Don't.

A school bus is a reckless, unsafe place. No child should be forced to ride one. Here is the place where all of the things you try to teach your child at home like self-control and respect for other people, both children and adults, will be countered by the misbehavior of dozens of children being forced to go where they don't really want to go. From gum under the seats and gum in their hair to spit balls flying through the are and insults passing back and forth with only slightly less frequency, you child will daily encounter a plethora of emotional and physical health hazards daily. I am not even going to get started on the misbehavior and violence of older students on the bus.

If you must send your child to public school, try to drop him off there yourself or arrange for carpools. Although some of the same nonsense occurs in a carpool, at least the adult to child ratio is better, and there's some chance that the other parents in the carpool will encourage the values that you try to teach at home. If you must send your child to public school, and you can't drop him off or arrange a carpool, is he old enough to take public transportation alone or with friends? Even a municipal bus or subway is generally a more pleasant experience than the rolling yellow pumpkin.

Learn more about this author, Joshua Keyes DVM.
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