18/366: Kindness of Somewhat Strangers

My boys aren't all that fond of their afternoon bus driver.  They say he is mean. 

The examples they give me are that he doesn't allow them to switch seats after the bus leaves the school.  He doesn't allow them to stand while bus is in motion.

They can't yell, stick their heads out the window or pretend fight with each other.

Poor boys...they aren't allowed to act like animals in a moving bus with no seat belts.

It wasn't until I heard from other parents that this bus driver isn't mean to just my boys.  Apparently, he is somewhat nasty.

That said, if I were to be driving a bus load of kids around, I might be a tad on the nasty side as well.  Heck, an hour in the car with only two children, strapped in, is enough to make me go wacky.

Yesterday, O got off the bus giggling.  It wasn't until the bus doors closed and he was close to the house that I noticed he didn't have his backpack.  He left it on the bus.

So I sent them through the backyard to the next street to wave the bus down and retrieve the backpack.  Had I thought for a second how much rain we have had in the past day, I may have abandoned that idea.  Big Boy came back with wet pants up to mid thigh. 

With no backpack.

He looked at the bus, but never waved him down or talked to the driver.  Note to self:  explain expectations prior to releasing big boy into a water bog.

I called the bus garage and the lady was very kind.  Unfortunately, the garage would be closed when the bus driver arrived after the high school drop offs, so we would have to come retrieve the backpack the following morning after 7:00 AM.  Ugh.

I had a discouraging day at work, and then the backpack debacle really set me off.  I just couldn't see that it was only a backpack and we can get it back, not a big deal.  But when it is combined with other factors, that is one big backpack straw.

Since I was already in a mood, I had the boys write a couple thank you cards that were severely late.  As we were writing, a school bus stops in front of our house!

The Bus Driver was dropping off O's backpack!

I have never in my life heard of such a thing.  I am ever so grateful that not only was the back pack intact, but returned without any issues.  Evidently, it is easier for a bus driver to return the backpack to the child's house, than it is to deliver it to the bus garage, most likely due to the closing of the office before all buses return.

Thank you kind bus driver.  I'll stick up for you always.

And O had one more thank you note to write!