Having been subjected to the dreaded car rider line myself recently, my sympathy was probably lacking for the entire situation.
It has taken me three years to grasp the concept of the car rider line. "When I was that age"... we walked to school. Or rode our bikes. There was no chauffeur service to deposit us on the front doorstep of secondary education, or whisk us off after the last bell.
By second grade, I was responsible for getting myself home from school. By third grade, I made my own breakfast and got myself out the door for the 1+ mile walk. Only the limits of my imagination could encompass the possible penalty of failing to achieve the objective, or taking a detour. There was no driver, and the worst danger we feared (aside from the wrath of Mom) was the dog behind the fence of the house in the alley.
Eventually, school was too far away to ride our bikes and we became bus riders. But the routine didn't change: get self out of bed on time, feed self, dress self, get out the door on time or else.
Today, the school district kindly provides bus transportation to every student in the district regardless of location. During enrollment, the only options are "bus rider" or "car rider". No "walk" or "bicycle", or "none of the above".
Some parents just cannot bear for their little darlings to ride the bus, but from my experience, it is a perfectly acceptable option. No need to waste time or money for gas just for the opportunity to be a chauffeur for a day.
But here I sit, my own little darling having lost her bus privledges for the week due to poor choices. It is not pleasant for either of us. The lines of cars parked waiting on both sides of the road, the parents parked in the grass, the off-duty officer directing traffic. Every day. Seriously?
At least it gives me time to think. Maybe too much time....
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