On walking to school

[gwendally]

My children live .6 miles away from our local elementary school. With few exceptions, every one of the 400 children in the school lives within walking distance of this neighborhood elementary school

Comments

[krustukles]

Good for you! My mom made me walk to school pretty much my whole life, and if it was too far to walk easily, I had to ride my bike. Boy am I grateful now. And yes, it was a lovely time: speeding down the path on my bike, stopping to buy a forbidden candy bar with the change I had carefully assembled, enjoying the morning sun and the silence. In high school, it was a 20 min walk one way, and I'd often go home for lunch, just for the hell of it. I felt very grown up when I first started out in grade 1, waiting patiently for the crossing guard or pressing the button to stop the cars as I had been instructed. I have a great photo of me about to start school about age 6 and boy am I raring to go. Walking to school wheeeee!!

Of course those were the 1970s/80s and child molesters and terrorists and people who leap out of bushes to teach your child Communism hadn't been invented yet. *eye roll*

Keep on walking!

[made_of_paradox]

I spent my early childhood outside of Boston.

One summer day when I was 6, I went to the gymnastics program I was enrolled in for that 2-week period, having been given an extra dime for bus fare to get to the friend's house I'd be going to instead of going home. (My mother wanted to shop in Boston that day.) I didn't feel like waiting around for the bus, and ended up walking the whole distance, which was over a mile. I got to keep the dime.

Thus began my great interest in getting as many places on foot as possible.