I can't believe it, but my oldest son is actually starting Kindergarten this fall. He has gotten so big so fast, I just don't know how to feel about it. I am happy and sad all at once, my baby is growing up. He is so ready though, and so smart. He has improved a ton, although he still has issues with talking to his friends too much in class and not always paying attention as much as the other kids, I haven't heard one complaint from his teachers about it in the last couple of months. Which is great, considering I used to get concerned reports about this and that at least once a week. He just finished preschool, and they had nothing but great things to say about him!! It was nice to see the words "he is very ready for Kindergarten" "can count well past 100" and "can read and write *MANY* 'high-frequency' Kindergarten words!!". In comparison to 6 months ago when the director of the preschool was talking about holding him back from Kindergarten if only he were young enough (which he's not, he will turn 6 September 1st), because of how far from ready he was maturity wise etc, I was almost in tears to see such good things. This was how I felt a month or two ago when his teacher stopped me to tell me that they were testing all the kids on their "sight words", and that my son was the only one who knew all of them!
So I had to brag for a minute lol, mostly for those of you that know of my past troubles with him and the things I have posted before. He is doing so much better, it makes me so happy to see it. Moving on to my actual question. Just looking for some input and opinions. We live "0.9 miles" from his elementary school. A bus does come to pick up the kids on our street (because there are no sidewalks, or at least not enough of them, to make it safe enough to mandate walking), but it picks them up at the end of the street only, rather than stopping at each of our houses. We live at the <I>other</I> end of the street, if that makes sense, it's definitely not right outside my door and I can't see it from my window at all. So I would likely take the few minute walk with him every morning and wait with him there until he is picked up, and then walk back down to get him in the afternoon. This is if the weather is nice enough. When it is cold, raining, snowing, etc outside then I will have to drive him down there and wait in the car and then pick him back up in the car.
My question is, is it really worth it to even bother with the bus? When I'm going to technically be driving him halfway to and from school (to get to the end of the street lol) half of the time anyway when weather isn't permitting (I live in northwestern PA, we get plenty of rain, snow, cold, and yuck). Part of me just thinks, why wouldn't I just skip the hassle of the bus and just drive him the other half a mile to school and pick him up from school every day? But then, of course, he is all excited about riding the big yellow bus with all the other kids. Riding the bus is an experience all it's own, too. It can be fun for him, and part of the social experience of going to school. I know he REALLY likes the idea. At the same time, there are cons to riding the bus as well, such as Kindergarteners being mixed in with kids of all ages up to 6th grade, and bullies, and trouble makers, and all those other fun bus-related incidents we've all heard of.
This seems like it shouldn't be a big deal, but I just can't make up my mind!! What do you all think?
Thanks.
So I had to brag for a minute lol, mostly for those of you that know of my past troubles with him and the things I have posted before. He is doing so much better, it makes me so happy to see it. Moving on to my actual question. Just looking for some input and opinions. We live "0.9 miles" from his elementary school. A bus does come to pick up the kids on our street (because there are no sidewalks, or at least not enough of them, to make it safe enough to mandate walking), but it picks them up at the end of the street only, rather than stopping at each of our houses. We live at the <I>other</I> end of the street, if that makes sense, it's definitely not right outside my door and I can't see it from my window at all. So I would likely take the few minute walk with him every morning and wait with him there until he is picked up, and then walk back down to get him in the afternoon. This is if the weather is nice enough. When it is cold, raining, snowing, etc outside then I will have to drive him down there and wait in the car and then pick him back up in the car.
My question is, is it really worth it to even bother with the bus? When I'm going to technically be driving him halfway to and from school (to get to the end of the street lol) half of the time anyway when weather isn't permitting (I live in northwestern PA, we get plenty of rain, snow, cold, and yuck). Part of me just thinks, why wouldn't I just skip the hassle of the bus and just drive him the other half a mile to school and pick him up from school every day? But then, of course, he is all excited about riding the big yellow bus with all the other kids. Riding the bus is an experience all it's own, too. It can be fun for him, and part of the social experience of going to school. I know he REALLY likes the idea. At the same time, there are cons to riding the bus as well, such as Kindergarteners being mixed in with kids of all ages up to 6th grade, and bullies, and trouble makers, and all those other fun bus-related incidents we've all heard of.
This seems like it shouldn't be a big deal, but I just can't make up my mind!! What do you all think?
Thanks.