WEDNESDAY WHINE: Lazy Parents Who Unnecessarily Make Their Kids Take the Bus
Each and every school day that I leave or enter my housing community around 3 p.m., I spot a crowd just off of the main road that baffles me. That crowd appears to consist of nothing but…
Lazy Parents Who Make Their Kids Take the School Bus
The scene that occurs school day after school day just outside my housing community always annoys me. The generally empty streets become lined with parked SUVs, flanked by a multitude of chatting moms (and occasionally one or two dads), waiting for their kid(s) to arrive via school bus. What about this drives me nuts? Two things:
The Bus Isn’t Necessary for These Kids
With parents who are obviously home around the time that school lets out, why are these kids being forced to take the bus? Schools are not that far away from here. If the parents can pry themselves away from the television long enough to stand on the street corner for 10-20 minutes waiting for a school bus to show up, why can’t they just drive and pick up their kid(s) from school? Making 20 stops in a school bus while trying to get home after a long day at school is not enjoyable. Quickly and comfortably zipping home in an air-conditioned vehicle driven by a mom or dad is. If these parents have nothing else to do besides gossip with each other, why can’t they just go pick up their kid(s) from school?
The Ridiculous Line of Parked SUVs
Worse yet, these parents actually DRIVE down the street to wait at the corner. It’s not like they’re having to commute 30 minutes just to get to the bus stop. We don’t live on a farm. We’re in the suburbs. The bus stop can be reached from any house in the community by walking no more than one minute. Would it really exhaust these parents to get just a tiny bit of exercise and walk instead of driving their gas-guzzling SUVs 10 seconds down the street, only to clutter the entrance and exit of the community? And if they absolutely refuse to walk further than the distance from the couch to the pantry and back, once they’re in their cars, why don’t they just keep driving and pick up their kid(s) from school, instead of parking within view of their houses?
Now, I’m not a parent, so perhaps I don’t get it, but it seems to me that if you have enough time to get out of your pajamas, get in your car, drive down the street, and spend 10-20 minutes chit-chatting with your fellow lazy parents, you have plenty of time to pick up your kid(s) from school and make the end of their day a little brighter.
Those of you who do have kids, comment and let me know if I’m totally out of line in thinking that these parents are just plain lazy.
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Interesting point of view Ricky!
I also don’t have kids and am quite annoyed by those parents who drive their kids to and from school instead of making them take the bus!
My frustration grows when I cannot get down my street because the road is blocked by the mile long line of SUVs waiting to pick up their kids at school.
I rode the bus until I had a license and ability to get a parking permit at school. I also walked from the bus stop to my house. That part (the waiting at the bus stop for the kids) is where I’d get frustrated.
Make those lazy, couch-potato, video game playing kids walk home
Also, if my mom is remembering correctly, she said when I was in elementary school in the 70′s that my school pretty much forbid parents from picking up their kids unless they lived where a bus didn’t service. It was to prevent the logistical nightmare of making sure kids got the correct cars
It may depend on how the school is set up. I know the schools in my area are not set up to allow for parent picks easily. The traffic is crazy. You end up spending the same amount of time in line to pull out than it would to just let your child ride the bus home.
I live next to a school, and the one thing that bothers me is that there are so many school busses and teachers and parents with big cars on my block that I can’t get out of my driveway!
I can definitely understand where you’re coming from in not wanting traffic to clutter up the street… but the same thing is happening with parents around my neighborhood waiting to pick up their kids from school.
But I never took the bus, nor did any of my friends. Pickup at the end of the day was a normal routine at every school I ever attended. Many times various parents who were friends with each other would take turns picking up each others’ kids, either taking them home together to play or just to drop them off at their own houses.
I guess it really depends on how the school is setup. I’ve done quite a bit of subbing reciently since I finsed up my ICP and CR programs. It’s actually kinda crazy to see the setups at some schools. I was at a middle school today that is near a high school and I literally could not get out of the staff parking lot due to the city busses and students/parents cars leaving the high school. I tried to get out the other way and it was blocked by the busses for the kids. It seems in my city the Catholic system busses the kids in while the public system has to rely on city busses. Then again my City is pretty small by mosts standards (80,000).
I do think I have to side with Ricky on this side of the argument. If the parents are driving somewhere to pick the kids up anyway might as well do it at the school. If the school forbids it, why drive a couple hundred feet? Seems like a waste to me.
But Ricky, car line pickup isn’t like it was when I was young. When I was a kid, it was my job to wait until I saw my mom’s car, then go get in the car. Now there has to be a number in the car and a teacher with a list making sure the right kid goes to the right car. God forbid you forget the paper with the number.
There’s no such thing as parents taking turns picking up other kids, there would need to be five forms signed in triplicate and notarized before this would be allowed.
