Get On the Bus


I've always been a big fan of the school bus. You get your child ready, send them out the door, and start your day. Can that system really be improved? But, like so many things in motherhood, guilt would sometimes creep up. I would read an article or talk to someone that loved driving their children to school. The great conversations, the bonding, the memories they'll treasure for a lifetime, and I'd think maybe I'm missing out on something even better than the bus. So this year I decided to drive my three middle schoolers 25 minutes to school each morning. Their bus comes very early now and I wanted to see what all these people have been raving about. Let me tell you...they lied.

If you have more than one child in the car, your morning conversations are much more likely to consist of mediating arguments than sharing secrets. You won't be in the mood for anything other than a nap after you've given 45 directions and repeated yourself 75 times all the while fighting your way across town in rush hour traffic. 

Stop bothering her. Don't talk to him. Why are you bringing that up again? You forgot your shoes?!? Where is your lunchbox? Why are we always late? Leave each other alone. Why is this car in front of me moving so slowly?!?

More often than not you will arrive in the drop off lane with your blood pressure through the roof regretting EVER letting that bus pass you by. 

Yesterday morning, I had not turned on the van for more than five seconds before a fight broke out between my twins. One was cold after choosing to wear only a thin t-shirt and one was dressed appropriately for the weather. When the freezing child asked her sister to turn on the heat, the one with a coat said no and promptly turned on the air conditioner. This incited way too loud protesting from the one who was cold. Which led to way too loud yelling from me about why in the world I cannot even back out of the garage before there is fighting. When confronted with why she would use the air conditioner on a frosty December morning, the one with a coat decided to double down on the ridiculousness and claimed it was fine outside and maybe a little warm in here. And thus our bonding time began with a lecture and then a punishment...everyone would ride the bus the next morning!  

And I refused to feel guilty about it. Well, maybe just a little. :)

Can you relate? How many things have you set out to do as a mom that did not quite match your expectations? 

19 comments:

  1. This made me laugh. I love our school bus, too. For me the thing where reality doesn't match my expectations is baking with the kids. I always think it's going to be such a fun bonding thing, but really they just fight over who's going to lick the spatula or who gets to stand on which chair the whole time. By the end of it I'm usually covered in flour and my eye is twitching.

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  2. I have many memories of riding the school bus as a child... it wasn't always good, but the memories are memorable! Because of where we live, my kids only had the opportunity to rid a bus for a few years, but we took advantage of it when we had it!

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    1. I think we'll be going back to bus a little more in the future. It comes so early now, but I still think it has its advantages! :)

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  3. Hahaha...too many times to count. I had to drive my younger son to school for years because the bus didn't come to our neighborhood. He's not a morning person, so our rides were pretty silent!

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    1. Haha, after all the arguing, I'm thinking silence sounds pretty good! :)

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  4. Oh Marie, I can't even drive one child around the corner without getting my blood pressure raised! I can't wait for the day he can get on the bus to middle school like our daughter! My issue is with the traffic at the school. No one follows the rules of dropping off and it drives me crazy! Definitely don't feel guilty!

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  5. I remember those mornings with my own twins squabbling in the back of the car well. When I offered to help out a friend by taking her kids too, things were even worse. By the time I arrived at work - I'd feel exhausted and still have to get through the day. Don't feel bad about them getting the school bus... if I'd had that option I'd have used it!

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  6. LOL - well we don't do bussing - but sometimes (when the kids are crazy) - I think - why the heck am I homeschooling them?! If they weren't at school, they would be someone else's "problem" for 7 hours. Then I feel guilty for thinking such thoughts. lol

    Great post.
    xoxo

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  7. Don't feel guilty at all! My kids were walkers for elementary school and they are also walkers for high school, so their only opportunity to ride the bus was in middle school. I didn't feel an ounce of guilt - they liked it and I needed that time off!

    Your story made me laugh, although I wasn't the one driving:) Almost everything that I set out to do as a mom does not meet my expectations...

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