Friday, April 15, 2011

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round

Whoever picked the color yellow for the color of school buses was a genius. I love being able to spot them from afar. I would have picked neon pink but that may cause accidents!
 
Most parents get nervous at the idea of putting their child on the bus for the first time in Kindergarten. When you have a special needs child, that time usually comes a lot sooner than your heart is ready for. CJ had just turned 3 when our time came. I was terrified! Here's my little baby - barely 3 feet tall and not even 30lbs - in a giant yellow bus. It's funny how the "short" buses seem so little until you have to strap a toddler in it. Then its too big, the seats to wide, and the aisles too long! Couldn't they have personal chauffeured cars for special needs kids? Wait...that would be me right?

Having 2 kids in two different schools, both with the same start time, was proving to be a problem. One or the other was always late. So, I made the tough decision to let them ride their buses. Since CJ has sensory integration issues, I was very concerned about him dealing with the noises and vibrations of the bus. However, he was more than excited to get on the bus ...at first. I, on the other hand was snotty nosed and tear stricken. Call me crazy, but I followed the bus to and from the school everyday for 2 weeks just to make sure the driver wasn't speeding or worse, running off with my baby! I even traded cars with my mom and brother occasionally so it wouldn't look so obvious!

Our first bus driver was, to put it nicely, very unprofessional. She would do things like start moving before the bus aide had CJ fully strapped in, and was extremely rude over the phone. I realized that the quiet, shy personality I had would have to be tossed out the window to get things done. After a couple of calls to the transportation department, we had a new bus driver. He was a lot nicer and understood my fears and concerns. He would stay and chat for a couple of minutes if he had some spare time on his route, and that made me begin the process of trusting him more.

It's been 3 years since CJ started school now, and he had his ups and downs with riding the bus. Sometimes he would run to the bus excitedly, and other times, it scared him. It all depended on how sensitive he was that day to noises and touch. We're no longer on the bus, but thankfully, I have a flexible work schedule that allows me to play chauffeur to my kids (and a couple of others).

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