Also, in our area, a parent MUST be waiting at the door of the bus or they won’t let the kindergartners off. I can’t imagine driving my car the 50 yards to the stop for that, but can see why some who are further away might on days it is raining or cold… you do know what cold is, right?
Around here, bus service is available anywhere further than 2 miles from your zoned school. Elementary and middle school is different, the parents might not want to have their kids walk home by themselves, but I understand the complaint about the waste of the cars. Most schools around here do get terribly backed up pick up lines and the bus can sometimes be faster. In the case of high school, there is no reason to pick your kid up on a regular basis. Most OCPS buses are now air conditioned, and a high schooler can walk the distance from the bus to the house fine.
Jen: I didn’t realize it has become that crazy. Today’s kids are babied way too much. Like you, I used to just wait around until I saw the right car and I’d hop in. None of my friends were ever kidnapped nor did they ever get into the wrong car. I’m guessing the mass-paranoia is largely fueled by the media’s fixation with “child predators” lately.
Kurt: That’s good to hear that OCPS busses have air conditioning. But even at my high school in Miami, many parents still picked up their kids if they lived too far to walk or if they weren’t old enough to drive. Plus, we had limited parking spaces available that were distributed via lottery, so those who didn’t get spaces had to car pool or get picked up. Very few took the bus option.
Around here, all the kids get bussed to and from school. They also drop every kid off right at their driveway. The last kids on the bus can be on there for nearly 2 hours, and probably ride a good 35-40 miles in total. It’s the way it has been done here since I was a kid.
Two hours?! After being at school since 8 or 9am, I would NOT want to be kept that long from relaxing at home, eating dinner, and having time to finish homework.
I don’t care how long parents have to wait in line at school to pick up kids… it’s worth it to give the kids more free time after school. And there’s no way waiting in line to pick a kid up would take 2 hours.
I did the homework on the bus :) Of course, my ride was usually only 30 minutes.
Also, I live in a more rural area, so we have a lot of “latchkey” kids, and most people live 10-30 miles away from the school.
Speaking of lazy parents and babying kids: Here in Colorado, the parents drive the 300 feet from their garage to the bus stop, and sit there with the engine running with the heater on until the bus comes, and then they drive right back into their garage.
And, I’m not talking about the rare -20 day (which I stood in when I was a kid) – I’m talking about a usual 30 degree morning which is EASY to tolerate with a coat and hat!
So, I’m annoyed by both parents that take their kids to the bus stop in the car and also the ones who pick the kids up every day. Kids have no ability to do anything on their own these days and it’ll be interesting when these kids get into the “real world” where nobody holds your hand, gives you a “please work harder” instead of an F, etc.
Ricky,
First… NEVER attack parents when you aren’t one. There is nothing that gets people more upset than a non-parent commenting on parenting. You’d be less offensive if you declared the One True Religion or called for mandatory abortions.
There are plenty of good reasons for this, ranging from timing to lack of drop-off space at schools. My son’s school, for example, discourages drop-offs because the way the lot is setup, it’s dangerous.
However, there are social reasons for the bus. I won’t bore you, but I’ll simply say that experts in child psychology advocate bus riding for kids.
Believe me, it’s harder to take my son to the bus stop, especially when it’s below freezing (we can’t all live in Florida) than to take him to school. I’d much prefer to drive him to the school, which isn’t much further than the bus stop.
Ricky, I think you’re great. But this is a rant that’s offensive simply because you’re attacking (using a word like “lazy”) without having any knowledge or experience in the matter.
Jeff,
Let’s not get too offended. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and just as you’re “offended” Ricky can have his own thoughts. It’s not a personal attack against anyone.
I happen to agree with Ricky (not surprisingly) but I’m not going to argue as I respect that you have your own viewpoints on the subject as well.
Jeff: Perhaps my first point is up for debate, as I wasn’t aware of current pick-up/drop-off practices in schools (as mentioned above by Jen). I grew up in a world where pick-up/drop-off was almost exclusively done via parents and not school buses.
However, you can’t tell me that it’s not lazy for anyone to drive a car just a couple hundred feet from their house, park in front of a community gate (along with a line of other cars), so they can drive their kid from the bus stop to their house, which is no more than a 1 minute walk away.
Ricky, you’re someone that makes a living by interviewing people. Why don’t you ASK these people why. Instead of jumping at fightin’ words like “lazy,” ask. It’s quite possible that some of these parents are really lazy or stupid or whatever. Or, they might do it because the school discourages drop-off. Or the kids actually get something important out of being on the bus with other kids. Or something else.
Once you interview a few parents, report back what they said.
Oh, and while I think us parents are overprotective, if you happen to know a child that was molested, you tend to be a believer in the side of caution.
