The Princess is doing a course after school on Wednesdays so her father and I decided that she could make her way home on her own. She has previously got the bus home alone but since we put her on the bus and collected her from the bus stop, I’m not sure that it really counts.
She set off this morning with her travel card in her hand and a great sense of anticipation. I picked up the boys at 2.30 and we headed home in the car. She came home at 4. She was absolutely delighted with herself. She had walked to the bus stop with two other children from her class who stopped off on the way to get hot cookies in subway [she has made a mental note to bring cash next week] and met one of the classroom assistants at the bus stop but then she was on her own. She said that she felt very sophisticated upstairs all by herself. But, alas, when it came to her stop, although she pushed the stop button the bus did not stop. It didn’t stop at the next stop either, she was beginning to panic and decided that if it didn’t stop at the following stop, she would say something to the driver even if she had to pay a fine. Discovery: 11 year olds are the only people who believe that sign by the bus driver saying ‘talking to the driver may lead to a fine’, I have told her not to hesitate in future. Anyway, she trekked back the couple of stops on foot and made it home without further incident and she is feeling very capable.
Lenore Skenazy would be proud.