Do you have a child that will be in Elementary school this year? Or a Special Needs child in any grade? A child with medical needs who will be in school?
Can your child easily recite your phone number to you? Or explain what they need medically? Probably so. But that is when they are communicating with the most trusted person in their life. YOU! What would happen if they were afraid? Lost? Sick? Could they tell someone how to contact you quickly? Can they remember their bus number from Day 1 of school? What happens if they accidentally are put on the wrong bus at school? That happens every year where I live. Most kids are funneled to the correct place but there are a few that somehow are misdirected. Scary stuff!
Think it won’t happen to your kids? It happened to mine with me standing right there. Let me explain. We were on our bus stop corner waiting patiently for the bus for my then 1st grader. We knew what the bus number was supposed to be but a bus pulled up with a different number and stopped. The other Mom standing there and I questioned her because the bus number wasn’t what we expected. She told us that it was a new bus and not to worry. I asked her if she was going to XYZ school and she assured us that yes she was. So we put our kids on that bus and watched it drive away. A few seconds later the correct bus pulls up. We were STUNNED! I jumped in my van and raced off to chase down the bus that had the kids on it. Luckily we live in a really large neighborhood with lots of kids so I knew she would have many stops to make. I found her rather quickly and retrieved my son and the little girl who had boarded with him. I also gave that bus driver an earful. I got the two on the correct bus and all was well in the world. But what if I wasn’t there and this happened at school rather than at home? Would my 1st grader have known not to get of f the bus at a random stop?
Are you thinking that of course he would have stayed on the bus and then the driver would contact me? Maybe, but maybe not.
A few years ago my husband was on his way home from work and saw a little girl walking down the middle of a very busy street in our neighborhood crying. He directed her to the side of the road and came home to get me as our house is on a tiny street off that road. I immediately went out to get her and find out what was wrong. Guess what? She was let off at the wrong bus stop and had no idea how to get to her house or how to contact her parents. NONE. I walked her to our front porch and my hubby brought the boys outside to chat with her while I searched her backpack for information and calmly quizzed her for information. Eventually I learned her name and the bus number she was on. I called the bus compound and told them what had happened and that I had her. I let them know I was about to call the police because I had no idea how to get her home. They looked her name up and told me her address (not sure that was smart of them but they did) and I drove her home. On the way to her house (which was a few streets away) she looked out the window and pointed out her Grandma who was looking around desperately while standing on a corner. I stopped and let her out with her Grandma who had been waiting at the correct bus stop for the little girl and was getting quite worried about her. Chatting with Grandma I learned that she was in second grade and that she knew her Mom and her Grandma’s cell phone numbers. She may have but not when she was scared and lost.
This year my boys are old enough that they automatically know all the info and one has his own phone to call me if he needs. Our daughter is a preschooler who will be riding the bus to school and will be picked up in the afternoon. This was the plan last year as well and guess what? On the first day they put her on the bus on the way home which was completely NOT the plan. She will absolutely have a free Back to School Printable tucked in her backpack just in case.
This printable allows you to feel confident that someone can contact you if needed. For older kids it gives them the knowledge that might be lost when they are afraid. Peace of mind for Mom!
Contact Robyn at Robyn@theneighborhoodmoms.com
- Easy, Southern Bread Pudding - November 5, 2019
- Easy Scarecrow Craft - September 24, 2019
- Leaf Rubbing Fairies Craft - September 18, 2019
I have a daughter with selective Mutism where this will come in handy! Thank you 🙂
This is great! How scary for the little girl 🙁
It’s so nerve-racking sending them off to school on a bus. I’ve considered following the bus and making sure they get to school safely, but that might be a little neurotic. This is a great solution that will calm parents’ nerves.
I’ve never thought about the importance of having info like this handy. We don’t have school age kids yet, but now I know one more way to keep them safe!
Gah, these stories! How scary! I love this printable.
This printable is such a great idea. So important to help keep our kids safe.
This printable is such a cute, creative, and smart idea for kids!!
That is scary indeed. The printable is a good idea.
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing. I’m printing a few off now!
Great idea. These would be handy for teachers.
One of my biggest fears is that this will happen to my daughter. She still can’t seem to remember our phone number and would be so scared.
This is a great idea!
Your story about the little girl was so scary. I agree the printable could have help you and her a lot. How horrible that the bus driver cared so little.
What a great resource. My daughter struggles with her phone number.
What a scary story and glad you were able to help. Such a great idea to use these printables.
Great printable! I was trying to find something exactly like this a few years back when my autistic son just started school.
This is such a scary story! I hate the idea that it can happen so easy, but I hope if that ever happens to my kids, there are more people like you to help out. Thanks for the printable!
Wow! That’s so scary. My soon to be 5th grader couldn’t remember her address last year so it happens!
As son as our kids can remember stuff like that we teach them our phone numbers.
Great idea! We homeschool, so there are no busses to deal with. But something like this is great for field trips and stuff. Thanks!
buses not busses haha!
What a scary thing to happen! I would think that the bus driver would know and would trust them to be right.