficult, but it’s not big or clever to be nasty when someone has said (repeatedly) that their commute is what it is due to finances. It’s just being a bully

@Stowawaysue im already in London. Have been for over an hour. I get up at 4am so you can pipe down with your nasty comments. Not all of us can afford to park at £7per day three days a week - I know it’s the ‘done thing’ in MN to be difficult, but it’s not big or clever to be nasty when someone has said (repeatedly) that their commute is what it is due to finances. It’s just being a bully

Off on a tangent but the children who never learn to decently swim are the ones I feel so sorry for. Not for the “basic life skill” argument (although important!) but for the pure fun of being on holiday and swimming, and feeling happy and comfortable around water, and experiences whilst travelling etc

Nasty comments

I was enquiring as to whether it was a WTF or you were setting off on your 7 mile walking plus train journey to work.

Will you be going back at lunch time to visit your elderly parents?

But you don’t need to park at the station. You live half a mile from a mainline station. 😵‍💫

Oh you’re that poster who got banned for being a troll aren’t you? I thought so. Bye bye.

Make the work day count Op

given you’ve walked 4 miles, had a 90 minute journey to London, then 3 miles to get the office.

Oh I did wonder why the nasty messages suddenly stopped. Some people really are very sad individuals. And creating a new account, and not denying that they’ve created a new account to harass someone, the pinnacle of pathetic

A generational thing then.

Says the poster who made out on this thread something very different to an other thread. And blamed it on “typos” 😆

No a lack of balance thing. The generation above and below could ride a bike.

Then why create this thread OP, when you were set in your position from the outset?

Theres many reasons why people are ‘unhealthy’, and not walking to and from school for 6 miles across hilly terrain and in shitty weather, is not one of them. By all means cling to this narrative if it helps to justify your position and feel superior.

An exception to the rule thing then. 😉

It's hilly, there's roadworks and congestion it's 3miles to school when there are buses available.

A pain in the arse because some people won’t drop it thing.

😂😂😂 fair 😘

The buses can’t avoid the roadworks that are causing all the trouble though? And would take longer than the car, which. It’s been established, takes longer than walking?