Jaden Rides the Bus
Never say never. We said we would never put Jaden on the school bus — the “short bus” as a lot of people call it. But yesterday, on her fifth day of kindergarten, she rolled onto the wheelchair ramp right onto her very own private bus. I’d like to say there were no tears, but Andy actually cried. Jaden, however, was fine. More than fine. She loved it.
The short bus has a terrible reputation. It’s the butt of many jokes and let’s face it, it simply doesn’t even have the visual appeal of a traditional long, yellow school bus…the kind you read about in books and watch on television, the kind you dream about climbing aboard until you finally ride one and find out it is in fact hell on wheels, full of little devils and sometimes even driven by Lucipher’s next in command.
But so far I’m digging the short bus. The driver, sensing our hesitation over the phone when she rang up before the first pick up, came by our house to introduce herself, deliver a personal reference (who happened to be our neighbor) and even brought her prized book of Christmas cards from previous little angels like Jaden who loved the short bus as much as an amusement park ride. Jaden’s teachers reported no tears, presumably little fears, and lots of smiles when Jaden arrived at school.
So the next time you laugh about the short bus, laugh with us, not at us.
-Melissa
Tags: Disabilities, disabled bus, handicap, handicap bus, kindergarten, school bus, short bus, special needs, special needs bus
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