Move That Bus!

I have to rant a little bit today because every day this week I have been early and since that never happens in the morning it is a real achievement. Don’t get me wrong I am never late to work (I’m actually always a few minutes early) but I don’t normally have too much free time on my drive in. Which is what has made the last few days so annoying…

My commute to work is roughly 45 minutes so if I drop Nate off a little early and I have no errands to run (gas, coffee and a bagel, groceries, etc.) I can get to work about 15 minutes early. Except for days that I get stuck behind the dreaded school bus. You know the one that stops at EVERY SINGLE HOUSE on a block. Is this honestly necessary? I got stuck on an empty street for 5 houses in a row and every child was outside with a parent. This cannot possibly be a safety matter and I would love to know the reasoning behind it.

I have also noticed in my neighborhood buses stopping and children coming out of their houses to get on the bus tying up traffic in both directions. Parents also need to curb their conversations with the bus drivers. I actually changed my route to work to avoid a certain street where I would get stuck every morning for 5 minutes while the mom’s in jammies bullshitted with the bus driver. Listen ladies, just because you have no job to get to, it does not mean that you should be inconveniencing those of us who do.

Of course this all comes down to the way things were in the 80’s when I took the bus to school. Every morning we would gather on the corner with our parents and wait for the bus. I grew up in a corner house so I didn’t have far to walk but some of the other kids had to walk 10 houses! And they survived! This country is in the middle of a childhood obesity epidemic and this is one more thing that factors in. We coddle our kids way too much and they are literally getting soft. Nate starts kindergarten in September and I plan on him walking to the corner (3 houses in either direction depending on the route) because it’s ridiculous not to.