Pages

▼

December 15, 2008

How often do your children wear seatbelts?

All the time, right? Most of us would like to say that. I do. Today, we drove past a large yellow school bus full of children as we headed home from piano lessons. Hannah asked me, "Do those kids wear seatbelts?" Isn't it sad that most busses, ones that transport very young children who can't control their own bodies, if there were an accident, don't have seatbelts? What's the best solution here? I don't know. We're homeschooling, so it doesn't directly affect us, though, thankfully. Just my thoughts...Rob took a photo of us while waiting for a horse-drawn carriage ride...
Afterwards, we pet them on their soft noses.

Downtown trolley ride...lots of awesome FREE things going on if you look around. There is an elaborate train display at the Duke Energy building. To get in, we went through some beautiful brass revolving doors.We also watched ice skaters. It's $2.50 to skate and $2.50 for rentals.
Rob made sushi this weekend. It was scrumptious. It's rather inexpensive to make, too.

Friday we celebrate St. Nicholas day. We talked about how Santa Claus derived from his name, but the fictional stories made up are not true. I've decided to give the girls a little bag with a few dollar coins in it and take them shopping.
at

11 comments:

  1. JustinDecember 15, 2008 at 7:53 PM

    One reason school buses don't have seat belts is because, if there is an accident that requires a quick evacuation (like a fire), the children need to be able to get out quickly. In such an accident, scared children could have trouble unbuckling themselves quickly and/or get tangled up in the belts. Since the driver is the only adult, no one will be able to help stuck children get unbuckled. Because of this, it very well may be safer for the kids not to wear belts, especially since they have padded seats in front of them to stop them.

    Also, with belts, you'd have to deal with keeping kids from misusing the belts (swinging them, hitting other kids with them, tying them in knots, etc.) as well as keeping them in good repair.

    Because of all this, I can see why belts aren't used.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anne ElizabethDecember 15, 2008 at 8:35 PM

    I LOVE sushi:) I have always wondered why the buses didn't use seat belts.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ::Sylvia::December 16, 2008 at 5:42 AM

    I used to wonder about that too and then earlier this year there was a really bad school bus/semi-truck accident (part of the bus exploded) and I remember the firefighter on the news saying how half of the kids wouldn't have made it if they had to unbuckle them. So now I don't question it. I'm constantly crossing buses though :)

    Love the pics too! I love ice skating!

    BTW, I featured your "no bake" gingerbread house idea on Blissfully Domestic. I'll send you the link. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. MatushkaDecember 16, 2008 at 6:42 AM

    I love the photos! I love the Nativity season, it's a beautiful time of the year.

    I'm glad to see the bus discussion. I have always wondered about seat belts and buses.

    Enjoy the season!
    M.Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  5. Pres. KathyDecember 16, 2008 at 6:56 AM

    Thanks for sharing your pictures. It looks like you had a wonderful time! As a former teacher, I have always wondered about the seat belts. Some kids at church that I talked to said that their parents tell them to do their cross when they get on. That is a good option for kids.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Meadowlark DaysDecember 16, 2008 at 5:13 PM

    LOoks like you've been having lots of fun!

    The commuter shuttle bus I sometimes ride has seatbelts, and I always wear them! And yes, the school bus issue has been a question on my mind!

    ReplyDelete
  7. JenniferDecember 16, 2008 at 5:53 PM

    In our state, some school "buses" are actually vans filled with very small children who still have to ride in car seats. I hadn't thought about it before, but if that van is loaded with kids, what's that driver going to do to help all of them - especially those with special needs!

    Prayers for all the children riding school buses! Lord Have Mercy! I had never thought about it before.

    ReplyDelete
  8. DelenaDecember 17, 2008 at 9:10 PM

    I don't even know how I stumbled across your blog, but here I am. I have often wondered about the school buses, too. I know this generation is kind of freaky about seatbelts because its engrained into our minds "SEATBELTS SAVE." But I never thought about the getting them out aspect. By the way, I have that same polka dot pamp chef bowl. Now I sound like some crazy stalker.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kim WatsonDecember 18, 2008 at 12:48 PM

    Good question there...I never really thought about it in relation to buses, I just assumed it was the same as in cars. No belt No driving.

    The pony & carriage ride looks like it must have been GREAT fun. You & your little family always manage to do such fun stuff.
    Hugs
    x

    ReplyDelete
  10. J.HDecember 19, 2008 at 2:27 AM

    I had never really thought much about seat belts really. Probably because I came from the third world country.
    But seeing your picture, I wanted to say, Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  11. LorelucaDecember 19, 2008 at 10:14 PM

    Love the pictures of your downtown area! We just went a few days ago (need to update my blog!)
    I always had the question about the buses, too. I have to admit, I went to a couple of field trips with Coco and both times I felt almost naked without the seatbelts, but it never even crossed my mind to ask why! The concept! ;)
    LOVe sushi! You must post your recipe!!!!

    ReplyDelete