“Mama! You’re going to be so mad at my teacher.”
I looked at Joseph’s face, his expression a cross between dread and excitement.
“Why?” I asked cautiously, trying to figure out why I’d ever be mad at his teacher. I adore his teacher. She told me my child was a joy to have in her class. For that alone, she’s right up there with Captain America and Captain Sully on the hero scale.
“On our field trip today we rode on a bus.”
“I know! Was it fun?”
“They didn’t have car seats,” he whispered in delighted horror. He leaned closer to me, relishing the next detail. “They didn’t even have seat belts!”
“No!” I gasped.
“Yes.” He said, loving my look of shock and dismay.
“What did you do?”
“I told my teacher that little kids need car seats.”
“What did she say?”
“That there were no seatbelts on busses to hold in the car seats.”
“What happened next?”
“She told me it was okay and that you wouldn’t be mad because that’s how busses are made.”
I nodded my head. “She’s right. I’m not mad at her.”
I do, though, wonder why we still put our children on busses without seatbelts. The thought of my son, with nothing but the padded bench seat as protection, being on a freeway where cars whip around at 80 mph, is enough to make me shake. I’ve done my research. Busses may be bigger than the average sedan, but that doesn’t mean an impact won’t injure or kill a child riding in said bus.
No. I’m not mad at his teacher.
But I am starting to question why there are no lap belts in school busses. The websites I checked said that busses are designed with padding to prevent injury to children in case of an accident. Still, I’d think physics would come into play – no matter how padded the seats are.
What do you think?
