Talk me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

So my dd is starting kindergarten in September and I'm having a hard time with that. I am having major transportation anxiety. DD is supposed to take the bus. It's 2.5 miles to her school. She would be the last picked up and the first dropped off. She would sit in the first 2 rows. But I don't know if I can put her on the bus. It would be way easier than driving her but I am so worried about the safety plus the older kids on the bus. Anybody opt to drive their kids rather than bus??

Message edited 8/25/2016 2:27:09 PM.

Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

you just have to. i had the same feelings last year. we can't coddle them forever. they are getting big. they are so excited and it would have crushed her if i decided to drive her. plus its so much easier.

Hugs to you. You are not alone.

Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

oh and i followed the bus the first day. she had no idea and was so enjoying the moment she didn't see us lol went straight to class. in my district they had people take the K's off and bring them to class for 2 weeks

Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

I am in the same boat and everytime I think about the first day I get sick to my stomach! I debated just driving her everyday but she really wants to take the bus :(

Re: Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

I felt the same at this very time last year. I was having major anxiety about everything- but especially the bus.
But DH talked me down and said, we are putting he on the bus and that's it. Thousands of kids do it every day.

So we did. And after the first day she came bounding off the bus, so excited. She loved it!

Riding the bus is actually one of the things she loved best about school.

We are only about a mile from school, maybe less.
The K students and 1st graders sit up front.
She never once had an issue with older kids- they all sit in the back and nobody bothers anyone.

The driver is great too.

When they get to school they had people helping them find their classroom for the first few weeks. (I was worried about that as well)

Trust me, I know how you feel, but just do it and you'll see all your worry was for nothing.

It's just hard because they are babies I know. But you'll see- it will be fine. And you'll be thankful for that bus when you don't have to driver her in bad weather, winter, etc

Message edited 8/25/2016 7:56:31 AM.

Re: Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

If you did a search of bus anxiety you would see last year I was sick over letting my DD go on the bus. I cried for weeks leading up to kindergarten starting. I was a nervous wreck but I let her do it. I followed the bus the first day and she was all smiles at school. She absolutely loved going on the bus. She made great friends with the kids on the bus. We had the nicest bus driver and all the big kids in the bus sat in the back and never bothered the little ones. After all soon our little kids will be the big kids. The bus was such a great part of the kindergarten experience!

Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

My DD is starting K too and will be taking the bus. I was so nervous about letting her go, but now that it is only a couple weeks away, I am ok with it. She is so excited about everything and I don't want to put my fears in her. I know she will be ok.

Re: Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

When my DD started Kindergarten I was in a PANIC all summer about the bus, I was SO nervous about someone driving her and I considered driving her myself. But then I realized I was being ridiculous, the bus is so much easier and if I didn't allow her to take it she'd be missing out on something she was REALLY looking forward to. The first time is the HARDEST and then after that, it just becomes part of your routine.

She's going into 3rd now and we're so use to putting her on the bus that we don't even bat an eye. She's always been safe, happy, and excited for the bus. In my district they sit them according to grade starting with Kindergarten in the front so even though there is K-6 on the bus, the kids stick with the other kids their own age. I know you're nervous, I was a hot mess when my DD started Kindergarten but try to not let your own nervousness get in the way of what is a good experience for her. Good luck!

Re: Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

It's really no big deal.
I found the kids whose moms took them in the first days had a harder time transitioning because they never learned the routine at the beginning (when there are extra staff on hand to guide the kids).
My DS was a very immature 5 year old (he started school days after his 5th birthday) and the bus was the least of our troubles!

Re: Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

I drove my DD in K, and still do. School is nearby and I like that she can sleep longer, and that she gets home sooner, and I love to not have to deal with the horrible bus behavior (I've seen it when I'm behind the district buses). She is now in 4th, and once in a great while she rides it to school. But I prefer to just drive her.

Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

My DD cried on the first day of K getting onto the bus, and actually the older kids on the bus helped her. I was so worried all day but when the bus came and dropped her off she was all smiles, never had an issue since. She loves it.

Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

I'm having the same anxiety - in addition to her actually starting Kindergarten.

My issue is that she will never take the bus home because she has to be in aftercare. Plus two days a week she will be in before care. So there is only 3 days a week she can take the bus to school. My issue is that I have to put her in the car to take my DS to daycare so I figured I would just drive her to school too. BUT she really wants to take the bus.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh---lol.

If I decide to let her take the bus it won't be that first week of school and I WILL be following it the first few times she takes it.

Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

My son has been attending school since he was 2. He has ridden the bus everyday for the past 3 years. And now he is starting Kindergarten. When he went to orientation and had the chance to ride the bus it was no big deal to him because he has been doing it all along. Riding the school bus is a right of passage. She will be fine.

Re: Tall me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

We let him take the bus the first few days but it turned into a nightmare. No supervision on the bus. We wasted a ton of time waiting at the bus stop am and pm. We found driving worked better for us.

Talk me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

i'm going through this now, too!!! still not sure what i'm gonna do in 10 days!! LOL
he had his orientation today and they rode the bus and he thought it was cool. so i'm sure he'll want to ride the bus. BUT we live really close to the school, and i'm not working right now so i could easily drive him. he also isn't a morning kid, so having an extra probably 10-15 minutes in the morning will help i think! plus, i've heard some horror stories about the bus, like my friend's son ( as a kindergartener ) got dropped off at his house, when the mom had gone to the bus stop to meet him. even though the bus driver didn't see the mom at the house, he still dropped off the little 5 year old at the house. stuff like that scares me!
BUT i know DS is gonna want to ride the bus, and its definitely gonna be easier- so, we'll see..... right now, i just have to get used to the idea of him being gone for 7 hours a day when he's been my constant side-kick for 5 years!!!!

Re: Talk me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

I am having the same anxiety right now. I feel like DS is still so little and has a little baby face and doesn't have older siblings to model and I'm just freaking out about it.

BUT...we need to cut the umbilical cord at some point. And I know that if I start driving him, eventually I'm going to be so pissed at myself for starting that when shoving him out the door to the bus stop would be much easier.

Re: Talk me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

I am in the same boat. So much friggin anxiety about school but mostly the bus. I know she will be fine and it's better to learn the routine but I just can't process it . I will probably follow the bus the first few days. I am constantly on the verge of tears.

Re: Talk me down from the ledge-kindergarten ralated

My dd is going into first grade. Im a sahm so i drive her BUT last year (grade k) she complained the whole year how she wanted to take the bus. Its harder for us then it is for them lol