My mom had already left for work by the time the bus was due, so I had to get myself to the bus stop on time or walk. Only missed it twice in 6th grade, but at least the school was only a mile away. Never missed it after that when Jr. High and Sr. High were further away. Nothing like being responsible for your own actions to make you responsible.
me too. if I missed it, I had to walk which meant I got detention for being late….I lived in city where we had convenience of school bus. but during Winter where we used to actually get SNOW, if the bus was an hour late, we didn’t have to go even if school hadn’t been cancelled (like they do now for 1/4 inch of snow…. lol yes, I grew up in the South. but we USED to get Winter and snow and ice. ) if I diddle farted around it was on me…….and I never blew up at my mom either. I’d gotten the belt across my ass.
When I was in sixth grade, we lived on location (My dad was an oil field mechanic) on an Indian reservation in North Dakota. I was first one picked up and the last one dropped off….52 miles each way! NEVER missed that bus. In the winter it was dark when the bus picked me up and dark when it dropped me off after school!
let him walk………my kids and the neighbors kids used to walk about a mile to the school because they didn’t live far enough to ride the bus but actually too far to walk. Usually one of the mom’s would gather all the kids and drive them but when the weather was nice they walked.
I think Mom should take Mike to school…in her robe and slippers, with curlers in her hair…and insist on walking him to the school office to explain his tardiness. That would insure it only happened once! (evil grin!)
I was much older and thought I knew something. I was at an airport for the 2nd time and waited for a flight call (too much TV) and missed the plane, oh well!
Walking would be great, in those days. It is not legal to walk to school at many schools nowadays, and my children would have to walk 4 miles along a 50 MPH road with no sidewalks to get to their school.
Our mornings look disturbingly like this, sometimes. They do get better at it, though. My 5th grader can get ready on time. Never thought he would!
No buses in my neighborhood in the 50’s. I walked everyday, in all kinds of weather, a good mile to school from kindergarten on up. Many streets to cross and 2 large steel girder bridges over the Canisteo river and Canacadea Creek. We had to wear dresses, even in a cold snowy North East winter. Very scary for a 5 year old starting out. Most times we huddled together into young neighborhood groups of boys and girls, making that long (to us) trek to grade school. If you were running late of a morning, you missed the gang and were on your own. It was something we all did. It made us strong! No whiners in that group. Kids now grow up feeling entitled to pampering. But it’s a different world out there than when I was young, in many ways.
In 1961 my husband’s family moved across town and he stayed at the same elementary school for the last 1/3 of the school year. He took public busses from one side of Spokane to the other in order to stay in that school. These days, his parents could be prosecuted in some jurisdictions for doing that. So don’t tell me that we old-timers didn’t have it better.
When I was in High School my history teacher lived right next to the school. He once jokingly complained that the principal wouldn’t let him take a sick day because he lived so close to the school that he couldn’t possibly be too sick to make it in for work. One Saturday he was supposed to be in a golf foursome with one of the other teachers from the school and never showed up for the game so his partner had to forfeit, he went to the History teacher’s home to find out why he’d missed the game and found him still in bed, dead from a heart attack during the night.
Everything about my kids not getting ready quickly enough probably is my fault. The kind of thing you just don’t know ahead of having kids. I was never late anywhere, and my parents never nagged me or spent any time with me (I was very independent and preferred to be left alone), so naturally, I thought that was normal and expected the same of my children.
Nope. My children are far more different to me than I thought possible.
Usually when Calvin misses the bus is that because he miscalculated. As seen here, Michael is full of doodle, dawdle and delay. That kind of behavior might be expected of Elizabeth at her age, but Michael at this point in his life needs to get with the program. Michael’s mother cannot hold his hand forever.
Let me see if I understand this: She has made sure he has clothes, food to eat for breakfast, attempted to wake him up and reminded him of his responsibilities…to name a few.An uncaring mother would have been one who was still in bed, ignoring her children while they are made to do it all on their own without any help or encouragement.Notice how Elizabeth seems to have made the bus. Does that means that Michael is hated while Elizabeth is loved? Not at all. It just means that Michael still has more to learn. I have siblings. Some of us learned to be on time for things, the rest of us never learned. Same mother. She treated us the same. Whatever Psychiatric jumbo says that a child’s lack of responsibility is all the parent’s fault needs to look into their research once again.This coming from a young mother who has taught many children and has read many psychiatric books, all different and therefore not all accurate.
Templo S.U.D. over 8 years ago
Perhaps a carpool should be organized.
Argythree over 8 years ago
Saw that, thanks!
LeslieBark over 8 years ago
My mom had already left for work by the time the bus was due, so I had to get myself to the bus stop on time or walk. Only missed it twice in 6th grade, but at least the school was only a mile away. Never missed it after that when Jr. High and Sr. High were further away. Nothing like being responsible for your own actions to make you responsible.
loonygardener over 8 years ago
me too. if I missed it, I had to walk which meant I got detention for being late….I lived in city where we had convenience of school bus. but during Winter where we used to actually get SNOW, if the bus was an hour late, we didn’t have to go even if school hadn’t been cancelled (like they do now for 1/4 inch of snow…. lol yes, I grew up in the South. but we USED to get Winter and snow and ice. ) if I diddle farted around it was on me…….and I never blew up at my mom either. I’d gotten the belt across my ass.
mkd_1218 over 8 years ago
Start stretching your legs, Michael.
