Walk Your Child To School Day

Yesterday, my son's school had "Walk Your Child To School Day," though for some reason, it was not held on the day that it was done nationally (early October). So, my son and I got up and dressed and headed off to his school on foot. One of the nice things that his school does is that the principal holds a drawing of scheduled participants with the winner getting to walk to school with the principal. What made yesterday extra fun was that as we neared the school, we passed the principal and the drawing winners. I also had to smile when, as we caught up to other kids walking, my son asked for his backpack (which I had been carrying in order to try to maximize walking speed). It was clear to me that having Dad carry the backpack carried a bit of a stigma.

I am fortunate to live in a community where walking to school isn't a major undertaking. There are recommendations made for new schools that tend to recommend more substantial facilities, but in achieving this end, take away the ability of the children to walk to school, thus adding costs to education (for busing) and reducing kids fitness levels. It's a one-two punch to the communities economic well-being.