Walking to School

[Earlybird]

Thought it would be interesting (for me anyway! ) to ask who walks their children to school every morning? If you do walk, how old are your children, and how long does it take? What do you do when the weather is terrible?

Thinking ahead to the school run in September, when dd will enter reception, and our mornings will need to be structured differently. Even if dd can manage the distance (and she is a good walker), it would entail getting out of the house with 30 minutes to spare...and for dawdling dd, I'm not sure how realistic that is!

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that dd will easily manage the longer walk to/from school in September. I'm more concerned that we'll have to be out of the house a full hour earlier than we currently depart. I know we can juggle the routine to adjust, but hope it won't result in stressful mornings. Also don't relish leaving on foot in the dark during the winter months, but guess that's inevitable when the days are short.

I've just faced the fact that certainly at the beginning I'll have to drive, definitely in the evening - I just have to be in two places which are quite a way away from each other, within about 20 minutes. I did in fact belt along the distance today in 15 minutes - but not with DD1 in tow.

It is beginning to drive me up the wall, this school-childminder route business, PLEASE be nice to me, it's reducing me to tears.