Ride bus or bite the bullet and carpool saga

[Anonymous]

Are there any SAHM/D's that you could pay to drop your kid at their house a little early before they would leave to take the kids to school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We live in Indiana - moved from DC- bus shortage or something here so bus comes at 6:15 in morning for 7:30 school start- and school is 3 miles away- ridiculous--- so not one kid rides bus in morming- they all carpool. All neighborhood of stay home moms.
My husband and I work and it's not ideal to drive in morning so I put 8 year old daughter on bus. She is the only one on bus unitil they get to next neighborhood.. It's pitch black on bus and she's on with stranger ( male bus driver). I'm sure he's fine guy, but it's really odd to have 8 year old on bus alone in dark for 15-20 minutes.
Do you think I should bite the bullet and drive her every day or would you be ok with the bus scenario. I cannot believe not one person rides in our neighborhood but it is true!
I was part of carpool but there is some drama in that- although nothing I have to be a part of- just trying to de idea what to do

I usually don't say stuff like this but...Why can't you just change your schedule take her to school? It's 3 miles from your house - in Indiana. How would taking her to school affect your or your DH getting to work on time?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Indiana - moved from DC- bus shortage or something here so bus comes at 6:15 in morning for 7:30 school start- and school is 3 miles away- ridiculous--- so not one kid rides bus in morming- they all carpool. All neighborhood of stay home moms.
My husband and I work and it's not ideal to drive in morning so I put 8 year old daughter on bus. She is the only one on bus unitil they get to next neighborhood.. It's pitch black on bus and she's on with stranger ( male bus driver). I'm sure he's fine guy, but it's really odd to have 8 year old on bus alone in dark for 15-20 minutes.
Do you think I should bite the bullet and drive her every day or would you be ok with the bus scenario. I cannot believe not one person rides in our neighborhood but it is true!
I was part of carpool but there is some drama in that- although nothing I have to be a part of- just trying to de idea what to do

I usually don't say stuff like this but...Why can't you just change your schedule take her to school? It's 3 miles from your house - in Indiana. How would taking her to school affect your or your DH getting to work on time?

+1 Or ask if your school has before-care so you can drop her off a few minutes early. It sounds like it's even less ideal for her to be on the bus for so long, and alone for part of that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Indiana - moved from DC- bus shortage or something here so bus comes at 6:15 in morning for 7:30 school start- and school is 3 miles away- ridiculous--- so not one kid rides bus in morming- they all carpool. All neighborhood of stay home moms.
My husband and I work and it's not ideal to drive in morning so I put 8 year old daughter on bus. She is the only one on bus unitil they get to next neighborhood.. It's pitch black on bus and she's on with stranger ( male bus driver). I'm sure he's fine guy, but it's really odd to have 8 year old on bus alone in dark for 15-20 minutes.
Do you think I should bite the bullet and drive her every day or would you be ok with the bus scenario. I cannot believe not one person rides in our neighborhood but it is true!
I was part of carpool but there is some drama in that- although nothing I have to be a part of- just trying to de idea what to do

I usually don't say stuff like this but...Why can't you just change your schedule take her to school? It's 3 miles from your house - in Indiana. How would taking her to school affect your or your DH getting to work on time?

WTF, people?!!

I'm not the OP, but I'm baffled by your assumptions that OP or her husband can "just change [their] schedule" to drive their DC to school.

Did it ever occur to you that some people are required to be at work earlier than 9 am or even 8 am?

That not everyone's supervisor will let them adjust their hours in that way?

Here are just a few examples, in case this seems too difficult for you imagine:

One of my friends is a nurse who needs to be at the hospital by 7 am sharp on her work days. She does not have the seniority or leverage to push her hours back an hour to handle morning transportation. Her kids ride the bus.

Another friend is a teacher in a different school district, so she needs to be at school early, like her kids. But the commute is too long for her to drop them off beforehand. They ride the bus, too.

Still another friend need to get to the office early (7/7:30) on her work days in order to finish early -- in time to meet the bus in the afternoons. It's one or the other. There's no time-shifting option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Indiana - moved from DC- bus shortage or something here so bus comes at 6:15 in morning for 7:30 school start- and school is 3 miles away- ridiculous--- so not one kid rides bus in morming- they all carpool. All neighborhood of stay home moms.
My husband and I work and it's not ideal to drive in morning so I put 8 year old daughter on bus. She is the only one on bus unitil they get to next neighborhood.. It's pitch black on bus and she's on with stranger ( male bus driver). I'm sure he's fine guy, but it's really odd to have 8 year old on bus alone in dark for 15-20 minutes.
Do you think I should bite the bullet and drive her every day or would you be ok with the bus scenario. I cannot believe not one person rides in our neighborhood but it is true!
I was part of carpool but there is some drama in that- although nothing I have to be a part of- just trying to de idea what to do

I usually don't say stuff like this but...Why can't you just change your schedule take her to school? It's 3 miles from your house - in Indiana. How would taking her to school affect your or your DH getting to work on time?

WTF, people?!!

