Every woman has her hero. Some women admire women that juggle work and home, others admire the beautiful wife with the beautiful house, still others admire the ultimate gritty homemaker who sews and bakes and cans and budgets. Well, my mom hero is the lady that walks all her kids (5 ish) to school every day come rain or shine (or snow or wind). She pushes that stroller up hill with kids hanging all over it even in bad weather, and I am awe that she just didn’t bail and get in the car.
Although I am not as hard core as this mom, I do love to walk my kids to school a few times a week when they are in Preschool and Kindergarten.
I have been able to walk/bike my little ones to school for 5 years now, and I actually feel joy as we walk together. As we spot lizards and ants and bees and odd shaped rocks. As we wave to neighbors and pass landmarks that suggest we are getting closer. As I watch Croft build up endurance and skill on her scooter and bike. As we talk about the weather and the trees and the kids in class. There is joy.
I love walking/biking to school together because it
a. gets us outdoors
b. gets us moving
c. gives us time to talk
d. gives me time to teach about biking and walking safety
e. and it’s thrifty!
I would say “I don’t know why I don’t do it more often”, but I do know. As a society in general we don’t have our kids walk as much as we used to because
a. We are scared or worried about their safety- Roads are busier and there are more creepos in the world.
b. We are too busy- It is much faster to just drop them off on a way to an errand or an appointment.
c. We are lazy- And our kids are too; my kids have been walking home for years now and they still complain about it.
d. We are in a hurry- There ain’t nothing fast about a 5 year old walking to school. They get tired or distracted or chatty. You have to carve out time in the day to make the trek.
Because I am all of the above, I had to schedule walking/biking days with Croft this year so that I wouldn’t let my joy get swallowed up in my excuses. We are only going 2 days a week right now due to Locke’s preschool situation, but 2 days are better than none. And I am going to soak up the joy while I still have the chance.
Now I know it is not feasible for everyone to walk/bike to school every day like my hero, (one day I am going to pull over and tell this stranger how awesome I think she is), but maybe we could walk just a little more- to piano lessons or a friend’s house or to church or work.
Maybe we could be in the car a little less and feel a little more joy.
![I spoke in church today and said the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the greatest act of Charity. I read Moroni 7:45-47 to make my point. But wherever there was the word ‘Charity’ I substituted it out for ‘the Atonement of Jesus Christ.’ See if these scripture verses now have new meaning for you:
“And the Atonement of Jesus Christ suffererth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth in the truth,
[The Atonement of Jesus Christ] beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not the Atonement of Jesus Christ, ye are nothing, for the Atonement of Jesus Christ never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail-
But the Atonement of Jesus Christ is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.”
So Easter really reminds us of love. The first and greatest commandment.](https://www.raisinglemons.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
It would be nice to have that option fOr us to walk to school. However, if I want my children and myself to live, we have to stick to the bus/car option. But I do agree, walking with my children gives me joy too. It allows me to seize the moment and cherish them for who they are and what stage of life they are in. It allows me to see the world through their eyes just a little bit.
I needed this…after driving back and forth to school 3x a day last year I was loving the idea of my kids getting on a bus for this new school, just to find out that if you live within 2 miles of the school they don’t bus you due to budget cuts. Of course I thought of waking a baby from her naps and dragging a whiny 3yr. old to pick up, but there are joys in walking, especially after being stuck in the car line on the first day. 🙂 Happy Walking!!
We have a long car trek to school – no walking there – but in the summer I make kids bike a mile to swim team. I can tell they feel so strong and independent.
Jessica,
You touched on a great point that I neglected to mention. Kids do gain confidence when they walk. Not only are their bodies getting stronger, but they are gaining confidence in their abilities to do hard things by themselves. Thank you for your comment.
It is funny that on the day that I post this, we biked home from school in the rain. I guess I am tougher than I thought 🙂
It’s funny how the older we get the less we walk to and from school when that is the time it would be easiest for us. Finding Joy in Accomplishing hard things.
But, I do have to say I miss walking All over the UofU campus during fall. I really did find joy there.
Great Post Tiff!