Guess what was the first thing I saw this morning when I opened the front door? It may not be so easy to figure this out, since the possibilities are almost limitless, but just humor me….guess.

Did you guess a big, yellow school bus? (If you did, give yourself a pat on the back!) So, I had to chuckle this morning that of all the things for me to see, it would be that. Why would I say that?. First, I needed to have something to write in my blog. I’ve been like the typical procrastinating student, trying to narrow down my options, trying to think of something meaningful, cool, and timely. Secondly, I was suffering from a form of writer’s block, in which there are too many things I want to say (as opposed to having not knowing what to say). To get some fresh air, and maybe even some fresh perspective, I opened the front door. It was there I was greeted by the big, yellow school bus.

The school bus literally made me chuckle. Not only did I have a topic about which to write, but it reminded me of some of the reasons why we homeschooled our children. As I looked at the bus, I gave thanks my children missed out on getting gum thrown in their hair, where they didn’t have the awkwardness of having no place to sit because someone was saving a seat, and they didn’t have to wait in the school parking lot while the naughty kids (and everyone else) were given a time-out until the driver saw improved behavior. I am thankful to have deprived my children of those experiences, and many more I could list here if I had all day; and I also felt pity for the children who were sitting inside the school bus this morning. How many of them were leaving mommy at home for the first time? How many of them are stressed they won’t know which bus to climb into when the bell rings this afternoon? How many of them are hunched over their backpacks, trying to be invisible? How many of them dread getting off the bus to face the school bullies? I’m not making this stuff up, these are emotions I had during my public school days. What I’ve written here is not even the tip of the tip of the iceberg when it comes to listing the reasons why my husband and I chose to teach our children at home. My experiences weren’t unique. Friends have recently shared some of their stories with me. The most heart-wrenching stories are the ones from adults who were bullied when they were children. They still suffer from those hurts. For many of us, it all started with the ride in the big, yellow school bus.

Does the big, yellow school bus remind you to pray? Pray? You say? Yes! If you home school your children, pray a prayer of thanksgiving for depriving them of the “joys” of riding the bus. For all other situations, pray a prayer for those children on the bus who could be frightened, stressed, bullied, misbehaving, rebellious, and vulnerable. Pray a prayer for the driver that is responsible for those precious souls.

Or, you could do what a homeschool friend of mine did. Sometimes, when her child would misbehave, she’d threaten to put him on the bus. That would frighten him enough to improve his attitude. Now that, is something to chuckle about!