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?

Get them to walk/cycle unless it's absolutely peeing down/blowing a hoolie.
It's sounds temporary anyway so it's not a life sentence.
3 miles on a bike is nothing really.

They'll get super fit, they'll be ready for learning when they arrive, and they'll sleep really well too.

My son walks 1.5 miles to school every day up a massive hill and he's strong and healthy. He actually loves the walk!

They couldn’t walk it in 45 minutes. It would take them an hour to do 3 miles. But one way I think is fine if you drive them after school. Both is a bit much

I think you should definitely take them in the morning, but if the weather is fine they could walk home.
You do sound very rigid in your attitude, no one likes walking in the rain, you sound a bit annoyed with your husband for caring.

DH can drive them, surely that's the compromise?

I don't think 3 miles is crazy long but it will surely take them longer to walk than drive. It takes me around an hour to walk that.

I'd aim for a compromise. Drive them when the weather is foul? They walk there and get driven back to avoid the hill?

Do you have a bike rack for the car so they cycle there and get picked up to come home?

I sympathise with you, it sounds like there is no perfect solution here. What do the kids think about walking?

My Dcs school is 40 minutes each way. That's our normal. I take them in the monring and either DH gets them or they bus home. Recent road works saw a one-way system in our rural area and a 7 mile detour. One glorious evening it took 90 minutes one way.

I still did it. Managed to car pool with another parent sporadically. That's what you do. That or a bus if no other option. 6 miles walking at those ages when the evenings are getting darker? No way. Absolutely no way.

Could you drive them part way and walk/ cycle the rest? Is there energy family that could share the driving for this month?

I remember always asking my mum (who didn’t work) for a lift to secondary school most days and she’d always say no. It wasn’t that I was being lazy it was just that the day was tough and long enough as it was let alone with an hours walk there and then back on top of it, having to carry a heavy bag, possibly games kit, cooking ingredients etc.

imagine getting yourself up for work every day as an adult and having to walk three miles there and then back. It would fill you with dread and the thought of a lift would make everything a little easier.

As others say if nice weather then walk. If horrendous you could drive. Why can’t they cycle? I hate to be like back in my day (as it actually wasn’t in my dad) but my dad grew up in a remote Scottish Glen and in the 1950s walked three miles down the Glen to catch the school bus and then three miles back up it to get home at the end of the day. And he was always a fantastic Walker all his life

Have they tried cycling it? You say it's hilly, but 3 miles by bike is no distance at all, even if they have to push it up a hill or two. Why not give it a try? They might like it, then you're off the hook for driving them every day.

If they really can't cycle, then I'd walk. As you say, it'll take less time than going by car, and so much better for their heath, the environment, and your sanity!

It's a month and it's in Summer.
So give it a go. You walk with them the first morning.
It could take them 40 minutes.
Kids might need bags with wheels or to ride their bikes or scooters.

Bring your children to and from school. Three miles is a long walk, especially with a bag you carry. Do you expect them to go barefoot too ?

How do the kids feel about walking or cycling?

The logical solution is for them to walk 3 miles downhill to school, maybe @DHdoingmyheadin should walk there and back with them.

Dad picks them up, since he thinks driving is the correct option (and it's uphill coming home).

It would take longer than 40 minutes to walk three miles, unless you were power walking.

Oh for god sake
Why do people do this?

If ops kids were walking to school anyway then why would she bother to post this whole scenario in the first place?

If you're judging op for driving her kids to school just say that and don't hide behind pathetic performative faux confusion

It'll take them at least an hour unless they're really fast walkers, longer then it would to drive. The weather at the moment is also horrible. I wouldn't make my kids do it because even if it's dry when they leave it could be bucketing down 10 minutes later. Sitting in school all day tired and soaking wet is not nice at all, and definitely not conducive to learning. They also have a load of stuff to carry at that age plus homework to do when they get home. I think you're just being mean and selfish tbh.

How do the kids feel about it? I'm guessing they hate the idea.

Ah, ok, apologies to @Nannyfannybanny then.

Thanks for pointing it out to me!

Options:

presumably there are other children who go to this school in the village. If you car pool then it’s immediately every other day. Post on the village facebook group and ask.

you can hire e-bikes which will make the hills much more easier

electric scooters?

is there a bus? Presumably not otherwise you wouldn’t be driving in the first place.

would they be walking in a group? Is it over fields etc or are we talking suburbs?

I’d drive them in heavy rain, but a walk back from school with mates can be quite nice and a good way to develop independence.

Why can't your husband drive them?

The OP said it was hilly, not that it was all downhill one way and uphill the other, so I assume there is downhill and uphill both ways, but one way is even worse than the other.

I thought initially they were primary kids. But they aren’t these are secondary. My kids never get lifts to secondary school. They walk or bike. It’s 2.5miles. They should walk and I’d make the no lifts a permanent fixture

I did this - after my parents moved house, but that was for sixth form when I was 16-18... and I loved hiking and was part of the school's hiking team.

For younger kids? seems a bit much.

I think you're confused, I wasn't replying to op, I was replying to the person I quoted.

I would compromise, you drive them in the morning and they walk home. Then even if it's raining during the walk it won't matter, they can dry off at home.