I'm not the OP, but I'm baffled by your assumptions that OP or her husband can "just change [their] schedule" to drive their DC to school.

Did it ever occur to you that some people are required to be at work earlier than 9 am or even 8 am?

That not everyone's supervisor will let them adjust their hours in that way?

Here are just a few examples, in case this seems too difficult for you imagine:

One of my friends is a nurse who needs to be at the hospital by 7 am sharp on her work days. She does not have the seniority or leverage to push her hours back an hour to handle morning transportation. Her kids ride the bus.

Another friend is a teacher in a different school district, so she needs to be at school early, like her kids. But the commute is too long for her to drop them off beforehand. They ride the bus, too.

Still another friend need to get to the office early (7/7:30) on her work days in order to finish early -- in time to meet the bus in the afternoons. It's one or the other. There's no time-shifting option.

I asked because the OP said in her post that "it's not ideal" to drive her in the morning. To me, not ideal does not equal they can't do it. She didn't say she and her DH had to be at work at X time so it doesn't work. As I said, I usually don't ask stuff like that, for the precise reasons you posted. My impression based on what OP posted wasn't that they couldn't make it work, but it would just be hard to make it work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Indiana - moved from DC- bus shortage or something here so bus comes at 6:15 in morning for 7:30 school start- and school is 3 miles away- ridiculous--- so not one kid rides bus in morming- they all carpool. All neighborhood of stay home moms.
My husband and I work and it's not ideal to drive in morning so I put 8 year old daughter on bus. She is the only one on bus unitil they get to next neighborhood.. It's pitch black on bus and she's on with stranger ( male bus driver). I'm sure he's fine guy, but it's really odd to have 8 year old on bus alone in dark for 15-20 minutes.
Do you think I should bite the bullet and drive her every day or would you be ok with the bus scenario. I cannot believe not one person rides in our neighborhood but it is true!
I was part of carpool but there is some drama in that- although nothing I have to be a part of- just trying to de idea what to do

I usually don't say stuff like this but...Why can't you just change your schedule take her to school? It's 3 miles from your house - in Indiana. How would taking her to school affect your or your DH getting to work on time?

WTF, people?!!

I'm not the OP, but I'm baffled by your assumptions that OP or her husband can "just change [their] schedule" to drive their DC to school.

Did it ever occur to you that some people are required to be at work earlier than 9 am or even 8 am?

That not everyone's supervisor will let them adjust their hours in that way?

Here are just a few examples, in case this seems too difficult for you imagine:

One of my friends is a nurse who needs to be at the hospital by 7 am sharp on her work days. She does not have the seniority or leverage to push her hours back an hour to handle morning transportation. Her kids ride the bus.

Another friend is a teacher in a different school district, so she needs to be at school early, like her kids. But the commute is too long for her to drop them off beforehand. They ride the bus, too.

Still another friend need to get to the office early (7/7:30) on her work days in order to finish early -- in time to meet the bus in the afternoons. It's one or the other. There's no time-shifting option.

OPs daughter starts school at 7:30, hardly a hardship for anyone who works.

OP also did not say she or her husband couldn't take her in at 7:30, or that doing so woukd create a hardship or huge inconvenience.

She only said dropping her off at 7:30 is "not ideal."

"Not ideal" sounds more along the lines of husband and I would have to rush, wouldn't have time to swing into starbucks, might hit a little traffic heading into downtown, might have to take little sibling out earlier in the morning than is convenient type excuses.

Truly, it is far less ideal for this poor girl to ride the AM bus than it is for her parents to rearrange their scheduoes a bit.

[Anonymous]

OP, do you work in the morning or are you at home either telecommuting or watching a younger child?

[Anonymous]

Need more detail on your schedule.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't put my little kid on the bus at 615 for a 730 start time.ate you really both leaving for work so early? I don't understand. I guess there is no morning SACC?

[Anonymous]

I will look in carpooling if I were you. sounds like taking the bus is a waste of time assuming no safety concerns. The worst case in carpooling is you are being taken advantage of, but if driving daily is biting bullets, carpooling can't be too bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Indiana - moved from DC- bus shortage or something here so bus comes at 6:15 in morning for 7:30 school start- and school is 3 miles away- ridiculous--- so not one kid rides bus in morming- they all carpool. All neighborhood of stay home moms.
My husband and I work and it's not ideal to drive in morning so I put 8 year old daughter on bus. She is the only one on bus unitil they get to next neighborhood.. It's pitch black on bus and she's on with stranger ( male bus driver). I'm sure he's fine guy, but it's really odd to have 8 year old on bus alone in dark for 15-20 minutes.
Do you think I should bite the bullet and drive her every day or would you be ok with the bus scenario. I cannot believe not one person rides in our neighborhood but it is true!
I was part of carpool but there is some drama in that- although nothing I have to be a part of- just trying to de idea what to do

I usually don't say stuff like this but...Why can't you just change your schedule take her to school? It's 3 miles from your house - in Indiana. How would taking her to school affect your or your DH getting to work on time?

