To think these parents are being overprotective and mistrusting

[Dancergirl]

Parking is a major issue at my dds' school and is a real bugbear of mine. One of the problems is that it is a very narrow road and you get people parking on corners, on the kerb etc causing a lot of congestion.

One of the ideas we have had (I'm a parent governor) is a walking bus from the top of the road. I think this is a great idea and parents could be on a rota to walk with the children. It would mean crossing the road outside the school but is a short walk, about 3/4 minutes.

When I have discussed this with parents I am amazed at the number of parents who insist on going with their child to the classroom door and wouldn't want anyone else doing it. Hence they wouldn't be interested in a walking bus unless they walk every day with the children.

Am I missing something here? I think it would be great to drop them and be able to drive off knowing they were being walked to school. We're all parents, it's a small friendly school, I don't see the problem. One mum said she would only do it if she knew the other parent very well. And another said she felt it was her 'job' to walk them down

Your thoughts?

My DCs primary school in the US forbids any parents from entering the school in the mornings or afternoons. Curbside drop-off or walking to the school were the norm. The children would line up class by class outside the school, supervised by whatever teachers had pulled the short straw for the week, then walk in line by line when the first bell rang. All very orderly and no fussing parents holding things up.

I honestly can't understand the need for any parent to enter any school any morning. Sounds chaotic.

This continual de-skilling of children is doing them no good. How on earth are children supposed to learn road sense, or even how to walk anywhere?

And I still think a lot of this is about the mother putting her own needs ahead of the childs - I bet there are a lot of kids who would quite happily walk into the classroom by themself, certainly after the first few months. They don't get the blooming chance though, because mum is velcroed to them.

Teachers try there best. After about a term in reception they often put up notices saying 'we are trying to get the DCs to be independent-please let them come into the classroom on their own'. Certainly by the time of the DCs in the OP the parent doesn't need to take them to the door!
I agree with violet and riven-it is de-skilling, and all to do with the mother's needs. If they are nervous they should try their best, in the interest of the DC, to quell it.

What about when the children are laden with bags? On one day a week my DC have:-

• a book bag
• a water bottle
• a swimming kit
• a P/e kit

I help them and even I feel laden down. It would be a lot to carry for little children walking to school for a mile without help.

They don't carry that lot every day! They could manage it when it isn't a PE day. DCs used to walk to school as a matter of routine-by themselves and parents didn't look for excuses.
I can see the point when they are little but by the time they are 7/8 it seems a strange lesson in life that mum is the personal servant.

No they only carry that lot every wednesday. the rest of the time its just a school bag and a water bottle.

We've had a walking bus running from our school for the last 6 or 7 years: I don't think getting insurance was all that difficult and it seems to work very well. Only reason I did not use it is because dd was often ill, which made it difficult for me to fulfill my own obligations as a walking-bus parent.

Perhaps the walking bus could have a push along trolley and it takes the 'too much to carry' excuse away from parents-they will have to think of another one!

The school could help with the bag issue by keeping PE bags at school on pegs and sending them home every half term. Both the first schools my DC's have gone tondo this. Water botlles can go in book bags leaving lunch box and book bag to carry, apart from swimming days.

DD went to a school that had reception and year 1 on a site across the road to the rest of the school for a bit. I used to see her class whilst she was in reception all go to the other site. At the time thee were about 24 children, the teacher and a TA. All very well organised, the children knew what they had to do and crossed calmly and safely.

I'd be delighted for 6 year old DS to go on a walking bus and would see it as a beneficial first step to independence.

We lived abroad until last year and the DC had some freedoms, which they don't get here in England (such as going to the local shops alone, aged 5). They really miss it.

I'm not sure they would consider a walking bus "freedom" as such, but I suppose something is better than nothing.

There's a large "walking bus" of 20-30 kids near us and they seem to go along a very busy main road with no problems.

When I was a kid, we walked ourselves to school at seven. How times have changed!

My goodness some of you have delicate flowers for children.

I still walk DS, but he walks the mile there and back, carrying his backpack and has plenty of energy for a kick around/visit to the playground on the way home.

I expect after his first day at his new school in Oz he will be walking by himself, I don't want him too, but it isn't always about how I feel about things.

There was a walking bus at my DS's last school. The walk was about a mile and the children were escorted by a teacher and parent volunteers. The places on it were available according to the legal adult-child ratios. My DS was in year 2 at the time and we never had any issues.
It was only one day a week though, due to lack of volunteers. It was my favourite day of the week as it meant I didn't have to walk the two miles to school and back witha three year old (my youngest DS).
I think walking buses are a brilliant idea.

Oh I forgot to add about the bags, My DS carried all his own bags since he started (I'm a meanie and make my kids have responsibility for their things...I'm not a pack horse!). I would make an exception for a large, unwieldy musical instrument though

Mother's just carry the bags without even thinking about it. You see a healthy 10yr old DS come out of the door at school and just hand everything to his mother and wander off unencumbered while she carries it all and never asks what his last servant died of!

Sorry-raging apostrophes!

In total agreement w/ Piscesmoon, Riven, Morloth et al - I get dirty looks here when I let DS climb to the top of the slide all in his ownsome (he's 3 FFS!)

My good girlfriend and the mum of an almost 9 year old is the only one in her neighborhood who lets him walk the 4 blocks to catch the school bus by himself... in stark contrast to a (lovely - really - but superoverprotective) friend of mine who won't lwt her same-aged son cross a residential street without her looking on.

Weirdness...

Reading this, I have come to realise that its not always the children who are brattish.... it is their holier-than-thou mothers, especially the ones who never got over their glory days as the playground bully or her cronies.

Violethill - you make a very good point about the needs of the mother. Recently we have let our 9 year old dd walk to the corner shop herself (we gave her a cheque to pay the paper bill for us!). She enjoyed the independence of it and and was home again in 20 mins. She had a few side streets to cross but she's sensible. Of course I was nervous the first time but I wasn't going to let fear prevent me from letting her. And I get quite a few raised eyebrows when I tell people like I'm a neglectful mother or something. But I feel there is MORE risk to the child by NOT letting them do these things.

Doesn't having this bus system move the parking problem elsewhere?

I say this from the point of view of a resident. I avoid anything that involves using my car around drop off/pick up times as parents are happy to block me out or in - park in our driveways - stream past my home knocking washing and my son (on a few ocassions) over on our private path.

All children have to be escorted to the classroom at this school which means it's the biggest pain for residents.

But I wouldn't certainly wouldn't be happy to inflict this on our neighbours in nearby streets.