DC got accepted to a school we LOVE, but the commute is scaring me. Any advice?

[Anonymous]

It would be the kind of thing where it would be okay to get there, but then face rush hour on the way back into the city. We love the school and feel it would be a lovely fit, but is a commute a deal breaker? We were also accepted at a school AROUND the corner...it is tempting b/c it is all that much closer...

Anyone commute and not mind? Anyone wish they had followed another path?

TIA!

[Anonymous]

We had a similar situation last year: accepted to our top two choices, one which would have been a great fit, but far away (35 minutes one way non-rush hour, an hour rush hour) and the second one literally 5 minutes away. We went with our second choice largely because of the commute. Honestly, it just didn't seem to make sense to spend so much time driving DC1 to and from school, esp. because DC2 would get dragged along as well and that didn't seem fair. Also, we considered that playdates and getting involved in the life of the school would be so much easier at the closer school. We haven't regretted our decision. Sure, sometimes I wonder what it would have been like for DC at school #1, but we have been very pleased with our second choice. HTH.

[Anonymous]

I'd say go close by if you like the other school at all. Time you spend in your car is wasted, dead time. If the school required you to do 10 hours of data entry every week, you wouldn't do it. The commute is no better than that. And that time takes away from other opportunities.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the fast responses. I am torn. The school around the corner is lovely and I know we would be happy there. I am looking at probably an additional 5 hours of commute time every week with the farther school, whereas the school around the corner...15 minutes a day BACK AND FORTH. I could probably run there faster than drive.

Ugh. I LOVE the farther (further?) school...crap crap crap.

[Anonymous]

We commute to a school in the city that we love but I have to say after 12 years of it that I look forward to not doing the drive when my youngest finishes 8th grade next year. Anywhere he might go to HS will be closer to home. Don't forget you have to do it twice a day every day.

[Anonymous]

I am thinking of that PP. (OP here). Twice a day...ugh. The farther school is less in tuition than the closer (about 7K less), should that make a difference? Or, at the end of the day, are you so sick of commuting that you will happily pay the extra money to not sit in traffic like a a-hole?

[Anonymous]

we're facing the same issue. actually both schools are a commute. One is just that much farther away. Both excellent schools. One we feel very comfortable with and love then other we weren't expecting to be admitted. Both big 3 schools, so we feel fortunate and torn. We are very committed to our DC's education and feel that we should do the commute. That being said know friend's son was attending Landon but the commute made them trasfer to school closer.

[Anonymous]

I do a long commute but have a nanny who does pick up. The real killer is morning drop off into downtown (house is in between work and school), but I have found a much faster route than the one I was taking, so I saved myself probably 20 minutes by finding the new route. I remind myself that plenty of people have long commutes in this area, and in fact a work colleague lives near the school so he does it every day, too. It is the perfect school for our kid, so I decided it was worth it. My DH and I also switch off the morning drop off, which helps a lot. I will eb glad when we are done witht he drive, but will be sad when we leave the school. My DC absolutely loves it.

[Anonymous]

Go with the close school. The kids who have long commutes at my son's school get there cranky or sleepy and when it comes to arranging playdates with those kids who live far away...well we just don't do it. My son's best friend at school comes in from far away and I just can't face the drive to pick my kid up from his house at rush hour.

Go with the school close to home.

[Anonymous]

Before you decide, you might explore the carpool option. I live in MD, but very close in, and know four kids from my neighborhood at Norwood. Each parent drives three times a week at most.

[Anonymous]

np here; we are facing the exact same issue. The farther school is THE perfect fit, the school around the corner is a very good fit.

I'm thinking about it this way - first, thank you diety for these accepts. Then, it's not really about me and the fact that I hate rush hour traffic, blahblahblah. It's about my DD, and how many hours SHE will have to sit in the car instead of sleeping, getting fresh air, and so on.

If the distant school was our only Accept, we'd do it and roll down the windows I guess for that fresh air.

[Anonymous]

Personally, I'd go for the closer school, but that's because it IS all about me. The commute is much harder on the parents than the kids because we have to do it both ways each time. DD sits in the car for 20-25 minutes twice a day with one of her friends; they talk; we talk; we listen to music. Many commutes by bus or on foot are just as long. She does have to get up earlier than some of her friends, but I think that has more to do with the fact that the school starts earlier. Fortunately, as long as she's had a good night's sleep, she wakes up on her own around the right time. Getting a good night's sleep does require her to be in bed by 7 or 7:15, which can make the evening routine feel a little rushed, but there are also benefits to having quiet time after she goes to bed.

So if your main concern is about the commute's impact on your child and you really prefer the school that's farther away, I'd say go for it.

P.S. If the farther school is farther from the city, the air will be fresher once you get there!

[Anonymous]

We were in the same boat. We enrolled at Norwood. Loved the school. But the commute was hellish. We were constantly late. We could not make so many of the special in school or after school events. We finally gave up. Transferred to a closer in school. We are much happier.

[Anonymous]

OP here again. Thanks guys. We are currently at a preschool, four blocks from home, and can barely make it THERE on time. How could I commute? I am telling myself that we are TOO close, but we know that is BS. The PP made an excellent point...what about all the little art shows and music events and parent teacher conferences and and and....God. Now that I am thinking about that, it makes me feel tired to think to drive to timbuktu...

This is why DCURBANMOMS is a good thing. Giving me new perspectives.

[Anonymous]

Are you the family deciding between Sheridan and Capitol Hill Day School? If so, go to Sheridan. You won't regret it. CHDS is a Capitol Hill neighborhood school with families almost exclusively from there or very close by.