If you’ve been reading Mommyknows.com for a while, you’ll know we walk to school, regardless of the weather. This isn’t that much of a hardship in the fall and spring, but in the dregs of winter, it can be painful (really painful).
The two older kids are now in a special sports school in the city, so they’re exempt from my walking torture fun. That leaves just Georgia and I plodding along. Georgia being five and having just started school doesn’t realize, she’s on a seven year walking program. She hasn’t excepted that her whining all the way to school and all the way home again isn’t going to change my mind. Every morning she points out that we have a car just sitting there waiting to be driven and every afternoon she’s grumpy with me when I show up on foot rather than with the car. If she’s anything like her brother, the whining will go on until well into grade three, maybe even four (*SIGH*).
Due to the rain and cold Ole Misery Guts Georgia was even more miserable than usual when I picked her up. I soon pointed out that there were a lot of great puddles to walk through. Gutters to stroll along.
The whining stopped nearly immediately. We floated some leaves and sticks down the gutters and watched them disappear down the catch basins.
She saved a worm or two from drowning, by picking them from the watery gutters and putting them in nearby flowerbeds. She did some stomping and some splashing and eventually a whole lot of smiling.
Life is grand :)
Excuse the photos — they were taken with my iphone.
MK xo
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Maybe it’s a convenient excuse, but we don’t have sidewalks. :( Our street is the main street leading to the school so it is terribly busy. We take evening walks, but I envy being able to walk to school.
@Brigid – We have a traffic problem on our school road as well. All of our streets have sidewalks though, and I often think that if more children (and their parents when small) walked there wouldn’t be nearly as much traffic.
I would be hestitant to walk as well, if there weren’t a safe place to do so …
We also walk to and from school every day. Although I do drive when it is REALLY raining (and we can get pretty heavy, horizontal rain here, with winds that make umbrellas redundant). Tyler was a bit like Georgia at first, but now the kids happily walk and actually enjoy it! Puddles are their favourite, especially since they are usually in bare feet! How long is your walk to school? Ours is pretty short, maybe 10 min, and it’s all flat. I keep telling my kids how lucky they are! When I was a kid, the walk to school took 30 min and was very hilly ;-)
@Hannah, It’s about 3/4 of a km, not really that far and not hilly at all. I always remind Georgia she only goes there and back once, I have to do it twice. Then she tells me I should drive so I don’t get too tired!
My grandma always joked that she had to walk to school 3 miles in a flower sack dress, and it was UPhill both ways! HA!
Georgia usually loves to go for walks, I guess walking to school is not adventure but boring !!! Lol
@Betty Becker, I know! It think it’s because it’s repetitive and early in the morning. She’s not really liking the early mornings.
Awesome! We’re homeschooling but we walk up to a local school for kindergarten recess everyday & I LOVE that we can do that! It’s a 12 min. walk w/a 4 & 5yr old…so far the complaining only lasted 1 week. I do assume it will pick back up when it gets cold out though :)
@Jennifer — We’re on week 4 and there is still a LOT of complaining. I surprised she still thinks she might be able to talk me into changing my mind.
You’ve gotta love the staying power! Sort of …
I’m not looking forward to the really cold weather. She is particular about how her mittens fit, and so far, none of the 1/2 dozen or so we’ve tried are fitting ‘right’. AHH!!
I love that she loves pink and girlie things but is not afraid to save the earthworms!
@Nikki Rekman, Thanks Nik!
We have to drive into town, but we park a few blocks away and then walk to the school.
I love her smile in that last photo.
@Angella, Thanks Angella! Walking is good :)
Shes beautiful. I like her smile
She’s so cute in all that pink!
She’s so cute in all that pink!