Sheltered children

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I've been in Washington, DC for the past few days. I grew up there and was, until the age of 24, a pedestrian and public transportation kinda girl.

I was with my two daughters, ages 8 and 4, and realized they'd never been on a city bus. The girls held each other and squealed with delight through the rolling and swaying, while I endured looks from the other passengers that could only translate as "Lady, you should get out more."

Then we took the subway train. They loved that too, but it was on the escalator at the Rosslyn station that I realized that my girls are a mite sheltered. The four year old was transfixed by a line of U.S. Air Force soldiers, in fatigues, traipsing up the stairs beside us. After they'd passed, she turned to me with shining eyes and a smile of wonder. "Look Mama! Boys who match!"
 

writerterri

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You should get out more with the girls.


My kids haven't been on a city bus since they were real young. I was on a school bus with a bunch of kids for a field trip and the regular bussers did the same thing when we rounded corners.

I guess that means their normal. But do get out more. :tongue
 

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We get out a good bit, but since we no longer live in a major metropolitan area, the buses and subways will have to remain a novelty.
 

Soccer Mom

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Mine have never ridden on a city bus. :Shrug:

We live in the middle of freakin' nowhere. Then again, my nine year old can drive a tractor and my six year old is a crafty fisherman.
 

Jean Marie

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Mine have never ridden on a city bus. :Shrug:

We live in the middle of freakin' nowhere. Then again, my nine year old can drive a tractor and my six year old is a crafty fisherman.
So, your kids need to study before they go anywhere w/ Jaimie's kids.

Both sets of kids must take an exam.

Don't know who's gonna be the proctor, though :D

Maybe, all of them can go to the city on a tractor. Yeah, that just might work!
 

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"Look Mama! Boys who match!"
Hilarious! I'm guessing this means

a) your delightful daughters aren't much into football (any sort);
b) you don't spend a lot of time on Wall Street;
c) you're not Victoria Beckham after all.
 

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Yeah, they only wander in and out when we're watching football and I can't think of even one thing Posh and I have in common.
 

poetinahat

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Nor can I. She's a dead loss.
 

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You know, I thought with more diligence and even strictly biologically, there must be a few similarities. But lets not go announcing that sort of thing all over the place...

It's amazing what a big deal they're making about Beckham and Co. being 'over here'. BFD is all I have to say.
 

kristie911

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I didn't ride a city bus until I was 29 years old and went to Las Vegas on vacation. Does that make me sheltered? :)
 

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My kids just started riding public transportation this summer, out of neccessity. They're 12, 14, and 15. I think it really depends on the area you live in, and need. It would be highly inconvenient for us to use it here on the weekend just for an outing. It's set up more here in the 'burbs for work and school commuting.
 

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I'd have to drive almost 2 hours to find a city with a bus system. Doesn't seem worth it to drive there just to ride a bus. :)
 

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My girls are very sheltered. They are 17 and 15 and aren't even allowed to walk one block to the store. I drive them everywhere they need to go.

I don't believe they've ever been on a city bus. and my oldest is not even interested in learning to drive. (though my 15 yr old can't wait)
 
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Britchik

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I take my toddler on the bus all the time. Then again, I live in an area where public transport is frequent and convenient. Add that to the fact that I don't drive...

But before I lived here, I never went on a city bus until I was 18. It was a whole new experience, and I'm sure the regular bussers thought I was a little strange.
 

RLB

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Most of my experience with public transportation comes from traveling to other countries. Having lived my whole life in the American suburbs, I learned to navigate subways, busses, trains and taxis all without speaking the language (except in that darling "Mind the Gap" country). So mastering the NYC subway system a on a trip last month was a breeze.

It's a shame we can't depend on efficient public transport in the states.
 

aruna

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I've been in Washington, DC for the past few days. I grew up there and was, until the age of 24, a pedestrian and public transportation kinda girl.

Hey Perks, that sounds OK to me! There are city kids who have never seen a real cow, or know where milk and eggs come from - now THAT is sad.
 

Bmwhtly

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It's not just Kids.
I was OK with public transport, since I took the train up to boarding school every term.

But I remember one lad who was (at the time) 18. And when the shooting team made it's annual pilgrimage to Bisley, he and I (Since we lived fairly close) took the train to meet the rest of the team.
The Train was fine, but we had to go from one London train station to another, and that meant going on the Tube.

Now, I'd done it before and new how easy it was. But this Mature 18 year old just couldn't figure it out. It freaked him out entirely, just because it was new to him.

The point of this? it's probably better to let kiddles to experience this sort of stuff (With you parents) before they have to do it alone.
 

Esopha

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I'm a sheltered kid.

The first thing I did when my parents got On Demand was watch every single R rated movie I could get my hands on cause I thought I was missing out.

I'm no longer sheltered. :)
 

Maryn

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We spent some years in Boston and I took our kids, at 8 and 9, on a vacation there while their dad attended a convention in the city. I knew they'd enjoy the T (the subway-trolley system).

It never occurred to me that Kid Two would think he heard my voice saying, "Get out, this is our stop" and obey while The Kid and I (somewhat frantic) shouted at him to stay on the platform, we'd be right back, even though I doubted he could hear us and didn't seem to see us.

He was oblivious, it turns out, but he had the common sense to sit down on a bench and wait rather than try to catch up. Smart kid!

Maryn, whose overprotection was in other areas
 

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you think you're kids are sheltered?
...i have yet to let my kids spam (not the electronic kind. the real kind. well, "real" might be pushing it but i think you know what i'm talking about)