I live a mile away from ds's school...

[twentypence]

And we usually cycle to school on our cool tandem, but today ds said he wanted to walk. So we did.

When we got to school our neighbour was unloading her child from the car and asked us how long it took us to walk.

How do you live just a mile from a school, go every day for over 2 years and have never walked it?

I find that as hard to fathom as people that don't use their recycling bins.

DS age 4.5 nursery only half mile away and if I have the car I still drive. Usually because I have to drop DH to work and go off on some errand somewhere.

Even if DH walks to work sometimes I still drive DS to nursery - he's only there for 2.5 hours - if I didn't drive I'd just spend most of my morning walking backwards and forwards (20 mins there with him + 10 mins back on my own + 10 mins to pick him up + 20 mins back with him = 1 hour of my precious time - I am sure you all know how much you can do with 1 hour of child free time.

Plus we both absolutely HATE walking in wind, rain and cold. In better weather though I have no problems walking at all.

weve rarely lived near school in lincs we lived at least 2 miles away and we always walked sometimes a friend nearby would tke my boys home in her car whilst i pushed baby ds3 home in his vintage silver cross pram,(she worked and wasnt always able to collect her own children so couldnt offer mine lift to save me walking) we didnt mind the walk and made up songs and stories all the way home - last year me and ds2 and 3 walked the 4 miles to ds1 secondary school it took just over an hour and dh pickd us all up -boy did they sleep well that night ,although im currently learning to drive so our long walks except for walking the dog may soon be over.

We live 2.5 miles from school and I still make DD1 walk home 3 nights a week because I think it's good for her.

OH usually drops her about a mile from school in the morning and she walks the rest of the way, and I collect her in the car twice a week.

I think we've got a nice balance going on.

I love walking, we go to country parks and take DS to park to ride his bike all the time. But those walks take place at a time that is convenient for all of us. I think the reason why people use their car for such short distances is the time factor - if I have to spend an hour walking backwards and forwards every morning, I would never get anything done in the two hours DS is at nursery, which would mean when DS gets home I would spend less time with him because I would be doing my bits and peices, like tidying up, laundry, checking my emails, etc.

A mile? We could walk that in the time it takes me to load/unload children and baggage in and out of the car. And I could walk the dog at the same time. How convenient would that be?!

Our school is only 2.5 miles but we have narrow lanes and no pavements and at that time in the morning there are too many arse-drivers. And pre-school is another 4 miles in the opposite direction.

I know a someone who always drives to school which is 10 mins walk. She would drive past me but by the time she had turnes around (school in cul de sac) and parked i would be at the school gates ahead of her. Then she did the Moonwalk and was asking for sponsors. I couldn't believe someone who can't walk for 10 mins in the morning wanted to walk 26 miles at night. I was tempted to offer to sponsor her to walk to school for a term instead.

LOL redwino, that is really hilarious. Bloody hell, at what stage in our culture did it become such a big deal to use the legs you were born with, that you had to be sponsored for it? It is bizarre I tell you, bizarre!

How do all you drivers feel about having to use zimmer frames when you are 70 because you're not fit enough to walk? That is not a wind up, it is a serious question. It struck me very forcibly when I bumped into a friend's mother in a park last year who is in her seventies. When I offered her and her friend a lift home (about 4 miles from the park), they laughed and said of course not, it's only round the corner! I was frankly astonished and disturbed and shamed by how lazy I've become. In my forties, it hadn't even occurred to me to walk 4 miles. In these two women's seventies, they consider it "round the corner" and will doubtless still be walking when they're 90 if they're still around. It was a bit of a light-bulb moment for me to realise that many of our generation will not be able to manage that and we will be an enormous drain on the NHS and on our families because of our current laziness. Not only that, but if we teach our children to be as lazy as we are, they won't be able to do those walks in their thirties. I just really want better for my kids and for me too for that matter. It scares me to think that I might be imprisoned in my house, dependent on someone else to drive me (because we'll probably all lose our driving licences in our seventies as well), without the basic freedom of walking. It's one thing to have lost the ability because of illness or accident, but for a whole generation to lose their freedom and independence in old age purely because of sheer bone idleness in their youth, is utterly tragic imo.

sorry to go on, I get very evangelical about this!

Bunny - you are only actually cutting into 20 minutes of your child free time. The other 40 minutes you are with him anyway.

The pro walkers are absolutely right. But really - having my DS moan and whinge for 20 minutes of walking/scooting/riding in the rain and wind - just ain't worth it. We do go for long walks and chat to people in the neighbourhood quite often - it's just that we can't cope with horrible weather that's all - that is what a car is for no?

belgianchocs what I meant was that I would rather walk to school in the rain than drive there.

In other words I really really don't want to drive to school. So if we are just going to get a bit wet, then yes, I would rather walk.

Of course if it's pouring with rain I don't think, oh, let's go for a long walk in the country. But we have to go to school, y'know, and my method of choice would always be walking. I just hate all the cars around school and the risk to the kids etc etc. Plus I like other posters want them to realise that it's normal to walk places, and fine to walk in the rain as well.

Trinity - I think 3 miles is a long-ish walk for anyone. To me the issue is people in big towns and cities rather than those in the country forced to go to school in the next village - there are 2 primaries within an easy walk for us and the majority of pupils in both come from the catchment areas.

If they all walked we and they would all be much better off.

redwino I have had a similar expericnce. littlebunny have you walked yr half mile? Does it really take yr 4yo 20 mins?