Learning how to catch the bus

In September Jazz will be starting high school and she told me transportation by yellow bus is not provided. I started thinking “Oh man, I am going to have to figure out a plan since I will be driving all the kids to school next year.” The hardest part would be with school start and dismissal times. Jazz’s school is over 45 minutes away from our home while the school the younger ones attend is only 5 minutes away. Jazz, being in such a hurry to grow up, suggests catching the city bus. The first thing I said is “No way!” I am a big time worrier (not sure if that is even a word). If it can be worried about then it is on my mind. I started thinking what if she gets lost, what if she forgets her phone, her phone could go dead, what if someone tries to grab her, what if she falls asleep on the bus? And it just goes on and on. It’s funny because I started catching the city bus when I was 10. But dare I say it? Times were a different 23 years ago. I know I have to let her grow up a little. So I have made a decision that from now until school starts she can take trips to the mall or a relative’s house by city bus. She can not ride the bus alone just yet. She will have to take Nannah until I feel she knows how to catch the bus pretty well. She has to have her phone charged completely before leaving the house and carry enough change for the payphone in case her phone has problems. She needs to call/text me when she has made it to the bus stop, again when she is on the bus, when she makes it to her destination, and when she is on her way home. There will be no riding the bus after dark. I will be letting her take her first bus ride Saturday to the mall. I am so nervous!!! K.K has already said she wants to go but I am not ready for that at all!
I has been years since I have taken a ride on the city bus so I went online to see how many buses Jazz would have to take to get to school. Mapquest is so cool. I typed in our address and her school address and it gave me three options to choose from for bus routes to her school. It even lists the times and everything. When I was riding the city bus all you had was a little pamphlet with the “possible” bus arrival times. So I feel a little better because she only has to take 1 bus to school. This just might work after all.

Related posts:

1. What is a parent to do?
2. Kids and Cell Phones: Does it work?