WTF, people?!!

I'm not the OP, but I'm baffled by your assumptions that OP or her husband can "just change [their] schedule" to drive their DC to school.

Did it ever occur to you that some people are required to be at work earlier than 9 am or even 8 am?

That not everyone's supervisor will let them adjust their hours in that way?

Here are just a few examples, in case this seems too difficult for you imagine:

One of my friends is a nurse who needs to be at the hospital by 7 am sharp on her work days. She does not have the seniority or leverage to push her hours back an hour to handle morning transportation. Her kids ride the bus.

Another friend is a teacher in a different school district, so she needs to be at school early, like her kids. But the commute is too long for her to drop them off beforehand. They ride the bus, too.

Still another friend need to get to the office early (7/7:30) on her work days in order to finish early -- in time to meet the bus in the afternoons. It's one or the other. There's no time-shifting option.

OPs daughter starts school at 7:30, hardly a hardship for anyone who works.

OP also did not say she or her husband couldn't take her in at 7:30, or that doing so woukd create a hardship or huge inconvenience.

She only said dropping her off at 7:30 is "not ideal."

"Not ideal" sounds more along the lines of husband and I would have to rush, wouldn't have time to swing into starbucks, might hit a little traffic heading into downtown, might have to take little sibling out earlier in the morning than is convenient type excuses.

Truly, it is far less ideal for this poor girl to ride the AM bus than it is for her parents to rearrange their scheduoes a bit.

Really? What time does OP need to be at work?

I ask because you seem to know this. Even though she hasn't told us.

I repeat: SOME PEOPLE NEED TO BE AT WORK BEFORE 7:30 am.

[Anonymous]

If you can't adjust your work hours (or DH's) to drive her for the 7:30am start time, does your school have a before-school care program that you could get her into? I would rather pay to drop her off early and have her in before school care than have her sit on the bus for so long, budget permitting. (And yes, I realize that it could be cost-prohibitive, this is just a suggestion.)

As a reference, I living in a rural county outside of DC. My daughter is in K. She would have a bus ride of close to an hour, but the drive is less than 15 minutes, so I opted to drive her. I'm a sahm though so it's pretty doable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We live in Indiana - moved from DC- bus shortage or something here so bus comes at 6:15 in morning for 7:30 school start- and school is 3 miles away- ridiculous--- so not one kid rides bus in morming- they all carpool. All neighborhood of stay home moms.
My husband and I work and it's not ideal to drive in morning so I put 8 year old daughter on bus. She is the only one on bus unitil they get to next neighborhood.. It's pitch black on bus and she's on with stranger ( male bus driver). I'm sure he's fine guy, but it's really odd to have 8 year old on bus alone in dark for 15-20 minutes.
Do you think I should bite the bullet and drive her every day or would you be ok with the bus scenario. I cannot believe not one person rides in our neighborhood but it is true!
I was part of carpool but there is some drama in that- although nothing I have to be a part of- just trying to de idea what to do

I usually don't say stuff like this but...Why can't you just change your schedule take her to school? It's 3 miles from your house - in Indiana. How would taking her to school affect your or your DH getting to work on time?

WTF, people?!!

I'm not the OP, but I'm baffled by your assumptions that OP or her husband can "just change [their] schedule" to drive their DC to school.

Did it ever occur to you that some people are required to be at work earlier than 9 am or even 8 am?

That not everyone's supervisor will let them adjust their hours in that way?

Here are just a few examples, in case this seems too difficult for you imagine:

One of my friends is a nurse who needs to be at the hospital by 7 am sharp on her work days. She does not have the seniority or leverage to push her hours back an hour to handle morning transportation. Her kids ride the bus.

Another friend is a teacher in a different school district, so she needs to be at school early, like her kids. But the commute is too long for her to drop them off beforehand. They ride the bus, too.

Still another friend need to get to the office early (7/7:30) on her work days in order to finish early -- in time to meet the bus in the afternoons. It's one or the other. There's no time-shifting option.

I asked because the OP said in her post that "it's not ideal" to drive her in the morning. To me, not ideal does not equal they can't do it. She didn't say she and her DH had to be at work at X time so it doesn't work. As I said, I usually don't ask stuff like that, for the precise reasons you posted. My impression based on what OP posted wasn't that they couldn't make it work, but it would just be hard to make it work.

This. OP knows it's wrong, but doesn't really want to be bothered. That's how I read it, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I will look in carpooling if I were you. sounds like taking the bus is a waste of time assuming no safety concerns. The worst case in carpooling is you are being taken advantage of, but if driving daily is biting bullets, carpooling can't be too bad.

Uh, not really. It's parents who check their phones and/or text, parents who might still have a little Ambien in their systems from the night before, and so on...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm stuck on a 6:15 bus pick-up and a 7:30 start time! Wow those are early. I can totally see why no one else is riding the bus.

I'd find an alternative only because I wouldn't want to have to get my kid up for the bus (5:45 would be torture, for both of us).

+1 Isn't your kid exhausted by the end of the day?