Reply to How old were your kids when they could wake up and get to the bus stop on their own?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]As PPs have said, it really depends on the kid.  My oldest (in 11th grade and with ADHD/LD), can't reliably get himself up and out the door on time.  It's something we've worked really hard on but he requires a lot of oversight.  My middle kid (in 9th grade) could get herself up, ready and out the door on her own by 2nd grade.  She's organized, inherently motivated and (sometimes overly) responsible.  My youngest (in 8th grade and also with ADHD/LD) could do it by 5th grade.

Contrary to what a PP said about kids getting ready and out the door on their own, this is not a 'sad' situation unless you make it sad.  It's only sad if you don't teach kids how to do it, give them the tools they need and the support they need to be successful.  You're not doing this from a place of neglect but from necessity.  Giving kids opportunities to be independent and self-sufficient is empowering and confidence-building.  Heck, my kids wake me up when I oversleep.  We learn each other's rhythms and support each other. [/quote]

^^Above poster here.  I can't believe I forgot to mention that there was a McDonald's near the elementary school.  Sometimes, I'd drop off the kids off there in the morning with some money.  They could eat breakfast there, they had books/devices/etc. with them to keep them occupied and then when it was time (there was an alarm if they lost track of time), they'd walk to school.  We did a couple of dry runs and the first couple of times, I made sure to call them to make sure they were on their way.  They really liked doing this and they felt great about ordering what they wanted (within limits).

If you've got a McDonalds nearby or something like it, you might think about that option. I can tell you my kids weren't the only ones in there by themselves in the morning.  Sometimes there were kids in the afternoon waiting for their parents to pick them up after school as well. [/quote]

You can do all you can to prepare your kids to be independent all you want but you can't protect them from adults who may want to harm them. That's a fact. Hanging out at McDonald's is going to protect them from the weather but it won't protect them from a pervert -- especially once they are aware of the kids hanging out there regularly -- or from a violent nut job. That's the sad reality we live in today.

I tried to leave my kid at school to eat breakfast ten minutes before the doors opened, but they was not allowed to sit in the cafeteria and eat with the kids who paid for before-school care. That's right, he was not allowed to sit at the table in his own school cafeteria for ten minutes unless we paid for it. The school did not care one tiny bit if it meant the difference between me getting to work on time or not or if we could afford early morning care or not. Pathetic.[/quote]

This is because the school after/before care program has a ratio of kids to adults that it has to maintain to keep its license.  Once the school opens its doors to kids coming to school (not enrolled in the before care program) then the school has aides or teachers on supervision duty who are not part of the before care program that are responsible for your child and the other children dropped off.  This does not come under the childcare ratios.  Basically you were trying to drop your child off before the school was open.  That is on you, not the school being pathetic.  
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