picking up your kids from the school bus

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nanny here. I pick up from three different stops, and have a toddler in the van. Sorry, nope, not walking, especially not with a toddler who will refuse to ride in the stroller, and kids who will proceed to pull every single thing out of the backpacks to discuss while dropping everything on the ground.

How old are all these kids you have to pick up? Can't any of them walk without a Nanny to hold their hand


I personally can not stand the parents of older kids who STILL pick their kids up. Let the kids walk, exercise, hang out with hands on the way home. Stop coddling!!! My daughter is in 2nd and I so want to let her do this but all the 4/5th grade mommies are still walking everyday with them. Come on already.

Given that there are busy streets and no, I don't trust three elementary kids (K twins, 1st) to be safe each walking a different route of 1-2.5 miles, so, none of them are going to walk. Besides, we go to activities after school, and if I had to wait for each child to finally get home, we would miss a few and be late for others. As it is, the kids do homework in the car, both while waiting for siblings, and while we drive, and because it's not wasted time, they are eager to get started. This is the schedule the parents and I worked out, and it works perfectly for us.

If your child wants to walk home, it's safe and you haven't had her do it solely because other parents pick their children up, I would be more concerned with your reasoning. Caving to peer pressure is much more of an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone in our family owns rain boots, pants, jackets, and umbrellas. And that's that. I understand people who are sick or have little kids with them trying to avoid rain. Besides that I (not grown up in the US) honestly believe most DC people must be made from sugar. That's how much everyone avoids rain. Our kids walk, no matter the weather. Only if it's not safe do they not walk. Hasn't happened yet. Don't think it will any time soon.

In general the parents in our neighborhood all pick up their kids from the bus stop. And I am talking a one street cul-de-sac neighborhood that has about 20 houses. Not more. And it's a circle. So yeah...getting from the bus to ANY house in the entire neighborhood takes a maximum of less than 5 minutes by foot. It's absolutely ridiculous and nothing else.

Nanny with the toddler and three elementary charges. In your case, all three kids would walk. I've turned down several positions that coddle the kids and turn them into entitled monsters, but that's not my current position.

[Anonymous]

People in my neighborhood do this and they block the exit out of the neighborhood with their cars!! I had no idea what was going on when I tried to get out. Seriously, kids get no exercise, make them walk.

[Anonymous]

Let's see:

Sometimes I'm running right from work, grocery store, library, doctor appointment, etc.

Sometimes I need to get to an activity right after school. If we walked home, we'd be late to the activity.

Sometimes I have almost no time at home and the 10 minutes saved means my kids get some homework done, quietly at home rather than in a car.

[Anonymous]

I do it because my daughter has natural hair that she gets straightened. The slightest drop of rain will turn it to a frizzy afro.

[Anonymous]

What does 'soccer mom' even mean anymore? All the moms on my DD's soccer team work--are they not soccer moms? Its such a weird term.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do it because my daughter has natural hair that she gets straightened. The slightest drop of rain will turn it to a frizzy afro.

How can a child have hair that can never even get a drop of rain on it? Sounds extremely ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

Wait, that nanny goes to three separate stops, all with a toddler in the van? To pick K twins and a first grader? They all go to different schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do it because my daughter has natural hair that she gets straightened. The slightest drop of rain will turn it to a frizzy afro.

How can a child have hair that can never even get a drop of rain on it? Sounds extremely ridiculous.

Seriously. The kid doesn't go outside at all if it's so much as drizzling because it will mess up her hair ?! Way to encourage vanity & raise a prima donna, mom! Just buy her a hat to wear outside if it's that important to her. Or better yet, have her save up to buy it herself -- she might re-evaluate her priorities if you stop catering to this ridiculousness!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does 'soccer mom' even mean anymore? All the moms on my DD's soccer team work--are they not soccer moms? Its such a weird term.

I don't think the term "soccer mom" ever had to do with SAHM versus WOHM. It just meant moms with kids of the age to play soccer, say between five and 15.

[Anonymous]

OP - As you have seen from the responses, there are many different reasons why folks pick up kids at the bus stop. Life is busy today and what works for your family does not necessarily fit into others lifestyles. Probably best not to be so judgmental. However, for anyone with elementary school-aged kids, it is good to havea plan in place if you usually do pickup or meet the bus for a day when you just might be running late or actually have crossed wires with a sitter or a DH. Every kid should have at least one other option on where to go if the usual pick-up person is not there. In our home growing up for several years my parents did morning drop off, lunch time pickup from kindergarten and afternoon pickup. When I did drive as a senior in high school it was to take myself and two sisters to the same parochial high school. In spring of that year I can remember helping to shuttle five younger brothers to various baseball games!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wait, that nanny goes to three separate stops, all with a toddler in the van? To pick K twins and a first grader? They all go to different schools?

Yes, they do.

[Anonymous]

Okay so - so far the reasonings are:

"Busy" side streets
Weather
Vanity with kids hair/shoes
"I need that 10 minutes"
We have activities we have to rush to
I make them work on their HW in the car
No time
Don't feel like taking the toddler


Just wow!

[Anonymous]

My kids could walk (one ten minutes and the other about 20), and sometimes they do, but they are carrying a backpack that is half their weight, plus a PE bag, and sometimes a third bag for another activity or project. And for the older one, in high school, the extra 20 minute jump on homework is sometimes the difference between getting to bed on time or not. So when I'm free do so, I give them a ride. Call it coddling if you want, but I see it as doing a kindness for my kids, who have a very long day!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do it because my daughter has natural hair that she gets straightened. The slightest drop of rain will turn it to a frizzy afro.

How can a child have hair that can never even get a drop of rain on it? Sounds extremely ridiculous.

Seriously. The kid doesn't go outside at all if it's so much as drizzling because it will mess up her hair ?! Way to encourage vanity & raise a prima donna, mom! Just buy her a hat to wear outside if it's that important to her. Or better yet, have her save up to buy it herself -- she might re-evaluate her priorities if you stop catering to this ridiculousness!

Obviously you all are not AA. Most AA women/girls who have natural hair that gets straightened will not go out in the rain if they can help it. And drizzle can be even worse. Has nothing to do with being a prima donna or vanity, it has to do with what water does to our natural hair that has been straighteded (meaning no chemical relaxer). Lol, haven't you all wondered why most AA women don't swim or work out on a regular basis? She does wear a hat but if it's warm that doesn't help. Will make our hair puff up. Umbrellas also can be problematic. We just don't do rain or high humidity. So I'm picking her up in the rain.