Grutzi over 8 years ago
One word: Bike
sbwertz over 8 years ago
When I was in sixth grade, we lived on location (My dad was an oil field mechanic) on an Indian reservation in North Dakota. I was first one picked up and the last one dropped off….52 miles each way! NEVER missed that bus. In the winter it was dark when the bus picked me up and dark when it dropped me off after school!
rshive over 8 years ago
In my wife’s school district (in NJ), you couldn’t take the bus unless you lived further than 2-1/2 miles from school. Lots of walking.
jeanie5448 over 8 years ago
let him walk………my kids and the neighbors kids used to walk about a mile to the school because they didn’t live far enough to ride the bus but actually too far to walk. Usually one of the mom’s would gather all the kids and drive them but when the weather was nice they walked.
suevanv Premium Member over 8 years ago
I think Mom should take Mike to school…in her robe and slippers, with curlers in her hair…and insist on walking him to the school office to explain his tardiness. That would insure it only happened once! (evil grin!)
NeedaChuckle Premium Member over 8 years ago
I was much older and thought I knew something. I was at an airport for the 2nd time and waited for a flight call (too much TV) and missed the plane, oh well!
stlmaddog5 over 8 years ago
In the last panel my Mom would have head slapped me Gibbs style and made me walk to school. About 5 miles.
masnadies over 8 years ago
Walking would be great, in those days. It is not legal to walk to school at many schools nowadays, and my children would have to walk 4 miles along a 50 MPH road with no sidewalks to get to their school.
Our mornings look disturbingly like this, sometimes. They do get better at it, though. My 5th grader can get ready on time. Never thought he would!
summerdog86 over 8 years ago
No buses in my neighborhood in the 50’s. I walked everyday, in all kinds of weather, a good mile to school from kindergarten on up. Many streets to cross and 2 large steel girder bridges over the Canisteo river and Canacadea Creek. We had to wear dresses, even in a cold snowy North East winter. Very scary for a 5 year old starting out. Most times we huddled together into young neighborhood groups of boys and girls, making that long (to us) trek to grade school. If you were running late of a morning, you missed the gang and were on your own. It was something we all did. It made us strong! No whiners in that group. Kids now grow up feeling entitled to pampering. But it’s a different world out there than when I was young, in many ways.
ole goat Premium Member over 8 years ago
Well, at least he didn’t have to suffer in school that day!
rekam Premium Member over 8 years ago
Except he’s always complaining that his parents hated him and starved him and schools stank.
cruiserd over 8 years ago
Mom sets son up for failure by not providing a structured environment. Encourage, don’t nag and provide positive reinforcement.
JanLC over 8 years ago
In 1961 my husband’s family moved across town and he stayed at the same elementary school for the last 1/3 of the school year. He took public busses from one side of Spokane to the other in order to stay in that school. These days, his parents could be prosecuted in some jurisdictions for doing that. So don’t tell me that we old-timers didn’t have it better.
patlaborvi over 8 years ago
When I was in High School my history teacher lived right next to the school. He once jokingly complained that the principal wouldn’t let him take a sick day because he lived so close to the school that he couldn’t possibly be too sick to make it in for work. One Saturday he was supposed to be in a golf foursome with one of the other teachers from the school and never showed up for the game so his partner had to forfeit, he went to the History teacher’s home to find out why he’d missed the game and found him still in bed, dead from a heart attack during the night.
masnadies over 8 years ago
Everything about my kids not getting ready quickly enough probably is my fault. The kind of thing you just don’t know ahead of having kids. I was never late anywhere, and my parents never nagged me or spent any time with me (I was very independent and preferred to be left alone), so naturally, I thought that was normal and expected the same of my children.
Nope. My children are far more different to me than I thought possible.
USN1977 over 8 years ago
Usually when Calvin misses the bus is that because he miscalculated. As seen here, Michael is full of doodle, dawdle and delay. That kind of behavior might be expected of Elizabeth at her age, but Michael at this point in his life needs to get with the program. Michael’s mother cannot hold his hand forever.
K M over 8 years ago
Enjoy the walk, Michael. I once wound up calling a cab when I missed the bus because my mom refused to drive me to school.
HJBoehm over 8 years ago
Let me see if I understand this: She has made sure he has clothes, food to eat for breakfast, attempted to wake him up and reminded him of his responsibilities…to name a few.An uncaring mother would have been one who was still in bed, ignoring her children while they are made to do it all on their own without any help or encouragement.Notice how Elizabeth seems to have made the bus. Does that means that Michael is hated while Elizabeth is loved? Not at all. It just means that Michael still has more to learn. I have siblings. Some of us learned to be on time for things, the rest of us never learned. Same mother. She treated us the same. Whatever Psychiatric jumbo says that a child’s lack of responsibility is all the parent’s fault needs to look into their research once again.This coming from a young mother who has taught many children and has read many psychiatric books, all different and therefore not all accurate.