83 replies to this topic

[EDF]

Hmmm...

I'm sensing there isn't much sympathy for parents who think they need to "schlep" their kids from place to place...

I remember walking lots to and from school...

My little brats loved riding their bikes to Folsom Middle School when we lived in Lexington Hills... they had a whole group of them...

NOw...? I see all these little mommies dropping off their little brats when at this age, they don't need to... rainy days... yea I'll make an exception... but when it's not... get em on a bike or just walk...

It will do them a favor and do the traffic that drives by on Blue Ravine a service by not having to stop and move around the little mommies driving their little beasties to school and plugging up the road in the process....

MY WELL THOUGHT OUT AND ENLIGHTENING IS RANT OVER...

[EDH Jen]

My daughter would love nothing more than to ride her bike to school, however, the few times we tried to do this, it required a significant increase in my driving.
We are up at the top of Serrano Parkway, and her school is down on Silva Valley Parkway - I can't send her down that huge hill (about 3 miles) with her heavy backpack, and then worry about her negotiating the cars who consistently run to stop signs at Silva Valley and Golden Eagle.
For her to ride her bike, I need to drive her down the hill and get her over to the same side of the street her school is on, then she can ride.
Riding home up Serrano Parkway is out of the question, so I still have to pick her up.
And the bus.......since it's a 'shared bus' with both Oak Meadow and Rolling hills - way too many stops and transfers. That's a Buckeye Union School District issue. My son rides the bus to Oak Ridge, and has since his Freshman year, but that El Dorado Union, and they have their act together, transportation-wise.

[Warren G]

Soft, doughy, coddled kids grow up to be soft, doughy, lazy adults.

Mmmm, doughy.

Have you been to a mall lately? What percentage of those kids can ride a bike for 30+ minutes? And won't they be fun when their metabolisms change around age 30? Gee, they might get even fatter.

[Robert Gary]

Mmmm, doughy.

Have you been to a mall lately? What percentage of those kids can ride a bike for 30+ minutes? And won't they be fun when their metabolisms change around age 30? Gee, they might get even fatter.

My Dr says Diabetes is now an epidemic. When I was a kid my goal on a Saturday morning was to get out of the house. Go swimming, ride to a friend's house, etc. I sure as heck didn't want to hang around the house with the old people or have them drive me around in the car. I'm not sure why kids today don't value the freedom of riding places on their bikes. Perhaps parents don't allow them to ride around town enough.
I've told my kids many times to arrange to grab their friends after school and walk down to Carl's for a snack or something. Some parents actually didn't want their kids doing that. I have no idea why. I guess some people are worried about their kids being stollen but in reality the odds of a kid being taken by a stranger is far less likely than to be hit by lightening.

-Robert

[ChipShot]

Mmmm, doughy.

Have you been to a mall lately? What percentage of those kids can ride a bike for 30+ minutes? And won't they be fun when their metabolisms change around age 30? Gee, they might get even fatter.

Not only that, but I also see many teen/early 20's guys with really skinny, frail-looking arms and legs and it makes me wonder if kids get any exercise at all these days??

[asbestoshills]

Really, it's like maybe 3 miles from FHS to FMS. From the FHS, coast downhill on Prairie City, turn right, and its a straight shot up Blue Ravine to FMS - with designated bike-lanes all the way. I think there is a total of 4 intersections, all of them with stoplights and crosswalks.

How sad for your children, that they will become adults and not ever have had to make a responsible decision or take a responsible action. It is not unsafe to ride a bicycle in this town, assuming the rider has a basic grasp of rules and etiquette.

On second thought, how sad for the rest of us. They'll probably grow up thinking that someone owes them bus service, before school care and physics classes at more convenient times.... all paid for by someone else.

How judgmental YOU are. Not riding your bike to school in an unfriendly biking area (ARC), is just good common sense......My children make decisions everyday, but my first priority is to protect their health-PERIOD....They are in organized sports and play outside everyday......UNLESS, there is a very good bike lane or a trail, my children aren't riding their bikes to school.....PERHAPS you haven't seen how people drive on the way to school lately........BTW, I'm responsible for my child's education. Most of the parents I know pay for at least half of their child's college if not all. THeir kid's work part-time for their living costs and maybe books...WHAT planet are you on where you would burden your children with paying for their entire college education if you can afford to help???? Junior college is not free, but I guess that's where your children will attend because I doubt if they will get a full scholarship anyways because they are too busy working full-time and riding their bike to school....Or worse, they will have a 100,000 debt from school loans and move back home...Eek: So, how do you like me judging you? Not so nice, huh?

[Warren G]

Not riding your bike to school in an unfriendly biking area (ARC), is just good common sense.

I gotta call BS.

I live in the same area and ARC is a great place for riding. I ride in the area more than 300 days a year. Not much traffic, very wide traffic lanes, lots of stop signs to keep speeds reasonable, bike lanes, some off-street paths/streets available and less than a mile from the AR bike trail, good sidewalks to ride on in some parts... I see other people's kids riding alone around the area.

[john]

My high school was a good 10 miles away and the bus was never an option. We ended up doing a lot of carpooling. Usually the juniors and seniors would drive the freshman and sophs. We'd pay $10 a week (or whatever gas was) for gas to the driver and it was all good. By the time you are driving, it's your turn to lead it. It's just how everyone did it. Plus as a freshman it's cool to have upperclass friends.

