When your kids are the age of mine (16, 12+, 7+), you stop clocking milestones.
But this is one that I would like to keep on record!
My son made his own way home on public transport. Yippee!!
Well, many parents in this little red dot would chauffeur their kids to and from school (if time and availability permits) when they are in the primary school. Otherwise, they would put them on the school bus. Once they move on to secondary school, the children would usually then progress on to the public bus.
My son started secondary school this year, and this week, for the first time, took a bus home from school by himself!
Due to a cancellation of CCA after school, and a clash of timings with the other kids, I wasnt able to pick him at dismissal. He kindly volunteered to go on the bus. Grandpa was visibly nervous that morning when he found out. He offered to pick the youngest, as he wasnt familiar with my son's school. But as his offer came only after my son had left for school, I decided against it, as we had already prepped him for the ride, and he was looking forward to it.
The journey was an hour long, and he stood all the way in the bus.
The next day, he again insisted on coming home on his own, despite the rainy weather and my offer to pick him up, as I could fit it into my schedule. He tried a bus that went by a different route from that he had taken the previous day. When he got home, he declared that he preferred the route that went thru Orchard Road, as it offered him more interesting sights on his ride.
I guess, this is like a coming of age thing for him. To ride on his own on the bus, and he even made his own snack after he got home . So proud of him!!
Now to convince that 16 year old that she has to do it too!
(BTW, the one and only time we told her to take a bus home, she took a cab instead!)
4 comments:
Did he share his experience, how he felt anyway?
Anyway, I bet he feels great for having you being proud of him. Tell him a bus ride will be much more when he joins his friends in future. :)
Good on him. I guess you wld hv been worried knowing he was on his own. Does he hv a mobile or a grp of friends who travel the same route?
Stardust, he was quite happy going on the bus.
Charmaine, unfortunately he doesnt have any friends that take that same service with him. Most of his friends go on the MRT(train service) but I told him to go on the bus as the bus is more convenient to my place. The bus stops tight in front, whereas if he goes on the train, first he has to take a bus to the train station, and then change back to a bus after the train ride!
12 was the age i 1st took a bus by myself, too, & you're right, that gave the feeling of independence & maturity, the latter emphasized by the changes of puberty shortly after.
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