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I was at work and I got a phone call from my daughter's daycare, "Your daughter didn't make it on the bus this afternoon." I left right away. Last time this happened, the principal stopped by my apartment, picked her up and dropped her off at daycare. This only happened twice so far. This time, the principal couldn't find her.
I called my brother, who lives about 1/4 mile away. I had no idea his son was sick and I quickly assumed he couldn't help and thought it was an inconvenience. However, he did help. He met with the principal and they looked all over.
I got another phone call from daycare, as I was about to pass them, "Your daughter is here. She was walking down the main highway to us. A lady stopped, called the cops and was escorted by the cops to daycare."
I was relieved. I didn't ground her but we did have a long talk. The whole reason she skipped the daycare bus to go home was to get home early and play a game. I took her game away but I'm still unsure what else to do.
By what else I mean if this happens again in the future. I thought about making an extra key for her but thought she might take advantage of that more to go home on the bus. I'm a single dad and she's 8 years old. Don't crucify me too much
At 8 she is not too young to be made aware of all the evil people in the world and how vulnerable she is to those evil people by not following the rules. There is a fine line we walk with our kids between wanting to keep them innocent and wanting to arm them with enough information to be able to protect themselves.
She should be punished with more than taking her game away. However I am appaled that the school is not more attentive to a kid not getting on her proper bus. They have a huge responsibly here and you should be yelling and asking for some accountability in this.
So this is the 3rd time? Something is very wrong here with the school. Get to the bottom of it now before she has to pay the ultimate price.
Have a long ,stern talk with that daycare. They should be out with those kids before the buses come, making sure each kid is accounted for and then making sure each kid gets on the right bus or gets picked up..
Your child right now is being giving the option of wandering way and that should not be. There is no way that a teacher or assistant should not have eyes on every kid from the moment they arrive until the moment they get on the bus to go home.
I also agree with the other suggestion that the girl needs a much stronger punishment. This is a really bad misbehavior and it needs to be made really unpleasant for her to do this.
The fact you say "this only happened twice before" is a real troubling attitude. Just one time is too much yet you say "only two times". she is in danger and you don't seem to realize that. She doesn't either.
You didn't ground her. Why not? Do you really think this isn't a very serious offense? Don't you see how vulnerable she is. Please think this through. If you don't take it seriously why should she?
I think she needs a harsher punishment. What concerns me more however, is that the school Didn't know where she was. At 8 the school is still responsible for making sure that the hold gets on the right bus and the ONLY exception to that would be parental permission in WRITING which says otherwise. I suggesting having a serious talk with the principal (who btw shouldn't have driven her home either) and ask what are their security policies and why has this happened numerous times. Obviously someone down the line is not doing their job or properly and neglecting their responsibilities and thus, putting your child, and the rest of the children in serious danger. It sounds to me like its more the schools fault than your D.
Advise your daughter about the seriousness of her actions; at 8 children are pretty easy to scare, ask her what if that lady wasn't nice and called the cops? She could've been a bad person and "stolen" her, or she could've been hit by car. These children should be watches very carefully if there is, indeed a highway that close to the school.
I suggest you file a complaint and continue to complain whenever something like this happens.
Yes, definitely come down hard on your daughter about the seriousness of what she has done. She is old enough, at 8, to follow a set plan. It's not like she's 5; she is capable of a LOT of things. But if walking down a highway is part of the way home, she should NEVER try this again.
However, you need to let all hell break lose at that day care. Tell them that you will call the authorities as well as the local TV news "gotcha" reporter on them. We have one here, his segment is actually called, "That's Messed Up!", that deals with consumer and public safety issues that are not getting the attention they need.
The day care people are so accommodating because they are just thankful you are NOT calling the police. You are letting then get off easy. Normally I don't advocate something like TV news in a situation like this. But believe me, TV cameras snap a lot of people into shape.
I'm not going to crucify you; you just need to remember that THEY PUT YOUR CHILD IN DANGER BY LOSING HER. Even the 5-graders at my kid's elementary school still have a very strict dismissal routine that involves colors, numbers, checklists and adults at every doorway.
Get down there and tear somebody a new one. Your child was walking down the highway alone!
But why is the daycare any more responsible for this child than the school? The school should be responsible up until the moment the kid is actually on the bus. lawsuits are won when schools do not take proper precautions for the safety of children.
Wait... is she supposed to get on the bus from school to daycare but is instead trying to go home on her own? clarify please.
No extra key. No way! The school needs to make sure she heads for the bus and gets on it. She should not be allowed to wander away on her own. The teacher and principal would be getting an ear full from me.
In our schools, the teachers have to be outside with the kids while they wait for the buses. In fact, I think they sit and wait in a line for their particular bus until that bus is in line and called. The daycare cannot be responsible for a child not arriving except to call mom and the school to find out what happened.
Our buses are all specific to neighborhood or to the particular daycare. In fact, my granddaughter can only get off her school bus at her stop despite the fact that two days a week she comes to my house and the bus stops right in front of my house. They insist that I have to pick her up in her neighborhood (we could not even arrange a specific two days). She's ten and certainly knows where she is and would be capable of getting off at our house on the days she comes here, but the bus company and the school will not allow this.
It happened before. I am guessing the seriousness was not severely enough communicated to her. Thankfully nothing happened to her! NO EXTRA KEY. Rewarding her for her unsafe behavior is not going to help. If it were me, I would speak to the school about seeing her to the bus. If she is not responsible enough to get on it, then someone should see her on it. If it difficult and embarrassing, so much the better.
WHEN you are responsible enough to get on the bus by yourself, THEN you will be allowed to do so. Until such time, you are unsafe and must be kept safe.
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