At the Bus Stop

Several times over the last couple weeks, the bus has been extremely late for the kids. So I have taken them and the neighbor kids to school. No big deal, other than it would be nice for the bus to show up when it is supposed to. Also, another bus drives right by our corner and it seems she could stop long enough to tell us that our bus is 20 minutes behind. Also, what about the kids who are dropped at the corner by moms who have to get to work? They are waiting a long time in really cold weather. Along with this has come Kayla's new wishy washy attitude about the bus. Several mornings she has asked if I'll drive her to school. So I will warm up the jeep and get bundled up and then she looks at the clock and says, "I think I'll ride the bus after all." By then Blake is counting on a ride from me so I take him anyway. See, our kids go to school in another town - 7 1/2 miles up the highway. So taking them to school takes 15 miles worth of gas. That's not counting the days I do carpool for weightlifting or volleyball. That's another 15 miles. So 30 miles a day for school transportation, sometimes. So yesterday, after my second trip up and back, Blake asked if he could go to the girls volleyball game with his friends. I said yes if he could find a ride; I was not making another trip. Is that unreasonable? (Also, when Blake got an afterschool detention (2 actually) gas was 3 dollars a gallon so I made him pay me for the gas it took to go get him. Was that unreasonable?) So, Chris, I guess this is one of those weeks I am not bright and sunny. Every time I hear "Mom, can I have a ride to...." I feel my eye start to twitch.