Well, it’s not the Wednesday Interview Blog. It is the Wednesday Whine, and I think this one was appropriately whiny. ;)
I am a kid that takes the bus. Personally i like it better. It is a time to talk to your friends. It is also better for the environment because instead of 500 cars going to the school there is 20 buses. Then again i live in a town where some bus rides are 45 minutes long but i think its better.
So I am a little late on this conversation, but I just had to respond.
I agree with Ricky on this…especially about driving and waiting in a car when it is easy to walk. I also am not sure about the new systems for pick up (so I won’t get into that part of the arguement).
Jeff, you say “us parents are overprotected” but not every parent is overprotected. I have friends who were molested and not by strangers (as in most cases) so that whole arguement is void (though I am not sure where that came from because Ricky was arguing that the parents should pick their kids up or walk to get them at the bus stop…seems like pretty safe options).
Also its important to note, Ricket DOES live in Florida and he is observing his neighbors and how they annoy him. I think that Ricky (correct me if I’m wrong) would not consider you lazy for driving your kid to the bus stop in freezing temps. He is calling his Florida neighbors lazy because they drive to a place that would take a minute to walk to in FL weather(regardless if that place is a bank, a bus stop or a McDonalds, I think its hard to argue that that is not lazy…parent or not).
I’m sure some have reasons and maybe drive from the bus stop to run errands or something, but for the most part that is laziness.
Also I think its fair to say that Ricky is not saying these people, or anyone who does this, are bad parents….he is just simply “Whining” about how this annoys him in his neighborhood.
Pete: You got it! I’m sure they’re great parents… but also lazy. :)
I know this is late (and lengthy), but in my opinion at least these “drive-my-car-50ft-down-the-road” parents make sure their kids get to school. I am not a parent, but I’ve worked in the school system and currently have a niece and nephew in middle school and high school, respectively.
Do you know that there are students that miss the bus and have parents at home that will not take them??? Yes, the child ends up not attending, walking to school, or someone else picks them up. Would you rather pass an SUV of a parent making sure their child makes the bus or see a child left behind because they missed the bus and their parent just won’t take them? And I’m not talking about one time and a lesson learned for a high school student. Or the parent that doesn’t have a car…I’m talking about the middle school level. I’m talking about parents that need to act like parents—and frequent occurrences where parents show no interest whether it is for school or sports.
I find it to be outrageous that not only is there an educational crisis, there is a crisis with the lack of parenting in American families. Reading this post comes at a time where I’m am learning of kids (especially those younger than high school age) dressing inappropriately, engaging in sexual activity, scolded by parents that only care about their grades and not their well-being….the list goes on. I’ve heard all these things before and it’s only getting worse.
Yes, some parents do get social service visits because there is more going on than what “we” see on the surface. It just bothers me to the core that any parent can be that irresponsible or that oblivious to the needs of their child—of all children.
It is my goal to do something about it. I would suggest to anyone that cares about making a change to our educational system and making parents and students accountable provide the new administration with your comments, suggestions and support to make education reform a reality.
Oh I never said they were bad parents. I completely agree with everything you wrote, Noel. There are plenty of bad parents in this world and the ones I see around my community certainly aren’t. They’re good parents for wanting to make sure their kids get on/off the bus safely (or at all). But they can accomplish that on their own two feet rather than by way of traffic-blocking SUVs.
My beef is the fact that their cars sit outside the community gates, inadvertently creating hazardous situations for the kids as other cars coming and going have to go around the parked cars to get to the main road. The parked cars create additional unnecessary blind spots in an already difficult to maneuver area.
Ricky,
I agree. A little walk wouldn’t hurt anyone and would certainly prevent accidents from occuring during the morning rush.
Thanks for letting me vent on the other topic. :)
Ricky let me take your original posting one step furthur. You started the post with commenting on parents who are detached from pick up or drop off process. They want the bus driver and the school to make their day “easier” They cant bring themselves to walk those few blocks and drive instead. I will add my comment its because they are lazy and feel entitled. I will say it again they are LAZY. My feelings are they are your kids you had them and do what you are supposed to as a parent.I have six kids and I never learned how to drive. No buses in NYC for kids so you packed them all up in the morning most of the school year below 40 degrees one quarter of that below 20. because your husband left for work early and was never home anyway cause he is a fireman and walked those ten blocks with carriages and gloves and basketballs and even bikes. You know what Ricky my kids grew healthy and strong and never complained. They enjoyed going to bakery on way to school and getting pizza everyday after school then walking around or going to park. You parents that attempt to justify your laziness it will bite you later. Spend that time with them when they are little
sorry my email is simbawolf2009@hotmail.com not aol.com MARS1223
Because a 10 block walk in NYC is TOTALLY comparable to a 15 mile drive to school in the rural midwest?