#31 - The Wheels on the Bus Go....

.....ever so slowly. I like children.  I have always liked children.  I babysat when I was younger.  I had 3 younger siblings.  I was a lifeguard and gave swimming lessons to kids. I have worked in Religious Education for 23 years.  I love my 5 grandchildren.  I am all about protecting children.  So, I have no problem when I am driving down the road and need to stop because a school bus is picking up a group of little cherubs for school.  Where my annoyance enters this picture is in two areas.

#1 - Why is it that middle school and high school kids develop rheumatoid arthritis every morning when their bus arrives?  You know the scene - bus stops at corner; there is already a small group of 37 kids at the stop; bus door opens and kids start to board the bus;  out of the corner of your eye, you notice the elderly arthritic shlepping down the side street to the corner;  oh wait, that's not an elderly person, that's a high schooler; he can see the bus and the bus driver can see him;  the last one of the bus stop 37 boards the bus and the shlepper is still shlepping arthritically;  there must be a bus law that states the driver cannot pull away if there is a potential rider within the driver's vision field, because he waits; and waits; and waits.  At that point I want to pull my car up the street and pick up the arthritic shlepper and drive him to school. 

#2 - Why is it that a bus driver stops to pick up his or her riders, puts out the blinking red stop sign, and then leaves that annoying Vegas-like blinker out there until every child has comfortably SAT DOWN on the bus??  There is not one child left outsdie the bus; they are all on the bus. I understand the bus cannot MOVE until everyone is seated, but could they pull in the stop sign to allow the cars coming from the opposite direction to go???  Oh noooooo. You sit there and sit there and sit there, becoming more and more entranced by the blinking lights (and if your window is opened, the clicking sound of the blinking light can also be very lulling). Now I'm not sure what the heck those little darlings are doing on that bus that takes so long - fluffing their pillows on their seats to make themselves more comfortable; taking their shoes off; getting themselves a snack for the long ride??????  But for the love of God, could you please turn off the blinking stop sign, and allow me to go about my business?????!!!!!