Dant3

Yes. I walked to school, both primary and secondary. At one point I had to catch the school bus, a conscripted double decker, not the yellow 'special' bus they have over here. All my friends did too. Both modes of transport where essential parts of the day and allowed for all manner of hijinks and mischief. Yes, they were fun. The only occassion anybody was DRIVEN to school was when they were incapacitated, with a broken leg, for instance, and the unfortunate victim cringed with suitable embarrassment at being seen with their parents in public.

I also relished the Saturday morning trips to the newsagents where I would buy 20p worth of penny sweets. I hate even talking about it 'cause it always sounds like some "it-were-grim-up-north-when-I-were-a-lad" comedy sketch, but it's true, dammit! It's all true! That kind of childhood really used to exist!!! Even up into the eighties, it used to exist.

mandpete

When I was at primary school every child walked to school and back, mainly because their Dads had gone to work in the car and none of the Mums had their own car. My Mum used to give me some money and I used to call at the 'paper shop' and buy our playtime snack on the way. It didn't matter what the weather was like we had no choice but to walk and during the winter we had to wear flourescent armbands so the few cars that were about could see us. By the time I went to the local comp it was considered uncool to get a lift to school and everybody either walked or got the bus.

My son went to the same primary school as I did and no child lived more than half a mile away but about half of them used to arrive by car. Here we live 3 miles from the schools and both my children get the school bus and in the 3 years we have been here they have missed the bus once and I had to take them in the car. When I got to school there was a line of about 40 cars waiting to drop their kids off but it all seemed so much organised than in England.

AdobePinon

Know what you mean. I too remember the obligatory penny sweets. And I think it was 5p for one of those fruity ice stick things (can't recall what they were called).

strim

aye, those were the days.......

Miserable in America

I walk my daughter to and from school everyday. It is our together time and as it is a 20 minute walk, we talk about all sorts of things. I was astonished to see one day when it was raining and hubby took us to school, a child who lived opposite the school come out of his house with his mother, they got in the car, she drove across the road and into the school, the child got out and she drove back across the street into her driveway..... that is what I call sheer laziness and one spoilt little brat!!!

ladyofthelake

Talking to the father of one of my daughters friends, he said his oldest daughter is putting the pressure on for a car. She is only 14 and hasn't even got her licence, and yet she thinks she deserves a Lexus!! He at least, has his head screwed on and won't be getting one for her. On the other hand Grandma is willing to hand over her Mustang instead. WTF is going on?? Just because kids make these stupid demands, doesn't mean they have to give into them! No wonder people grow up in this world thinking they can have it all, right now and not worry about how to pay for it until later.

AdobePinon

Yeah, it's like every kid in college thinks he/she is going to make a $100,000 starting salary.

Dant3

Problem is, a lot of them do, and then make me look like a minimum wage lacky! L'il shits!

At lunch time, the seniors in the High School near me all scream out of the gates in their Mercedes and BMW. I've been here nearly 2 years and still can't afford a second hand ****ing Jetta.

AmerLisa

I walked to and from school, with the exception of riding the bus when school was too far away. I think most kids here in the US would probably ride a school bus, especially if parents worked. However, things being as they are nowadays and bigger neighbourhoods, longer distances to schools, I guess some parents find it necessary to drive their little ones. I should add that when we lived in Harrogate the roads were always jam packed at school times "school run" is a phrase I learnt when I lived in the UK. When it was school holidays it was much easier to get around town.

snowbunny

I keep telling my 12-year-old that hanging out with mom and dad was tremendously uncool when I was a kid.... we walked to the bus stop; I begged to be *allowed* to walk all the way home from school (my mom wouldn't let me cos she was scared).... we stayed out-of-doors with our friends until the yelling to come indoors got to be unbearable .... etc. (all this during the 70s in the US).

I think that kids are given so much independence early that there's no innate drive for it later, in the sense that they can very easily entertain themselves with video games/telly, microwave food of their choice, etc. Add in a car and what incentive is there for them to ever leave home? :scared:

britvic

Looking back I loved the time's of walking to school, then up to the chip shop at lunch time's, the much longer walk home from school because it was "Boy time and gossip" then back againe in the evening's for Youth club, oh happy day's

Guelder Rose

I seem to remember that they were called 'Ice Pops' ... I sometimes even managed to get the giant sized one!

Guelder Rose

Oh yes, I was given the money to buy 'Dinner Tickets' at school, but sometimes would use the money to buy chips at the local shop instead ... never did get caught out on that one!

Pimpbot

I walked to school with my mates. How else were we suppose to steal peoples milk off the doorsteps. I use to walk home for lunch also and I remember shattering a bus stop window with a rock on the way back one day, when myself and some idiotic mates thought it would be fun to throw rocks at the bus stop to see who could get closest without breaking the windows. Duh!

britvic

Why was it or still is the boy's who like to vandalize, brave of you Pimpbot to admit that. I certainly was no angel, but my name back in them day's was "your a right little cow".