It doesn’t matter if parents were getting tired of their responsibilities. You don’t just throw up your hands and decide to stop. If that was the case, I would have stopped going to work years ago.
When I was in 5th and 6th grade in Florida, if you lived within 2 miles of the school, you HAD to walk or ride your bike, or be driven, since there were no school bus stops any closer to the school then that.
It makes me sad to see the long line of cars at schools and at bus stops. Unless the weather is terribly bad (in which case school is usually closed) the kids can handle a walk
@scherzo: Possibly the parents realized it was time he was old enough to develop a little independence and experience. He, on the other hand, is glad they realized that and let him go for it. And walking also lets him interact with other walking kids, like Frazz, the most grown up kid still out there.
I walked to grade school (starting in 4th grade), biked or was bussed to middle school, and walked to high school. Prior to grade 4, mom drove me as she taught at the same school. 4th grade-6th grade – school was a mile away – down hill to school therefore uphill going home. Middle school (or junior high – grades 7 & 8) was 2 miles away along a major road – on nice days (in 8th grade), my mom would let me bike, but the rest of the time I took the bus. In high school (9-12), I lived 1 block from school – so I walked. However, during my sr. year I had a job after school, so my mom would let me drive so I could go right from school to work (not every day, just a couple days a week).
Besides emotional growth and growths of strength and independence, are we also seeing some physical growth? This is a longer and lankier frame than young children usually have.
About that “uphill both ways”, I do it in reverse for a part-time job I’ve got. I enter the building and walk down a flight of stairs to get to the elevator, which I then take up to the 3rd floor. Then, when I’m done, I walk downstairs again to get to the exit. If I were sufficiently into exercise, I could do it the other way around, but fortunately I don’t have to.
Someone with a solid awareness of the popular definition of insanity wrote the corollary “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, but there’s no point in being a damn fool about it.”
It’s good advice, and I think it can apply to all things character-building. I like it so much I’ll even correlate the corollary: “By all means, damn, fool around, but don’t be a damn fool about it.”
I’m dumbfounded when i see a parent sitting in a heated car at the end of the driveway waiting for their kids to be dropped off by the school bus. They can’t trust them to walk on their own that short distance? They’ll freeze to death walking so far? Maybe not being a parent i can’t understand these things.
whahoppened over 5 years ago
Now you can tell real stories of how far you had to walk to school!
rekam Premium Member over 5 years ago
A kid walking to school alone in these times? Parents would be arrested for child endangerment.
asrialfeeple over 5 years ago
Were they driving you … crazy?
Jeff0811 over 5 years ago
It doesn’t matter if parents were getting tired of their responsibilities. You don’t just throw up your hands and decide to stop. If that was the case, I would have stopped going to work years ago.
Masterskrain over 5 years ago
When I was in 5th and 6th grade in Florida, if you lived within 2 miles of the school, you HAD to walk or ride your bike, or be driven, since there were no school bus stops any closer to the school then that.
Ignatz Premium Member over 5 years ago
Is Jef Mallett getting a kickback from Gore-Tex?
car2ner over 5 years ago
It makes me sad to see the long line of cars at schools and at bus stops. Unless the weather is terribly bad (in which case school is usually closed) the kids can handle a walk
mekatuma over 5 years ago
whats a gor tex shell
sandpiper over 5 years ago
@scherzo: Possibly the parents realized it was time he was old enough to develop a little independence and experience. He, on the other hand, is glad they realized that and let him go for it. And walking also lets him interact with other walking kids, like Frazz, the most grown up kid still out there.
Al Nala over 5 years ago
I was only half a mile from my school, but it was uphill the final quarter mile.
Plods with ...™ over 5 years ago
Well that’s refreshing
waltermatera over 5 years ago
Up hill both ways!
contralto2b over 5 years ago
I walked to grade school (starting in 4th grade), biked or was bussed to middle school, and walked to high school. Prior to grade 4, mom drove me as she taught at the same school. 4th grade-6th grade – school was a mile away – down hill to school therefore uphill going home. Middle school (or junior high – grades 7 & 8) was 2 miles away along a major road – on nice days (in 8th grade), my mom would let me bike, but the rest of the time I took the bus. In high school (9-12), I lived 1 block from school – so I walked. However, during my sr. year I had a job after school, so my mom would let me drive so I could go right from school to work (not every day, just a couple days a week).
SukieCrandall Premium Member over 5 years ago
Besides emotional growth and growths of strength and independence, are we also seeing some physical growth? This is a longer and lankier frame than young children usually have.
Richard S Russell Premium Member over 5 years ago
About that “uphill both ways”, I do it in reverse for a part-time job I’ve got. I enter the building and walk down a flight of stairs to get to the elevator, which I then take up to the 3rd floor. Then, when I’m done, I walk downstairs again to get to the exit. If I were sufficiently into exercise, I could do it the other way around, but fortunately I don’t have to.
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 5 years ago
FRAZZ BLOG 15 hrs ·
Someone with a solid awareness of the popular definition of insanity wrote the corollary “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, but there’s no point in being a damn fool about it.”
It’s good advice, and I think it can apply to all things character-building. I like it so much I’ll even correlate the corollary: “By all means, damn, fool around, but don’t be a damn fool about it.”
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] over 5 years ago
And that popular definition is as wrong as wrong can be.
Bill Löhr Premium Member over 5 years ago
I’m dumbfounded when i see a parent sitting in a heated car at the end of the driveway waiting for their kids to be dropped off by the school bus. They can’t trust them to walk on their own that short distance? They’ll freeze to death walking so far? Maybe not being a parent i can’t understand these things.