No so fast, Solo-dad.

It seems that due to ‘budget cuts’ – really getting to hate that phrase- the school bus routes that served our area are now no longer in use.

At first, the school’s website posted a note saying that bus service was being effected by the budget cuts and that they’d be reorganizing existing routes to incorporate regional stops.

OK, I thought. So He can walk a little further in the afternoons. No problems there.

I check the update this morning only to learn that the closes regional stop is as far away as the school.

This is Problematic.

As I wrote in a previous post, summers can be a problem for single parents.  My solution was to bring the issue to my supervisors at work and ask for a flexible schedule.

They agreed to a summer exception to the unwritten flex-time or work-from-home policies. I say ‘unwritten’ because there isn’t a published policy to support working off-site.  Still, they were sympathetic and willing to give it a try.

I now must turn my attention to pitching it on a more permanent basis. I’m not hopeful they will be agreeable. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

As an 8th grader he can participate in the anti-bullying program; he’ll be part of a student group that mediates disputes on the campus as well as looking out for 7th graders at risk for being bullied.

Taking part in it was his idea.

He’s always been a peacemaker.  In the tumultuous years before he and I began our solo-journey together, he consistently tried to ease tensions in the home.

He was 4 years old. It breaks my heart to think about it.  Yet, those years we endured together have helped shape us both into who we are today.

Flexibility and Resilience

Both are needed for 8th grade. It’s an important year- one full of changes.

It’s the last year you can still feel like a kid. The next years bring the challenges of high school and college.  Adulthood begins early in our culture. It may not be fair to kids like LE, but it’s the way of the world.  So yeah, 8th grade is a special year.

My older boys came into their own personalities during 8th grade.  The young adults they are today have their most obvious roots in their 8th grade years.  I’m expecting LE’s academic year to be an important one as well.

Strength and Tylenol

Both of these are needed as well.  The strength is required to haul around 35 pounds of books and supplies on one’s back every day.  The Tylenol comes in handy for the aches and pains that result from it.

This year, if necessary, I’ll fork over the dough and buy LE a Swiss Gear backpack. The backpack handle is reinforced with steel cable and it has loads of room to accommodate all 6-8 books, a lunch, a bottle of water, and the required minutiae that somehow finds its way making the daily trip to and from school.

Last year I spent about $40 on a backpack that last through Christmas.  Then another $35 for the second that barely made it through May.  I figure the extra money invested in the Swiss Gear may do the trick.

I had one like the one in the photo and traded my older son for a larger one.  The larger one is perfect for LE’s needs.  At issue is wondering whether or not  he’ll think of it as a hand-me-down . It’s kind of cool to have new things for a new school year.  I get that.

If he does think of it as a hand-me-down from Dad, I’ll pay for a new one. If not, maybe Dad get’s a new toy?