Driving kids to/from school (Austin: 2015, apartments, transporting)

[Gorfml]

Crime is way lower than it was when I grew up.... It's just helicoptering.. These poor kids are gonna have nervous break downs in their 20's...

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Kids still walk and ride their bike here in Hutto. The reason some don't is there are no paths to the school that are safe. And when I say safe I mean there isn't a path from some of the subdivisions to the High School...only along 685 and that isn't safe at all. There is construction and I'm sure many kids will be able to walk after they're done if there is a sidewalk.

There wasn't a path to Farley before either but now there is...a wonderful, wide, walking/biking path. It's great. Many of the subdivisions around here feed into Ray and Farley.

I see long lines sometimes too but there is probably a million reasons why some people pick up their kids. Maybe doctor appointments, dentist appointments, appointments who knows where and they need to be on time and time is limited. Maybe they have to drive the kids to a sitter on their way to work right after school. Too many reasons to list.

I'm sure there are what people call "helicopter" parents but who cares.

I used to walk a mile to the bus in the snow. Yes, there were some big hills too.

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by veloman777

Why do so many parents need to drive kids to and from public school today?

Is there a problem with the bus? Maybe there isn't bus service anymore?

I thought I wasn't that old, but I guess I am. I grew up in the 90s in a suburban town and never had my parents driving me around to/from school. At school, there was only a handful of parents doing it, not a line of cars a quarter mile long parked idling every afternoon near the schools.

What happened over the last 15 years?

Uh google 13 year old and 7 year old on a bus and see what you come up with. I'm never putting my kids on a bus.

[llkltk]

Originally Posted by Gorfml

What happened? Parents have gone full retard... Some of these helicopters are waiting in the line an hour before school gets out. Usually just because they don't want their kid to go through the horror of riding alone on the bus... It's pathetic...

I'd say you are pathetic. Who are you to judge people who pick up their kids from school? No one waits in line an hour. It's 15 minutes.

[Trainwreck20]

I am not sure about the perception being correct. Maybe it is, but at the elementary school our 1st grader attends, there is a mass of midget humanity biking, scootering, and walking to the school from every direction. I think there is only one bus, due to the vast majority of the kids living a mile or less, I would guess, from the school.

Yup, there are a lot of parents dropping off, too, but for a variety of reasons that I can think of:
- The kid(s) are too young to walk to school alone (mostly K and 1st, I would think)
- The parents are going to work anyway and the school is on the way, why not drop the kid off?
- The buses have routes that take an hour to get to the school that is 3 miles away, so the kids have to get up at 6 am or something.

[Gorfml]

Originally Posted by llkltk

I'd say you are pathetic. Who are you to judge people who pick up their kids from school? No one waits in line an hour. It's 15 minutes.

Yes ppl are many ppl wait in line an hour before school gets out every day to pick their kids up. Ppl who pick their kids up at school for no reason other than they prefer for them not to ride the bus are pathetic gas wasting no life helicopters. Same type of ppl who freak out when their kids leave their site for an instant at the play ground. Over schedule play dates... Hover hover float... Gag...

[Aquitaine]

they prefer for them not to ride the bus are pathetic gas wasting no life helicopters

I don't care for helicopter parents either but if you can't post anything without insulting people, please don't.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by Gorfml

Yes ppl are many ppl wait in line an hour before school gets out every day to pick their kids up. Ppl who pick their kids up at school for no reason other than they prefer for them not to ride the bus are pathetic gas wasting no life helicopters. Same type of ppl who freak out when their kids leave their site for an instant at the play ground. Over schedule play dates... Hover hover float... Gag...

I hope you can find more meaning and success in your life so you don't have to waste time getting angry about things that are completely irrelevant to your happiness.

[Threestep2]

Originally Posted by Gorfml

What happened? Parents have gone full retard... Some of these helicopters are waiting in the line an hour before school gets out. Usually just because they don't want their kid to go through the horror of riding alone on the bus... It's pathetic...

We have no walk ways, no bike trails and temperatures are generally in the three digits in summer, construction be it residential or commercial everywhere. Perfect conditions for a six year old to walk 2+ miles alone.

[AMJ27]

We live about a mile and a half from our school, and the vast majority of the school is from less than 2 miles away. We have tons of walkers, bikers, etc. at our school, but I do drive my kids in a carpool for a couple of reasons. First of all, elementary schools start early here at 7:40am. I like to get my kids to school around 7:20am so they don't feel rushed, etc. If we were to walk, we'd have to leave before 7am which means I'd have to get my kids up around 6:15am. I think it's better for them to get that little bit of extra sleep in the morning. The other main reason is that it is dark during a good portion of the school year when we are leaving for school.