Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Ricki’s First Independent Bus Ride- part 1

For several years now I have let Ricki sit by herself on the bus (ie, separate from me), and for about a year she has been handling (on and off) her own ticket. However, I have never let her ride the bus entirely alone. This is because I always feared that she might not manage alone on the bus is something out of the ordinary happened. However, as Ricki is supposed to start with a new music teacher next week, and it is most convenient to let her ride the bus alone, I decided to take the plunge.
With this in mind, I sat down with Ricki last week and spoke to her about various situations that could arise on the bus.
-What if a boy stole your bus ticket?
-What if you miss your stop?
-What if a boy touches you?
-What if the bus stops for a bomb scare or changes its route?

We spoke about solutions , and I felt that she is reasonably ready.
So we planned that when Ricki starts music, she will be picked up by the teacher, and she will return home alone by bus.
(to be continued)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find that if the child has a cell phone it makes it easier; she doesn't need to know how to handle ALL unexpected situations.

Batya said...

Wow! Good luck. B'ezrat Hashem

Staying Afloat said...

Hatzlachah. Any chance you can have her shadowed the first time by someone you know and she doesn't? (Sorry, I'm neurotic.) And I agree about the cell phone. i don't know about Israel, but in the US yo can get a phone that only dials the numbers you put in and 911.

Also, does she carry emergency info with her?

rickismom said...

Her school doesn't allow the students to have cell phones, but I'll look into it, at least for the afternoon.
Also emergency ID is a good idea.
Thanks!

Staying Afloat said...

Just wanted to add that I'm really excited for you to be reaching this milestone with her. Yay.