22 Foxhole East

Jellytotts

As I don't drive DD's had to get the bus to and from school/college from the age of 11.  School bus was around 8am from the village and a mile walk from the bus stop....come rain, shine, snow, hail, fog...College was a bus from the village at 6.20am to the nearest town and then a second bus into the city and then a mile and a half trek to college with everything they needed for the day.  They learnt a lot of very valuable time keeping lessons as well as not splurging your last £5 incase you lose your bus pass....oh and don't lose your bus pass.  

It does them good to be independent, life skills they'll need and a chance to build up the "it's not fair" resentment that teenagers love to have.

Bluegreen143

My DS is only 6, in primary 2, so a while to go til that stage. But his school isn’t the local one so at the moment he gets the actual dedicated school bus (with us waiting with him at the stop and being there to meet him).

From starting secondary though, when he’ll be 12 the council don’t provide a school bus so he will need to get two normal buses through a busy city route. Unless I win the lottery by then and give up work (unlikely but fingers crossed!!!!) I won’t be able to take him/drop him off except occasionally. I feel a bit 😱 at the prospect but all the other pupils do it and I’m sure it’ll be good for him - thanks for sharing your experience @Jellytotts

At least when my DD (3) goes she can go with her brother 😄 unless they hate each other by then 😱

f0xh0les

Mine just need to grow up.  I fear I am not helping them  by helping them.... but it is annoying that my first 6 hours pay a week will go on what would cost me £20 to do myself, but at least this way they have to organise themselves.  I am still up and about, but not running around after them herding them into the car.  They catch the bus or miss the bus.  Their decision. 

There is a school bus from down the other end of the road, but it is £2 each way a day, and if they miss it, then nothing,  so it is better that they get the normal bus, because then they can go elsewhere on the bus if they want to at the weekend.

I had to leave my house at 7 to get to school as a kid, and at 5.45 to get to college, my parents did not get up until 7.30 so I only ever saw them between 6-9pm. I did not want that for my kids. 

I did not realise how lazy it has made my kids  though.

No matter what you do, it ends up being the wrong thing in someone's eyes.

Bluegreen143

We’re lucky here in that all kids in Scotland 5-22 are being given free bus passes now - but I think it sounds sensible to pay the extra for the normal bus if they can use it other times too. It’s money well spent if it takes a load of you and your DH and is also teaching your kids valuable life lessons.

firsview

I remember well the days of dropping 3 children off at 3 different schools and making it into work 10 miles away by 9am (thank god for flexi time!) Then doing the whole thing in reverse in the afternoon trying to fit in 27.5 hours of work a week. 

Bluegreen143

This is almost me now @firsview. Two kids, one at nursery, one at a school which isn’t our local (a choice we made to send him up a bilingual immersion school) and fitting 26 hours of work in over four days before the school pick up because the small one is off work on Fridays. Hybrid working now does help a lot!! Couldn’t do it if I had to be in the office every day. 

thriftyish

f0xh0les said:

it is annoying that my first 6 hours pay a week will go on what would cost me £20 to do myself

It absolutely rubbish when you put it like that, but it will be good in terms of independence. I had a similar with my dad growing up - leaving the house before 6am and returning after 6pm, and then he wanted me to cook for him. Luckily I didn't live with him for long periods, as I was mostly brought up by my gran (his mum) - but she was emotionally abusive - out of the frying pan into the fire! I think a lot of what we do as parents is motivated by our upbringing, I think my DC will be the same. DD1 has already said there is no way she is having four children, two at most. Good job for her I didn't stick to my plan when I was 11yo, I wasn't getting married or having children! Hope you got sorted with your wage, or that they pay you soon x

f0xh0les

It is all working remarkably well... 2 days into Operation GrowUp.    DS2 and 4 have bus passes, DS3 is going on his bike with his bus money staying firmly in his pocket.  DS4 has asked if he would be able to go on his bike, I said as long as they travelled together,then  I don't have a problem with it.  The bike beats the bus for speed - the bus diverts round a small housing estate we used to live on,  and the bike takes the direct route.  It would also sort DS4s bit of extra weight in about a month flat, I reckon.

DS1 announced last week he was off to London to visit friends, so he bathed and washed his hair the day before, packed his bag, and left the house at 5.30am to catch his coach.  If he can motivate himself to go to a ComicCon, I really am wondering if I have just raised a lazy wretch and that he is not in the slightest bit depressed.  He has not managed to make himself an appointment with the dr.  I just feel like a mug now.    Hence, the other 3 suddenly having to organise themselves out of the house and home again.

I have been perusing my time sheet for the last 3 weeks, and next week, and it seems that Wed/Thurs are going to be my days off.   At least that is what the pattern seems to be. Unsurprisingly I did not get paid at the end of the month - some guff about missing the cut -off date to be put on the system last month . The little boy (he's 22!) who started the same day as me had the same problem so I am going with it.  Too many years as a Temp has prepared to never need to  rely on being paid on time.

Put in £500 worth of work and travel expenses for other job this week.  Next payday will be MASSIVE!!

Cleaned the living room and hall today, made Dr and Dentist appointments. Updated all the diaries and calenders. Stripped all the beds and remade them - gave DS1 his pile of bedding and told him to do it himself.

In Pantry News, I used up a packet mix of Rice Idli, a packet mix of Sambar soup, some Oat Idli and half a packet of some weird thing called Dhoka which was so mind-bendingly weird tasting I really need to experiment more before I chuck the rest of the packet out.  It must be edible somehow, just not the way I did it tonight It might be better cooled and fried.  I have lots left over.  It has to be good for something!!

Prepped all my postal nonsense for the next 2 weeks,  made a pudding, and did the bins and recycling. Also 2 loads of laundry.

Not working tomorrow, so will continue with the hoovering and tidying, I am now up to the kitchen/dining/laundry part of the house.  That is where I will set up my camp tomorrow at 6am - the only problem is...  that bit of the house does not have any heating.  Brrrr! It is November, so I am not going to feel bad about having the heating on. We are £700 in credit, before the £66 govt bribe comes in this month.  Might request some of the money back .... it can't hurt.

In other totally not surprising news, the ground rent cheque they claim to have sent on 13th October has not turned up (because they never sent it) so sent an email yesterday and they are going to bank transfer it to me instead....  just checked, it is there! both April and October's payments.  Marvellous.  No need to bother them again until Easter.

evebeme

I think perhaps your boys are old enough to do their own laundry. Give them a few lessons then turn them loose. When they get fed up  going to school in dirty clothes, they'll catch on. Mine started at 10.

Eve

f0xh0les

They all know how, they can all do it themselves. Sadly, they could not give a caberman's toss if their clothes were dirty, or if they wore odd shoes, or if social services were called and I was gaoled.  I do not do DS1 or DS2s laundry, but I also do not like them drying their clothes in the dryer at 1am when they have turned the spin function off on the washing machine and their clothes are still soaked.  Then I get up at 6 and it is still going and the clothes are still wet.  They find it funny.  Of course they do not leave enough time to line dry, but that is ok as the magic dryer machine will save them, and when you are dealing with 6 people's laundry, uniforms, and mandatory PE kit and hoodies,  it needs planning. 

Bring your laundry down.....

Bring your laundry down......

Bring your laundry down.....

Bring your laundry down.......

Bring your laundry down.....

Bring your laundry down.....

The soundtrack to my household.