In a city where boxbikes and xtracycles (photo, right) are becoming the norm, it's hard to admit that we drive our kids to and from school every day - alone. Especially when there are so many dedicated parents going car-free.. in the rain! For a great look at what it's really like in bike land, check out this recent article in the local paper on commuting with kids. Whoa.
So after doing this solo driving thing again yesterday, on International Walk & Bike to School Day no less, I've been thinking. Thinking how we could do a little better without totally throwing a wrench in our tightly wound family schedule. And while we concluded that walking the whole way is out of the question (2+ miles), and that biking could work but with expensive equipment and a traffic-scared mom at the handlebars, we did find one (measly) alternative: carpool with classmates. Rocket science this is not; challenging it is.
Why bother? My husband and I delved into the reasons for it all (there are, of course, many), our feelings about them (how much should we do here?), and crafted a bit of a long-range plan. And as someone with a long bus, train, and community carpooling history (that abruptly stopped with this nutty 2-kid, 2-school, 2-working parents thing), I can legitimately toss those options into the mix, even though they're technically not as 'pure' as walking and biking. Though we may just try that, say, once a month, both to do the right thing (at least once in a while) and see how it feels. Sometimes etching new patterns in our lives is all it takes.