Friday, February 4, 2011

Video and blog below to explain...

Riding the Bus Home

After deciding that Triton should go to preschool I had planned on taking him to and from the school myself. On day one Triton cried his eyes out when I dropped him off and he knew that I was going to be leaving. I really wasn't as sad as I thought I would be for some reason. When first talking to the teacher about transportation for him she had mentioned that he would be able to ride a bus if I chose. I didn't like that idea at all and said that I would be the one transporting him.
Well when picking him up from day one at preschool I was just on time to see him hand in hand with the teacher and other children from his class. They were just departing the front doors of the building and I figured he would be happy to see me. He wasn't that happy to see me, not because he wanted to stay at school, because he wanted to ride the bus. I picked him up and he started crying saying school busss... school busss.... I informed him that if he didn't cry when I took him to school that he would be able to ride the school bus. He cried and homeward bound we were. The next day was the same, he cried when I took him to school and didn't really fuss about the school bus when I picked him up, but he gazed in awe when we passed by them on our way to the car. He said he wanted to ride the bus, but he didn't cry about it. Next day same story again, fuss and cry when dropping him off, but okay about leaving. He was happy to be at school once he was settled down and the teacher said that he is great after he gets done whining. Day 4 was a Friday and I kept mentioning to him about no whining or he would never ride the school bus. As we got ready to go to school I kept saying no whining, no whining... He must have been ready to be a man and not fuss because ever since day three he hasn't whined about being dropped off. I was hoping that he would forget about the bus and just be okay with me picking him up day to day. When Triton has his mind set on something he is set. So, I talked to the teacher about having him ride the school bus home. This was on his 7th day of class, a Thursday. She said that she would inform the bus route people and by Monday I should get a call and he would possibly be riding the bus home on that Monday. So all weekend he kept saying ride school bus Monday.
Well, of course nobody called and I drove him to and from school Monday. I still had not received a call so I mentioned it to her again that Tuesday when I dropped him off. She emailed someone else and said that we should just plan on him riding the bus home that day, but to show up as usual just in case the paperwork or whatever was needed hadn't gone through yet. Well, she had called me about a half hour later at home and informed me that Triton was going to be riding the bus home today. His class gets out at 2:00 and to expect him out front of our home at 2:25. I was stoked I had the flip video out and the camera as well to catch him getting off the bus for the first time.
I was outside of our home standing in the cold just waiting at 2:15 of course just in case the bus was going to be early. I waited and waiting, and waiting. It was 2:30 and I had seen two buses but none of them stopped at our home. I was getting a little worried and figured I would stand there another 5 minutes before I called The National Guard. I heard one last bus coming down another street that I didn't figure would be his because it was coming down from a main road. It turned down our street and I ran across the street because the bus door wasn't going to be on the side of the road that I was on. I whipped out the flip video and the camera both at the same time as the bus stopped. I was able to get three pictures along with the flip video at the same time. These are the pictures from the camera...




The lady that you see helping him in the second picture is a lady that helps each and every kid on and off the bus. If the children didn't have this lady on the bus with them at all times I would have never agreed to let Triton ride the bus. He was so stoked about riding the bus and as the bus drove off with other little children inside Triton yelled "Bye kids"! It was the cutest thing and this was the day that I choked up and almost squeezed a tear. I held back for fear that the two ladies on the bus would start laughing and making fun of me.