Is 6 too yound to catch the school bus?

[tiggles]

My DD is in Year 2 and is 6 years old, she has been hassling me since last year to catch the school bus to and from school.

My concerns are in the morning the bus drops them at school at 8am, children are not meant to arrive to school before 8.30am and there is no supervision till 8.30am. It gets to DDs school so early to get the high school kids to school on time.

School finishes at 2.45pm, but the bus doesn't come till 3.30pm, Im pretty sure they are supervised in front of the school, but 45 minutes is a long time to wait for a bus, at any age.

Personally I think she is too little, but I'm interested in others' comments. Am I being too overprotective?

[forbetoel]

I agree with you. 6 is too young. Road sense isn't even set in until a child is at least 8 years old. I would not be comfy with that at all. :no:

[cocobambino]

My DD caught the bus from the 2nd day of grade prep I wait for her bus to come then I drive of when she is on it and after school they have teachers at the bus terminal and she also has a "bus buddy" as most schools do that comes and gets her from her class after school and takes her on the bus, miahs bus buddy lives up the road..I think its a great way for them to learn independance and feel it, it gives her so much confidence :thumbsup:

[Little Gorilla]

Too young - not enough common sense at that age.

Personally I would wait till at least 8 years old.

[tobmac]

is there a reason she has to go on the bus? can you take her to school? i would feel 6 is too young especially how buses can be never on time or not show up at all but i understand some parentshave to do it. MAybe take her on a bus ride on the weekend so she can see what it is like

[our little treasures]

I agree with you. 6 is too young. Road sense isn't even set in until a child is at least 8 years old. I would not be comfy with that at all. :no:

:iagree: surprise surprise

[MummaBear03]

I'll be taking my daughter to and from school right through primary school and probably secondary school as well. To me 6 is far too young.

[tiggles]

is there a reason she has to go on the bus? can you take her to school? i would feel 6 is too young especially how buses can be never on time or not show up at all but i understand some parentshave to do it. MAybe take her on a bus ride on the weekend so she can see what it is like

I am very happy driving her to and from school, she just wants be be "a big girl" and catch the bus by herself.

[mumofcuties]

as long as you are there tp pic her up from the bus she should be ok, my sister started on the bus when she was 3 and a friend of mines sone goes on the bus to kindey and he is two, they usually have someone to ic them up at the other end

[Missy75]

My DD was 1/2 way through grade one (6yo) when we moved to our current house. She wanted to catch the bus so I caught it with her for a while (bus there, bus or walk home) just to make sure she felt comfortable. She saw that the kids tend to be a bit silly on the bus so she was too nervous to catch it on her own. I think she was in grade 3 when she finally did start to go on her own. She was 9 when I stopped meeting her at the stop.

I don't think 6 is too young. Plenty of kids do it and plenty of families have no choice. I would do the bus trip with her, see what goes on there and at school at 8:00. You might be able to help her find an older buddy to look out for her. Trust me, if she's anything like my DD, the smallest discomfort and she'll abandon the idea in a heartbeat.

[forbetoel]

Missy75...yes some families do have no choice, but the OP does. It is GREAT to have the choice, and that is why I would personally go with her gut instinct which is that her DD is too young.:)

[punkbaby]

i think 6 is too young the only way i would allow it is if they had an older sibling but still, they are going to be waiting around school for far too long

Make her wait a few years :)

[Laylapie]

I think 6 is too young for her to have to wait that long for the bus, and to be at school that early.

If the times were better, then maybe, all depending on your child of course :)

[sockstealingpoltergeist]

I only started letting my DD catch the bus at 13 and even then we had some troubles with it (not her other people). She is very responsible, but I would never have let her before that age and I still have strict guidelines it is just to dangerous IMO. Good luck with your decision making.:)

[Ky]

Do you know any of the children who catch that particular bus? IF she could have an older "buddy" who is willingly (could slip them a bribe;)) going to stick with her when she takes the bus, then it could be ok.

You could also send her on the bus once a week as a treat ... It could be a good incentive for getting homework done/chores done/good behaviour etc.

If you are really worried, you could always follow the bus to school the first couple of times and be there after school while she is waiting just to make sure that she is feeling safe and confident.

Most of the kids at my kids school catch the bus - it is school policy that they get driven to and from school in the first term of kinder/prep, but after that they are ok to catch the bus. They have fantastic supervision at the "bus lines" after school and the kids very quickly get into routine.

My kids are begging to catch the bus, but we live exactly opposite the in-gate to the school .... they feel incredibly deprived :p

[4babycinos]

IMO 6 is just way too young, but its a personal decision and what you feel comfortable doing, and of course on your dd. :)

[Ffrenchknickers]

I agree with everyone else (not that 4boys2love character though:no::p) 6 is waaaaay too young. I would say maybe highschool?

[Freya]

OMG 6! No way.

We weren't allowed to catch a bus even in highschool and I went to a private school where had our own buses!

I would be waiting till at least high school and only if there is no other way.

[sueliz]

My personal opinion is that 6 is far too young if it can be avoided. Especially as there is no supervision in at the school for half an hour every morning - too much can go wrong in 5 minutes let alone 30 minutes! (You did say there was no supervision from 8.00 - 8.30 right?).

I firmly believe better to be super safe and over-protective then sorry.

[alphafemale2901]

I reckon 6 is too young, especially in surburbia. I have only just let my daughter catch a bus to high school this year.

We used to live in the country and the kids had to catch a bus to school because it was about 15 Km away and at one stage we had no car. In the country its different.

[Kells]

Is it a 'school run' bus? I'm assuming she's not going to be on public transport?

Is it possible to let her come home on the bus, but take her in the mornings? At least then she is supervised at school in the afternoons, which would give you peace of mind, but in the mornings you know she has safely arrived at school.

Do her friends catch the bus? Is this why she wants to? I know the kids at my kids school who catch the bus are supervised really well after school, and they are dropped at their front door, so no walking home alone.

Depending on what type of kid she is, I think it would be okay for the afternoons. I know if it were my older two, my 5 year old DD would be fine, however, my 7 year old DS would forgot, or try and get on the wrong bus!! :D It really depends on the child.

Good Luck deciding :)

[tiggles]

Thanks for all your comments, I feel better now, thought I was being too over protective. I think she is just too little.