I walked 5 miles to school, in the snow, uphill both ways and with no shoes. Ok, Ok, that’s a joke. Or an attempt. Not a very good one, I admit.  Let’s just move on.

It’s roughly 2pm and in an hour, I’ll give the baby her a sippy with milk, toss her in the stroller and head to the school to pick up PJ. PJ will be waiting by her door or have already started walking to meet me. Depends how late I am getting there. We live about 10 mins, if you walk slow and enjoy the day, and no more than half a mile. Probably less, really. Going to school, it’s all downhill. Coming home, a bit tougher, but nobody’s died yet.

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Anyway, this is what we do, every morning and every afternoon. Walk to school and home, chat, laugh, tell jokes, tickle each other, learn about traffic and idiots that don’t stop at the crosswalk or follow rules and wave at all our neighbors as they pass us in their SUV’s heading to the school and then we wave again as they pass us coming back from the school on their way home. That’s right, we are one of only 3 households in our neighborhood that walk.  Everybody else drives.

In 1969, 41 percent of children either walked or biked to school. According to data from the National Household Travel Survey, only 13 percent still did in 2001. 13 percent??? So, if I do the math and there are 900 kids in PJ’s elementary, then 117 walk and 783 get a ride. Given the traffic and the cars and the nightmare I witness every morning and afternoon, that sounds about right.

OK, so now you say, “It’s too scary.  There are murders, kidnappers and Garrido’s out there, just waiting and watching to prey on my kid.”  Well, according to an article in the New York Times, fears that children will be abducted by strangers are at a level unjustified by reality. About 115 children are kidnapped by strangers each year, according to federal statistics. Yet nearly 250,000 are injured in auto accidents. I think I’ll take my chances with walking and next year, when PJ is in 3rd grade, I’m hoping to have convinced at least one other parent to allow the kids to walk alone. Did I just say that, ALONE? Yes, alone and no, I’m not neglectful, crazy or lazy.

Speaking of lazy, I have to wonder if that’s why people drive, not really because of fear.  OK, if you drop your kid off on your way to work, I get it.  But, if you or your spouse are home or work an off shift, you have legs, are not handicap and live less than a mile to the school, you can walk. Am I wrong?  That alone would take 200 cars off the road in our neighborhood.

In 1960, the U.S. Bureau of Transportation statistics showed there were sixty-one million passenger cars on the road. In 2007, that number has skyrocketed to nearly one hundred thirty-six million. Insane! And most of the cars I see are not eco-friendly or green types of cars. They’re gas guzzling minivans and sport utility vehicles. They’re big, scary and a lot more frightening to me than any stranger or potential kidnapper. My kid is far more likely to get hit by that idiot parent whose late for work than she is to be randomly kidnapped by the next Garrido.

So, this year, I’ll enjoy my walks, teach my daughter to be safe, do my part to help Mother Earth and try my best to show other parents that it’s not scary, hard or silly to walk.  It’s fun, healthy and fast.  That’s right, fast.  I’m generally rounding the corner to our house when all the other parents come whizzing around the corner waving.  Now that’s silly!

Oh, look at the time…2:54.  Time to go!

[update:  We nearly got hit crossing the driveway to the rear parking of the school.  This alone, is truly, the ONLY reason why I have to walk my daughter all the way to her class.  Not to protect her from kidnappers, but from parents with poor driving habits and lack of respect for pedestrians].