Luka Starts Taking the Bus

Since the school year started JJ has been asking me about bus service at Luka's new school and I have sort of just been ignoring him or nodding when he asks. As a Dutch father he thinks that taking the bus in the morning is a big step in the process of growing up and starting to feel independent as a little boy. Hello, I am Cuban and from Miami. I grew up with my parents dropping me off every morning. Bus was reserved for those kids that had parents that had to get to work very early. The first choice was always to have mom or dad drop you off. After school it was more common, but i don't think I ever took the big yellow bus home anyway.

It is definitely a culture thing...but the truth is that I didn't want my little baby to go on the big bad bus all by himself...and when would I talk to other moms and socialize at school, or more importantly have that contact with his teacher.

But my husband was very persistent and persuasive. We also started to notice that Luka had to work on his independence, so after weeks of brushing it aside I finally signed Luka up to take the bus.

On September 3rd he rode the bus to school for the first time. I cried when he drove away, but I could see he was one little proud 5-year old as he waited for the bus.

At the end of the day after he got home on the bus our conversation went something like this:

Me: Luki, how was the bus today?

Luka: Mom, nobody talks to me. I don't like it.

Me: Baby, in the morning people are tired and they don't talk. They are probably sleepy.

Luka: No, Mom! In the afternoon too. Nobody talked to me.

Me: Sweetie, it was your first day. You still don't know anyone...just wait a couple of days

Inside I was thinking...you see...he is too young.

Fast forward to Friday in the afternoon:

Luka: (running inside) Mom, Mom...Someone spoke to me on the bus today. I have a friend.

Me: Really, that is awesome!

Luka: Yes, he got on the bus and said, "Hey Buddy" and we talked all the way home.

I really worry way too much.

The bus has proved to be very successful and efficient:

1. Luka loves it

2. I don't have to rush Sam in the morning so we are all out of the house by 7:10 am

3. Sam gets to sleep longer

4. I get to actually shower and get ready for the day.

5. My Dutch husband is very proud of his son...we are all proud of him.

6. I still get to pick him up at school twice a week for after-school activities

7. Did I mention Luka loves it!

So that was the bus drama going on in my house recently, which turns out it wasn't that much of a drama at all. I guess it was just drama from this mama.

Here is Luka boarding the bus on that first day.

Here he is after he is all buckled in.