Five Things To Look For When Introducing Public Transit To Your Children
Also: Lessons You Can Teach Your Child While Taking Public Transit
Happy Wednesday folks! Hopefully, you were able to catch Sunday’s short piece. If you still aren’t used to Sunday’s free post, I will always include it towards the end of Wednesday’s issue for convenience.
This week you’ll discover:
🚗 What five things to check for when taking public transit with your children for the first few times!
Last week, shortly after 5 p.m., my wife and I realized we needed a few things from the grocery store. With our storefront officially closed, I’ve been relying less on her car and found we only use it on the weekends now. This was one of those times when having access to a car could easily spoil you.
“I would take the bus and take Olivia with me but I’m not sure how long it’ll take me with rush hour in full swing.”, I said. I also didn’t want to lose our parking spot, however. It then dawned on me that the walk to the bus stop, around the grocery store, and back would not only make great content for my YouTube channel but also help my daughter wind down for the evening.
I got my daughter dressed and down the street, we were off to catch the bus that runs every 10 minutes.
5:46p - We start our walk
Needless to say, as I held her in my arms with a light jog the bus pulled off as we turned up the station’s ramp. The next bus was 9 minutes away.
I wasn’t upset. It happens, but it did put me back as I was racing the clock to see how fast I could get what we needed for supper and get back home.
6:03p - We’re seated on the bus.
6:06p - We arrive at our stop for the grocery store
6:26p - We’re back at the bus stop
6:30p - We’re seated on the bus.
6:40p - We are back home.
There were small things I noticed about my daughter that I hadn’t picked up before when we took public transit and thought I’d share. With empty buses both ways, it made me dig a bit to see what was going on.
More Questions - When we’re in the car, we can typically answer my daughter’s “where we going?” with “an adventure”. This doesn’t fly on the bus. I had to tell her where and what we were doing and ultimately why. Be prepared to overexplain your route as they may wonder who is in control of the situation if you’re seated with them.
Bring Them Headphones - I never leave the house for public transit without my headphones; a habit I picked up during my Brooklyn days. My daughter loves music and loves it even more when traveling. I noticed having her headphones synced with her favorite songs queued up and ready for this trip made her feel more relaxed. The headphones have a volume limiter while being adjustable enough to grow with into her early school years.
Take The Moment To Be Goofier - I’m not behind the wheel. I am free from being “serious dad” who is typically defensively driving to protect my family from reckless drivers. I can loosen up and be silly, making the most of this time. This may look like hopping around like a bunny from the bus stop or making faces at each other. It helps pass the time and drops the stress levels that sometimes come with public transit.
You’ll learn the following from today’s issue:
Two more tips for taking public transit with young children
What lessons you can teach your child while taking public transit
How to avoid taking your car for granted if you’re car-lite
In Case You Missed it
Youtube Updates
As many of you know, I recently closed down our retail storefront and FINALLY got some time to just chill with the family. My kiddos make their YouTube debut.
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Til, next time cut loose.
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