[EDF]

How judgmental YOU are. Not riding your bike to school in an unfriendly biking area (ARC), is just good common sense......My children make decisions everyday, but my first priority is to protect their health-PERIOD....They are in organized sports and play outside everyday......UNLESS, there is a very good bike lane or a trail, my children aren't riding their bikes to school.....PERHAPS you haven't seen how people drive on the way to school lately........BTW, I'm responsible for my child's education. Most of the parents I know pay for at least half of their child's college if not all. THeir kid's work part-time for their living costs and maybe books...WHAT planet are you on where you would burden your children with paying for their entire college education if you can afford to help???? Junior college is not free, but I guess that's where your children will attend because I doubt if they will get a full scholarship anyways because they are too busy working full-time and riding their bike to school....Or worse, they will have a 100,000 debt from school loans and move back home...Eek: So, how do you like me judging you? Not so nice, huh?

Hey... who says it's written in the constitution that you have to pay for your kid's college too...

my parents didn't help me... somehow I made it ok.... I had to walk... they didn't buy me a car.. Hell I even bought most of my own clothes.. and I didn't feel "deprived"....

I did help my youngest son pay for some of his costs at CalPoly... but better yet..? I helped him get a part time job working at a "software company" in San Luis Obispo that helped him pay most of his own way... and then guess what...? the parent compan of my real estate franchise located in Tracy hired him away along with a couple of young people from that same software company and now he's getting paid just a few thou south of a $100k a year... yea he's got a little school debt...but so what... he'd not have gotten the opportunity he has now if he hadn't worked a "part time" gig....

But... before he got that job... I suggested he take ROTC... and he should have taken my adice and joined the military... he'd be a 2nd Lt now maybe even higher because of this degree... how about having that on your resume after a few years...

Naw... he wants the $$$$

[folsom500]

My high school was a good 10 miles away and the bus was never an option. We ended up doing a lot of carpooling. Usually the juniors and seniors would drive the freshman and sophs. We'd pay $10 a week (or whatever gas was) for gas to the driver and it was all good. By the time you are driving, it's your turn to lead it. It's just how everyone did it. Plus as a freshman it's cool to have upperclass friends.

Not an option anymore with the new driving laws for those under 18 -

I used to love to walk the 2.5 miles to my HS in the rain and especially the thick fog in Santa Clara. We never had a ride as my mom never learned how...

Cheers
F500

[normajean]

Pari

I agree with you. Living in the Canyon is going to require a ride, car or bus, not bike, to and from school. Since your daughter is entering the 'mature' world of high school, why not put her in the driver's seat as to how she's going to get to and from? Help her with options and ideas of course, but let her take the reigns. Have her call her friends from middle school, ask around and find someone else that will carpool with you. You can drive one way with your child and another and the other parent cand take the other shift. Your daughter will be motivated to help solve the problem if she knows she'll be walking on day one without a ride! It'll take a little stress off you and she'll probably surprise you at how responsibly she'll handle it.

Another option may be, if there are buses, to check if there is a bus that leaves the high school and either drives to Folsom Middle, or has a stop somewhere close. Then she could get to you after school.

[Barb J]

I noticed that comparitively, Folsom is not friendly to working moms.....LACK of bus services, elementary school on-site after-school care spaces (sometimes 2 year wait), same with parks and recreation preschool (used to be a lottery system) and rip-off prices for the aquatic center (thought it was for the public; luckily we have a pool).....You will soon notice that other cities have these amenities and aren't as well-off financially as Folsom.....In most cities, you can just sign-up your child for after school care without a waiting list-WOW, you mean not all Folsom kids have a parent at home to cart them around to their activities???? Also, we have a junior college right in the city and they don't offer any summer school classes for children. In the Los Angeles area, your child can attend a junior college as young as 4th grade and take anything from physics to algebra. The classes are very affordable....THERE is definitely a catch-up factor in Northern California....It's not as progressive as it seems.....I have seen some of my friends having to take their three kids to three different start times at the same school.....Total lack of respect for working parents......I can bet your bottom dollar if you lived in a working class area, the start times would be changed to accomodate parents, or there would be staff on duty to watch the children in the morning on the playground....IMHO!

I don't think it's a "Lack of Respect" for working parents as much as it is just not the governments responsibility to make your life easier! Why should schools have to "accomodate" working parents?

Barb J

[Folsom Guy]

Am still shaking my head - totally amazed....

Pari asked for suggestions to her specific problem....but, seems like we are more interested in sermonizing...

people people people!!!

[Lauren]

I don't think it's a "Lack of Respect" for working parents as much as it is just not the governments responsibility to make your life easier! Why should schools have to "accomodate" working parents?

Barb J

Hmmmm... well you know what's sad... is when a letter comes home with your child and it states that the schools budget has been cut and they will no longer be supplying the basic necesities a school needs! Paper, pencils, erasers, crayons, they've also taken away the gifted class for the children that excel in their grade but not quite far enough to skip it.... now they are cutting transportation too?? Soooooooo......... what's are tax money paying!!!
Goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[EDF]

Hmmmm... well you know what's sad... is when a letter comes home with your child and it states that the schools budget has been cut and they will no longer be supplying the basic necesities a school needs! Paper, pencils, erasers, crayons, they've also taken away the gifted class for the children that excel in their grade but not quite far enough to skip it.... now they are cutting transportation too?? Soooooooo......... what's are tax money paying!!!
Goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

where's the money going...? Teachers' salaries... did you see that FCUSD has the highest in the area...?

When I was growing up and that was a while ago... we had to bring our own pencils.. paper and crayons...

When my little stink-wads attended Oak Chan in the 90's they spent money "classifying" my youngest little darling as "gifted" but they didn't have anything extra for him.. just more home work...

Now.. maybe you ought to look at some "alternatives".. like a "voucher" system... give you "mo" choices...

But what do I know... I just raised to great kids... inspite of all this stuff you folks are complaining about now....