Our First German Family Meeting

Back home, our family holds a family meeting every Sunday evening after dinner to go over the schedule for the week, look at plans, and have important discussions.  Dessert is always featured those nights.  Today we had our first in Germany, a day later than usual, and featuring German chocolate sampling.

The main topic:  public bus scheduling for the girls to get to and from school.  German children do not ride designated school buses, but rather the public buses.  Although we did not witness it today, since we were scheduled to arrive for orientation later in the morning and were offered a ride home by our landlord and lady, even the youngest of children confidently rides and transfers throughout the city.  I am sure that there are older children to help the younger, but even so, for an Americans who hesitate to let their children walk down the neighborhood street alone, this almost unbelievable.  And yet, both Tom and I, and the girls, are looking forward to developing this independence.

Now, it would be simple if the girls were coming and going on the bus together, at the same time and the same stops.  However, it is much more complicated!  First, the girls are at two different "campuses", so they take the same bus but have different stops.  Second, they have different schedules so that there are only two days they return home at the same time (if neither one misses the first bus home!).  The third complication, or rather inconvenience, is that O will have to come along for the ride, both ways, at least until the girls feel ready to try it on their own. Yes, the price of independence is that I will have to make four rides(including 1 transfer)each day, schlepping toddler and stroller until we all feel confident for the girls to go it alone.

Imagine my delight when R announced the first day after school that she thought she could manage by herself on the second day!  Of course, Mom and Dad are not yet ready for such independence, but I am looking forward to he day when I can wave from the front door in my PJs and go back inside to finish my coffee!