Will elementary kids miss anything by not going via school bus

[Anonymous]

My kid did not ride the bus in elementary school because we lived too close. He didn't miss anything socially.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The bus could either be a good or a bad thing.

When I was a kid, buses were a vector for bullying. Mean kids rode in the back of the bus. I had to sit up front with the nerd kids to avoid issues.

A few minutes of talking to other friendly kids a day doesn't make any difference. But being around bullies is memorable.

It also matters how long the routes are. Long bus trips are annoying.

I also walked to school in elementary school (4 blocks). That was pretty ideal. But kids did harass and bully while walking to and from school.

I had to do car dropoffs and pickups K-12. My kids rarely observed any physical bullying the whole time they grew up. I attribute this to the fact that they were rarely unsupervised with classmates. Also there are more anti-bullying trainings now. And people don't think it's acceptable for boys to spar with their hands.

+1

MCPS buses are packed full, really full. My kid only rode in the afternoon. Did not miss that experience on days we'd do dropoff.

[Anonymous]

Mine didn’t ride the bus in elementary but started in middle school. I don’t see how it matters much either way. Do what is most convenient for your schedule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does your neighborhood bus have room for your kids?

Yes. They have to. NP but that’s the rule - her kids are entitled to the bus even if it’s the last day of school and they have never ridden it before.

Yes but that does not mean they keep empty seats for every kids that could possibly show up every day of the school year. If your bus is full and extra kids show up randomly (often happens on a delayed opening morning) and there are not enough seats, they need to call for an extra bus. It can take a very long time for it to arrive.

[Anonymous]

My kids got before and aftercare until this year and don’t feel like they missed anything. There’s not a lot of socializing happening in the 15-20 minutes they are on the bus. And not much socializing among parents at the bus stop (our neighborhood isn’t one with 1000 kids).

[Anonymous]

I think it’s best to switch it up like Nintendo

[Anonymous]

Our elementary school goes up to sixth grade and some of the older kids are sexually explicit with the younger ones. It's kinda messed up, something is wrong with those kids.

[Anonymous]

My kids love the bus. The bus stop is good for neighborhood socializing and meeting other parents.

[Anonymous]

We switched to driving during Covid and have never looked back. I love the one on one time I get with my kid when driving them. No worries about 3 kids to a seat or having to scramble to the bus stop on time only to have a bus come late.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does your neighborhood bus have room for your kids?

Yes. They have to. NP but that’s the rule - her kids are entitled to the bus even if it’s the last day of school and they have never ridden it before.

Uh, this is not universally true. Its not “The Rule.”

It is in APS.

Did I miss where OP stated her school district?

[Anonymous]

Spitballs, cuss words and watching crap YouTube on a third graders phone were what my kid got from the bus.
So no they won’t miss anything

[Anonymous]

Yes. They'll miss all the fights and other inappropriate stuff that happens on the bus. The bus driver screaming at kids to sit down etc. Fun!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why not let DH drive them and have the kids do the bus when he is out of town?

We do the bus bc the car line is a mess and I hate contributing to it. It’s also just easier. It’s okay to pick what is easiest for parents sometimes!

+1. Don’t overthink this! I liked the bus as a kid, but I also got bullied every once in a while (only Asian kid in a rural Alabama town). My parents relied on the bus to get me to and from school and I never questioned the decision. I echo PP, it’s ok for parents to pick the easier logistic choice sometimes!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bullying!

+1